Beadalon Blog

If you need to make curves, bends, loops or rings in different sizes, the Stepped Bail Making Pliers are for you! In this episode of Facebook Live, Wyatt White showed how to make a gorgeous bail, several different shapes of connectors, hooks, and rings out of both Round and Flat Artistic Wire. Stepped Bail Making Pliers   make 6 different loop sizes: 9 mm (0.35 in), 8 mm (0.31 in), 6 mm (0.23 in), 5 mm (0.2 in), 3 mm (0.12), and 2 mm (0.08 in).   By just moving your wire to a different size on the jaw, you can vary your design and create all kinds of components. Join them together with Jump Rings made on one of the larger sizes for custom chains! As always, Wyatt's video is filled with tips and great advice for working with Wire. For example, when he uses thicker Artistic Wire, he recommends the 12 and 14 Gauge Cup Burr attachment for the Battery Operated Bead Reamer as a great tool to round off those sharp ends. Wyatt broke down two amazing projects...

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...

This week on Facebook Live, Product Manager and Education Director Wyatt White taught us all about the different types of Beadalon Bead Boards . My favorite part of this video is all of the wonderful comments that our viewers chimed in with. We asked people to write in with why they needed a bead board, and here are some great reasons: I want a bead board because I have a small space to work on. So it would keep things more organized for me to not lose beads on the floor.  - Erin I always need to leave my design overnight or for a few days and go back to it and tweak it before I'm happy to go ahead and string it so it can stay on the bead board for a little while. -Maxine I love the measurements on mine so I don't have to play with measuring tape. Keeps everything together for a project. - Roberta I use mine to map out the design and they're great when I have to leave and come back to work on it later. - Zona I use a bead board to help me lay out my designs the way...

Sarah James from Jesse James Beads joined us on Facebook Live this week to launch their newest Goddess Beads collection. I had planned something else for our Facebook Live, but once I saw the beads Sarah brought, I just new it was going to have to be an earrings extravaganza! Sarah had made a gorgeous pair of earrings at the Beadalon and TierraCast Designer Battle Royale at Bead & Button in June, but she had lost one (sad face). So, we used some TierraCast Components, some Jesse James beads and Artistic Wire to whip up some new ones in no time! I grabbed some of the Artistic Wire Findings Forms to make matching earwires. We had so much fun designing, now I can't stop making earrings! Sarah was kind enough to leave some bead goodies behind, so I used her design as my inspiration for today's project! 22 Gauge Silver Filled Wire  (used in the video) or 22 Gauge Tarnish Resistant Brass Artistic Wire Memory Wire Finishing Pliers or Round Nose Pliers Findings Form Qu...

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 ...

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...

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"...

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. ...

Did you know you can use the Acrylic Tying Station with Artistic Wire, too? We've done several cool projects made with Artistic Wire on the Tying Station, and this week's Facebook Live featured Wyatt's Knotted Wire Beads. Leave it to Wyatt to come up with another super creative way to turn small pieces of wire into usable jewelry components. Once you get the basics of the Macrame Knots down, the possibilities are limitless. Use 26 Gauge Artistic Wire for a small, fine design, or 20 Gauge Artistic Wire for a more substantial piece. You could vary the size of the center Wire also, to make a bigger or smaller hole. As always, Wyatt does a great job explaining everything and inspiring us to try out even more materials and techniques. What a great project for a last minute gift! Materials: 16-26 Gauge Artistic Wire Acrylic Tying Station Headpins Instructions: Set up the tying station with a 16 Gauge Wire as the base. Use 20-26 Gauge Artistic Wire to tie a varie...

The holidays are right around the corner, and we've got you covered for gifts for the special ladies on your list (and go ahead, make some for yourself, too!). With just a few feet of Artistic Wire and the Kleshna Ring Weaver Tool, you can whip up a pair of Holiday Wreath Earrings in a jiffy! In a bigger rush? Make a Pendant and attach it to a pre-made Chain and you're off. Materials: 18" of 26 Gauge Green Artistic Wire 18" of 26 Gauge Red Artistic Wire 1 foot of  22 Gauge Silver Filled Wire Tools: Kleshna Ring Weaver Tool   Findings Forms S Hook Findings Forms Swoop Earwire Jig Instructions: Assemble the Kleshna Weaver Tool to the ring size of your choosing. Twist the ends of one 18" piece of Red Artistic Wire and one 18" piece of Green Artistic Wire (or colors of your choosing) together. Start at the hash mark, and weave around the tool (Check out this great video by Kleshna and this one by Wyatt for more detail on how to use the Kleshn...

