Beadalon Blog

Who knew when we posed the question over in the Jewelry Making with Beadalon Facebook Group that we would get so many different responses and opinions about Aromatherapy Stretch Bracelets? Right out of the gate, I need to offer a special thanks to Dakota Stones for providing the beads and Susan Belluci for providing the Essential Oils for our project today! They send us some really cool lava beads, Tiger Iron, matte coins and Bayong wood beads all of which take oil. And Susan sent in her box of good smells that I had a lot of fun experimenting with! A great material to use to make Aromatherapy Stretch Bracelets, and what I demonstrated with, is Beadalon's Elasticity . It is available in 3 sizes: 0.5mm, 0.8mm. and 1.0mm and 4 colors: clear, black, satin silver and satin gold. It is made in the USA, durable, consistent in its diameter, and priced competitively. One of the challenges that you'll be faced with when making stretch bracelets with Lava Beads is that they t...

I had the honor of welcoming Sandra Lupo, designer extraordinaire and inventor of the Conetastic Tool , to the Beadalon Facebook Live this week. We made this gorgeous up-cycled necklace together. I love how she took a scarf, added some hand-crafted components, and turned it into a really fun and fashionable necklace! Materials and Tools: Conetastic and Mandrels Tassel Maker Coiling Gizmo 16 Gauge Hexagonal Artistic Wire 20 Gauge Artistic Wire Jump Ring B-Lon Tex 210 Beading Thread Scarf Happy Beading! Meredith

This week on Facebook Live, we went back to the basics for a simple strung bracelet that goes with everything! This is one of my favorite go-to projects and not only do I gift this design often, I use one of these bracelets as a way to measure other bracelets that I'm making to get the perfect size. It's a great gift for a friend (or yourself), and always a good seller. We did a great Facebook Live a few months ago which is a great refresher for what NOT to do when making your jewelry . I definitely recommend checking it out. This week, we focused again on proper crimping techniques . Since good crimping is the foundation for all jewelry, I think we can all benefit from a refresher! I love the energy that our group generates and how we all learn from each other. It's always good to go back and practice the basics! Let's keep the conversation going over at the Jewelry Making with Beadalon Facebook Group ! Happy Beading, Meredith

It was a bangle bracelet extravaganza on this week's Facebook Live! We featured the Artistic Wire Artsy Wire , the AW Crimper, the 3D Bracelet Jig and Sizing Drums , Katie's Bracelet Knotter Tool , the Bracelet Bending Pliers , and the Artistic Wire Wire Straightener . The Artsy Wire is currently available in 14 gauge in 4 colors - Artsy Burgundy, Artsy Mauve, Artsy Olive and Artsy Turquoise. It has a wonderful mottled finish that is perfect for a vintage, shabby chic look. The best part is that there are 5 AW Crimp Connectors included in the package for the perfect Cold Connection! AND we developed a new Artistic Wire Crimp Tool perfectly calibrated to work with ALL of the AW Crimp Tubes. Woohoo! The first bracelet is one of my favorites (who am I kidding, they are all my favorites!) and couldn't be easier to make! Use the AW Straightener to straighten the wire, wrap it around the 3D Bracelet Jig 3 or more times, crimp the ends with an AW Crimp Tube, curve the ...

Sometimes we get so excited about a new product, we start talking about it before it's available. While that can be frustrating, it does make it even more exiting when it does come into stock! The Artistic Wire  Flat Pattern Wire is one such product. We debuted it back at the Tucson shows in January, and we finally have some of the SKUs in stock! This Flat Pattern Wire is currently available in 6 patterns in Tarnish Resistant Silver and 2 patterns in Tarnish Resistant Brass in 6 inch lengths. It's about a 21 gauge wire, and the process that it goes through to stamp the design into it means it has a nice, stiff feel to it that holds its shape really well once bent. Some of the tools that I find indispensable for working with this wire are the Triangle Needle File  (for smoothing out the ends),  Bracelet Bending Pliers  (for bending the flat piece into a bangle shape), the Round and Oval Sizing Drums  (for shaping) and the AW Wire Shears  (t...

Knotting between beads is my technique of choice when I'm stringing up pearls and other gemstones. There are many different tools that you can use to make knots between beads which is great because different techniques appeal to different people! At Beadalon, we've found that people who have been struggling with knotting between beads and pearls trying other techniques love the Knot-a-Bead Tool. I always say that it takes knotting up at least 4 full necklaces before you really "get it". The first necklace will be loose in lots of places, with a couple of missed and double knots, but you'll get the hang of the technique. The second necklace will be loads better, but you'll still have some loose places, and maybe one or two double or skipped knots. The third necklace will be almost perfect, but you'll probably have one or two loose beads. And when you make the fourth necklace, you've probably got it! Remember, slow and steady gets the best knot. ...

