Choosing the Right Beads
For the first article on how to make beaded earrings, I’ve decided to pick the topic of choosing the right beads. There are literally thousands of beads on the market today that you can use to make earrings. When I pick the beads I want to work with, I usually take a few other things into consideration.
1. The type of metal I’m using.
If I am using stirling or fine silver findings, I will usually pick beads made from semi-precious stones. I feel it gives the earrings a higher value and keeps them fancy. If I am using surgical stainless steel findings, I am more likely to use fire-polished glass beads or hematite.
2. The occasion.
If I am making earrings as a gift, sometimes, I’ll use the birthstone of the person for whom the earrings are for. Birthstone earrings make a wonderful gift, especially when they are accompanied by a little note describing the stone’s properties. Sometimes, I’ll see a wonderful bracelet or necklace and want to design a pair of earrings to match it. The closer I can come to the materials used in the other jewelry, the better the earrings will match.
3. The style of earrings.
Different styles of earrings look best with different sizes of beads. For example, chandelier earrings often look best with many smaller beads, while single bead earrings look best with a larger bead. Sometimes, I’ll use a combination of larger and smaller beads.
The best part of designing and making your own beaded earrings is that you are only limited by your imagination. I encourage everyone to just jump right into it and make lots of earrings. That way, with practice, you’ll discover what bead combinations you like best. Start simple and before you know it, you’ll move beyond the earring designs that you can learn to do on the Internet, and you’ll be creating masterpiece works of art. Your friends will appreciate the thought you put into their gifts.
Local bead shops or craft shows are wonderful sources of inspiration for choosing just the right beads for your earring designs.