Make your own earrings, even if you don't have those premade hooks! Last week during our Facebook Live , Wyatt demonstrated how simple it is to make consistent ear wires using Artistic Wire Findings Forms . They are fixed peg jigs that allow you to make your own findings. It is recommended to used 20-24 gauge Artistic Wire , Beadalon German Style or any other soft-medium tempered wire. Variety of Artistic Wire Findings Forms in ear wire shapes.  Another essential tool when making ear wires is to use the Wire Rounder Tips with the Battery Operated Bead Reamer to make sure those ends don't poke too hard! Use the Wire Rounder Tip attachments for smooth wire ends!  Artistic Wire Findings Forms are also available in different shapes to make different components like toggle clasps, connectors, ear wires and even holiday shapes (perfect for Halloween since we're officially in Fall season). These are some creative jewelry pieces Sara Ellis did to get in the spirit!...

Yummo! Chocolate Pearls combine two of my favorite guilty pleasures and in this week's Facebook Live , Wyatt demonstrated how to create an endless strand of knotted pearls with some beautiful ones. What a perfect, fashionable, goes with anything project. He hasn't done this technique in a while, but he definitely hasn't lost his touch - it's just like riding a bicycle! Materials: Two strands of pearls Carded Silk Cord to fit the holes of the pearls Beadalon Bead Stringing Glue Tools: Beadalon Knotter Tool Battery Operated Bead Reamer Instructions: 1. Pre-stretch the Silk Cord. 2. Ream out 8 of the Pearls so that a double strand of the Silk will fit through. Be sure to ream under water and ream one side, then the other. Watch this YouTube Video if you need a reaming reminder. 3. Tie a triple knot in the end of the Silk Cord. String the 8 reamed out pearls onto the Silk, then the remaining pearls. Wyatt used two strands for his necklace. 4. Tie an over...

Artistic Wire Knitter Tool and Knitter/Kumihimo Weight Fun techniques always seem to come back around again, and knitting with Wire is no exception. The Artistic Wire Knitter Tools make it fun and easy to make gorgeous Wire ropes to adorn and embellish to your heart's content! In this week's Beadalon Facebook Live Video , I go step by step through everything that you need to know to make a simple knitted rope, add beads, and finish off the ends. It can be a little fiddley at first, but once you've got it down, it works up quickly and effortlessly. One of the challenges that I always have when finishing any kind of beadwork other than Crimping, is how to finish it off to add a clasp. My favorite technique for finishing off the ends is to use a Necklace Cone, and of course I'll make my own cone whenever I get the chance! Sandra Lupo's Conetastic Tool makes it easy to make your own Necklace Cones with any Wire you want to match your design. In preparing for the ...

It was a dance party in the Beadalon office for today's Facebook Live featuring the fun and funky Watusi stringing technique. It's a different way of using Bead Stringing Wire than traditional stringing that has a beautiful payoff. For the bracelet in this video, Wyatt used 2 pieces 12 inches long of . 024 White 49 Strand Beadalon Bead Stringing Wire ; beads that can accommodate 2 strands of the .024 Wire: and 29 inches of 19 Strand .018 Beadalon Bead Stringing Wire Pro Tip: Use a Spool Tamer t o keep your Beading Wire from unraveling! There are written instructions here , and I like how Wyatt tweaked the original technique a little bit in the starting and finishing. Crimping onto a 3 strand clasp makes for a really tidy start and finish. I love that once you learn the technique, there are unlimited variations! You can use different sizes of beads, different shapes of beads, different numbers of beads, etc. I'll be back next Wednesday to keep the party going! I...

Being a Mama is hard work, and what better way to show the special mamas in your life how much they mean to you than with a personalized birthstone necklace made with Beadalon's  Quicklinks ? There is a quick video that I made last year on Beadalon's YouTube Channel, but I thought it would be helpful to take a longer walk through of this project on today's  Facebook Live.  Materials: 314B-320  Quick Links 326B-414  Quick Links Connectors AWD-22S-10-08YD   22 Gauge Tarnish Resistant Silver Plated Artistic Wire A314-20S-10-02  20 Gauge Artistic Wire Chain Maille Rings 340B-060  Diamond Cut Ball Chain 338B-201  Ball Chain Ends 322B-012  Tag 315B-032  Lobster Clasp Beads of your choice Instructions: Wrap the beads onto the Quick Links using the 22 Gauge Artistic Wire and link them together with the Quick Link Connectors. Attach the Ball Chain Ends to the Ball Chain with Chain Nose Pliers, then use Jump Rings to attac...