Instant Pendants from Beadalon are a great way to turn larger hole beads into pendants quickly and easily. I used beads that Sarah from Jesse James Beads left for me when she was here for our joint Facebook Live to make this fun necklace featured on the most recent Facebook Live .  The Instant Pendants are so much fun to work with. They measure approximately 36.6mm (1.44in) and are available in Silver Plated and Gold Color in two styles - one with a Cone End and one with a Ball End.  Gold Color Instant Pendant with a Cone End Silver Plated Instant Pendant with a Ball End To use the Instant Pendant, simply unscrew the bottom, add your beads, and screw it back together! You can also stack bead dangles on looped Head Pins - so you don't have to worry if you don't have large hole beads. You can add a drop of glue if you want your pendant to be permanent, but part of the fun is that you can make an easy design switch. Instant Pendants look great hangin...

The fastest and easiest way to add a pendant to a necklace is to use a bail . Beadalon offers several sizes and styles of bails in both silver plated and gold color. I had so much fun going through all of the bails that we offer and demonstrating how to use them with lots of different shapes of Swarovski Elements for this week's Facebook Live Video . The general instructions for using the bails is to gently open the prongs with a Bent Chain Nose Pliers, add your pendant, then squeeze the prongs shut inside the holes. Then, you're ready to add the pendant to your necklace! We offer several different styles of bails - we even have a Bail with an earwire attached ! Some of the coolest Bails we offer are the Pinch Bails . There is a special Pinch Bail Pliers that makes it even easier to use these bails. You don't need the pliers to close the bails, but they definitely make it easier, and I'm all about the easier. You can use these bails for all different kinds of ...

I love the project that we featured on Facebook Live this week! The Slide Connectors with Lobster Extension Clasps and the Tube Slide Ends are some of the most versatile components in our catalog. These two Findings are similar in their function, but the Connectors that have the Lobster Clasps attached are slightly larger - with a 3.5mm opening and a Lobster Clasp and chain attached. The Tube Slide Ends don't come with a clasp, and they have a tube diameter of 2.44mm which makes them the perfect size for size 11 seed beads and Delicas. When we first brought these findings in, we were focused on using them for finishing off projects made with the Jewel Loom . However, once we started using them more and more, we realized that there are so many other ways to use them. For example, they are perfect for finishing off cup chain ends. I hate having to wire wrap the ends of cup chain, I don't ever like how it looks, and I never can find official "cup chain ends"...

I was so excited to be able to show some of the new Swarovski Innovations and new TierraCast beads and charms in this week's Facebook Live Video . I couldn't believe that it was over a year ago that we first debuted the Elastic Cord Needle ! Over the course of the year, we made a major improvement to the Elastic Cord Needle, and released a shorter version . This shorter Elastic Cord Needle retains all of the functionality of the original needle, but it merchandises and stores better. The shorter Elastic Cord Needle  works exactly the same as the larger one. You string your design onto the needle, then grab your Elacticity or Elonga with the hooked end. Gently push your beads from the needle onto the hook, then knot your Elastic Material. If you go back to the original Facebook Live that I did on the Elastic Cord, you can watch a discussion of the differences between Elasticity and Elonga . It took me a few days, but I finally got the double drilled Swarovski 5061 ...

This week's Beadalon Facebook Live Video focused on getting back to the basics - how to make professional, quality jewelry that lasts. Beadalon has a great graphic on the website with 5 important reminders of things you should never do when making jewelry. This was a great session for me because I sometimes take the basics for granted, but they are the most important things to remember! I demonstrated all of the what NOT to dos, and showed how to turn a jewelry making DON'T into a jewelry making DO. And of course, once I get talking, I get talking, so I gave a few extra bonus DON'Ts and DOs as well! This is a great video to watch both if you are just getting started, as well as if you need to brush up on your crimping skills. The most important takeaway message: The right beading wire  + the right crimp bead/tube  + the right Crimp Tool = the best jewelry! 1. Don't use a chain nose or flat nose pliers to flatten the crimp. Always use a crimp tool instead. ...

Happy New Year! We are in a whirlwind of getting ready for the upcoming Trade Shows right now. We hope you can visit us at the following shows: Creativation January 20-22, 2018 Phoenix, Arizona To Bead True Blue January 27- February 1, 2018 Tucson, Arizona  Creativeworld January 27- February 1, 2018 Frankfurt, Germany We'll be doing unscheduled Facebook Live Videos from all of the shows debuting our new products, so don't forget to set your notifications!  This year, my resolutions include visiting family and friends near and far - get your spare bedrooms ready! But every year, I resolve to get more organized. By focusing on keeping my work space cleaner and more accessible, I am able to spend more time creating, and less time looking for stuff.  Beadalon offers so many great options for organization , and I featured some of my favorites on last week's Facebook Live Video . Storage Rings - Great for small findings, C...