How to Make Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry

Executive Summary about Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry By Carol Beane

Creating your own handcrafted jewelry with beads is an easy and pleasurable activity for all ages and skill levels! Making handcrafted jewelry with your friends or children is a great way to spend quality time together. Also, making your own jewelry saves you money on what you would be spending on trendy and expensive jewelry stores. The greatest thing about handcrafted jewelry is that it is truly unique to you and your style. Choose Your Beads: Beads are available almost everywhere, from your neighborhood Wal-Mart to your specialty craft and bead stores. Get Your Wire: Beads are typically strung from very thin, flexible wire, but they can also be strung on string or thread. Wire is just generally recommended because it is so much stronger and is more likely to last longer without breaking or tearing. Shorter necklaces average about 20 inches in length, but longer necklaces are very fashionable nowadays, so you can go as long as you like! Create the Design: Decide how you want your beads arranged before you start beading your necklace or bracelet. Create interesting patterns with the shapes and colors of your beads and make sure that is what you want before you start beading. Even carpet might disrupt the order of your beads.

Crimp Bead: A crimp bead is important when creating your jewelry because finishes the ends of your jewelry and helps create a loop for the clasp to attach to. There are tube-shaped and round-shaped crimp beads to choose from. The tube-shaped are a little easier to work with. Some crimp beads will require a set of crimp pliers to make sure that the clasp is on good and tight.

String Your Beads: The easiest part of this process is simply putting on your beads in the design you have previously set. To finish your handcrafted beaded piece, simply put one more crimp bead at the end of the wire and cut off any of the remaining wire.

Creating your own beaded jewelry is a very fun and inexpensive activity. However, if you are all thumbs, or have no ideas, or just want a more professional looking piece, you should definitely look in to buying handcrafted jewelry in specialty stores or online.

Handcrafted Beaded & Sterling Silver Jewelry - Symbols of Power, Prayer & Prestige

Executive Summary about Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry By Reenie Vincent

Long before jewelry was used as a fashion accessory, it was used by tribal people, religious orders, shamans, high priests and priestesses and traditional healers as powerful keepers of faith, healing and universal knowledge. Minerals, stones and crystals were gathered into handcrafted beaded jewelry, handcrafted sterling silver jewelry and ornate gold jewelry that were called amulets, crosses, tokens, charms, medallions, prayer beads and rosaries. They believed each mineral, stone and crystal to have unique powers and metaphysical attributes. It was further believed that the wearer absorbed the powerful energies of each stone, crystal and mineral.

Jewelry has long been used in religious ceremonies as well. In Christianity, rings are still used today as a symbol of commitment to one's spouse in marriage, while a necklace bearing a cross is used as a symbol of faith and commitment to God. In India, a bride adorns herself with numerous bangles, jewels, and headdresses as auspicious tokens of the couples' union.

Pharaohs, kings and queens, princes and princesses, tribal chiefs and emperors each wore their own crowned armor of jewels to distinguish themselves from ordinary classes. The jewels symbolized power, authority, prestige, wealth and nobility.

Today handcrafted jewelry symbolizes a beautiful and unique connection to ancient beliefs, customs and traditions. Handcrafted beaded and handcrafted sterling silver artisan jewelry is a beautiful expression of whatever power you believe it holds for you. Whether a symbol of beauty, prestige, nobility, metaphysical power, faith, healing or commitment, jewelry has a rich and diverse history all its own.

Incredibly Handmade is a one of a kind shopping site with unique handcrafted beaded and handcrafted sterling silver artisan jewelry handmade silk shawls, silk scarves, handmade bags, unique embroidered fabric purses and other handmade accessories and ethnic crafts from around the world. Many of these ethnic accessories are handmade by hilltribe people such as the Mien, Karen and Hmong scattered throughout mountainous regions of Asia.