Guide to Basic Beading Supplies

Everything that you need to make your own beaded jewelry can be found right here. Once you have picked out the beads you now need the right tools and supplies to get the job done!

Jewelry Glue & Adhesive:

G-S Hypo Cement: Favorite glue among jewelers, G-S hypo is cement glue that dries quickly and can be used on a multitude of materials. It is especially helpful that it also has a very small, precision applicator tip which helps to place the glue in tough to reach places. Works best on fibers, knots, and most non porous materials.

E6000: This is industrial strength cement glue. It works on nearly all surfaces. A stronger hold than the G-S Hypo and is usually used for objects that need a stronger bond.

Epoxy: Two part epoxy makes a strong thermo-chemical bond which, when applied correctly, can last many years. Mix the two parts together (epoxy and hardener) and apply the mixture to the pieces to be joined. It is important that the objects to be joined are clean before the glue is applied.

Beadalon Bead Fix: A fast drying, super hard glue. It is ideal for all types of materials except for fibrous ones, as it tends to make fibers brittle.

OTHER SUPPLIES:

Bead Boards: This handy board is great for the novice or advanced designer. It features three rows or tracks that allow you to design spacing between beads or strands before you string your design.

Thread Heaven: A top choice among Bead Weavers and Knotters around the globe, Thread Heaven makes working with all types of thread much easier. Use this to condition all of your threads prior to and throughout the making of your jewelry designs.

Sliding MM Gauge: The bead and jewelry world measures all things by millimeters, so it is imperative that avid designers, jewelers, and crafters alike know the sizes of their materials. This handy gauge takes a reading of mm size by placing the object directly inside the jaws and sliding the gauge to fit around the material.

Awl: This is the most popular tool used in the Traditional Knotting process. It’s long tapered point makes knot placement next to a bead easy. They can also be helpful in removing knots and measuring chain link counts.

Tweezer: The alternative to using a awl for knotting is using a Tweezer. Bead Stopper: These neat little tools do just that: keep your projects neat and prevent accidents. By squeezing the two rings on either side of the spring, you can fit multiple pieces of wire, cord, or Beadalon into the Bead Stopper preventing your beads from falling off the end.

Beadlooms: When opting not to free hand bead weave, this is the tool that bead weavers use. By making it much easier to make geometric patterns and holds things securely in place you can take on more challenging bead weaving patterns.

Polishing Cloths: When your silver and gold jewelry does not shine like it used to, sometimes all that is needed is a polishing cloth to remove oxidation from the surface. Ours have two sides, one for removing tarnish, and the other polishes the metal back to a high finish.