Making your own beads
December 11, 2007 by Cyndi Lavin
Filed under Basics - Getting Started, Beading, Book & Magazine Reviews, Jewelry Business Tips, Lampwork & Fused Glass, Metal Clay, Mixed Media, Polymer Clay, Technique Tuesday, Tutorials & Techniques
Technique Tuesday!
Often times, the jewelry pieces that I admire most are the ones that use the artist’s own handmade beads. Nothing else will ever be exactly like that piece.
If you want to make true one-of-a-kinds, you should probably think about learning to make your own beads and findings. We’ll just cover the beads today. Here’s a list of links to sites that cover lampworking, clay, paper, wire, and much more!
Lampworking ~ the allure of the flame
Schermobeads
An excellently photographed introduction to the steps involved in making lampworked beads.
Frequently Asked Questions
All kinds of information about hot glass.
Making Glass Beads by Cindy Jenkins
Beads that are multicolored, grooved, feathered or foiled, and decorated with spots, dots, eyes, and stripes: no matter which of these designs in glass you choose, the results will be beautiful. Detailed instructions and magnificent photos, along with scores of valuable tips and tricks, guide you through an awesome array of techniques, making this the best guide to glass beading ever.
Polymer ~ let’s play with clay
Polymer Clay Central
Lessons, projects, and instructions from some of the finest polymer artists, all gathered in one place.
Beads By Hand
Clay beads and more!
The Polymer Clayspot
Frequently asked questions about what it is and how to use it.
Making Polymer Clay Beads by Carol Blackburn
A comprehensive introduction to making beads from polymer clay that also provides inspiration, demonstrates the range of effects that can be achieved, and teaches how to incorporate these beads into jewelry designs.
The New Clay by Nan Roche
This book has been around a while, and for a good reason. It’s one of the best books for learning polymer clay techniques like millefiori and bead making.
Paper or Cloth Beads ~ rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…
Partz Paper Beads
How to make them, and what to do with them once you have!
Cloth Roll-Up Beads
Louise Duhamel shares her technique.
Creating Extraordinary Beads from Ordinary Material by Tina Casey
It is possible to make colorful beads of one’s own from craft materials. Casey’s beads are often humorous items made from glued strips of cloth, yarn, or paper and finished off with clear nail polish.
All wired up and no place to go
Wig Jig Wire Beads
A few lessons and many supplies for making twisted wire beads.
Make Wire Beads by Lisa Van Herik
Concise and detailed how-to instructions for making a wide variety of different wire beads. All 44 beads in this book are fully illustrated both in color and black and white and along with the individual instructions.
PMC ~ squishing silver and gold?
PMC and Art Clay Silver
An online manual for success with the new precious metal clays.
Making metal beads
Register with the ArtJewelry site and receive a free download of Nanz Aalund’s tutorial.
The Art of Metal Clay by Sherri Haab
Artist and instructor Sherri Haab demonstrates metal clay’s remarkable versatility, showing how it can be textured, molded, carved, and sculpted to create gorgeous beads.
Metal Clay Magic by Nana Mizushima
Packed with color photos showing each step of working with metal clay. Covers more than just beads, but has lots of techniques that can be used in making beads.
Ceramics ~ the other forms of clay
Beads of Clay
Celebrating the world of ceramic bead artists. Artists working together to promote the art form.
Mystic Spiral Studio
A tutorial on different bead shapes and how to make them with clay.
Ceramic Bead Artists
Tutorials for both the beginner and the more experienced artist.
Ceramic Bead Jewelry: 30 Fired & Inspired Projects by Jennifer Heynen
Scheduled for release in June 2008. Can be pre-ordered now.
Hi Cyndi,
I just adore those polymer clay beads in the photo. Can you let me know who made those? Was it you? They’re really eye catching.
I *wish* I’d made them! Sorry, Heather…the folks who made them went out of business a long time ago, or else have moved on to other things. I can’t find them online anywhere
HI THERE:
I would like to know something about
ceramic beads.
What do you think about using them.
You didn’t say anything about ceramics
in your Making your on beads
You’re right! I missed them, not because I don’t like them, but because I don’t know much of anything about them. There are lots of different types of clay besides polymer, which I did cover, but ceramics like porcelain and other kiln-fired clays are outside my realm of experience.
Maybe some of our readers can help out here! At the very least, here’s an area that I’ll have to look into and try to discuss in some future posts. Thanks for your question, Linda. Off I go to study up
Oh Cyndi,
What a shame. Was very curious to have a better look at those. Thanks for letting me know, though.
I started playing with polymer clay last year and love it. You have a great list of sites here and I am sure I will bookmark each one!
These are just the tip of the iceberg! I’ve only listed the few sites that I think are best in each category, but there are tons more out there. Many of these sites have links to more good ones. I hope your quest in the new year is successful
Played with paper beads decades ago – still haven’t used them – anyone want some paper beads?????? LOL but you know what – it hasn’t occurred to me about the fancy papers being sold now, a lot more interesting than old magazine articles – may try that, someday.
I think I like shiny too much.
The cloth is interesting, though. Sewing seed beads on – a bit of glitter????
Love polymer clay but cat fur gets into it too easily ! LOL – love to get back to it. Tried it on a whim, fell in love with it, one of the problems is the size of our little house. Leon went ballistic about my liver. I told him I knew better than eating it or feeding it to the cats! (Any way the cats and I do not share livers!) Hopefully he will have forgotten that article about livers, by now.
(AS if he forgets anything!)
Another thing : buy cheap wooden beads and paint on them yourself. Did that when I was experimenting and it worked out quite nicely – I want to do more of that.
Thought about decorating wooden with polymer clay … never carried that mad scheme to its natural conclusion. NOT sure why I even thought it a good idea.
Ever go to the hardware store with your honey ??? That is a hint by the way. You know hardware can be very interesting. I suggest the nuts and bolts dep’t and plumbing dep’t. (at the very least you can look at all the pretty copper in plumbing!!) I always swore I was going to make a necklace of computer thingies but its just not my taste.. but that is another place to find interesting shapes and wire thingies.
And yes, ‘thingies’ is a scientific phrase it means any little thing that has no knowable name that can lie in the palm of your hand.
I’ve literally been looking at my feet lately… finding little things… collecting them. A piece of copper from a new garage building site in the Neighborhood Leon asked why I was picking it up – I said I thought it would make an interesting jewelry thingie .
Don’t forget older clays like Bread dough clay – that is if you can find any white bread, lately. Played with that in the 1980s still have a book about it in my library.
A very, very old method is also the most interesting thing I have ever tried… making beads out of Roses – I remember having to boil a mixture, rosewater, rose oil etc. I could give you a source of such things if you needed help, I am also a herbalist. I have an old recipe somewhere among all my herbals. There used to be a nunnery that made rosaries from roses and sold them. NOT sure they are made any longer. I found some of such rose beads and have them in my collection.. never nice. Black, rather rough.
Another method – making beads out of spices. I have recipe somewhere. – not sure what they used as the adhesive/binder, though. Have you ever seen the recipes with cinnamon and apple sauce for Christmas decorations- made a few of those for the tree.. they still have some scent after years and years.
A lot of my motivation has been play. experimentation .. but also, often, I want something I just can’t find, why not create it myself?
I know some artists who were still making rosaries from real rosebuds a few years ago! I don’t know if any of the sisters still do or not.
Also, regarding the hardware store, I am the queen of the hardware store, according to DH. Our favorite date night together is to simply wander the aisles of Home Depot
To make beads for a rosary:
Gather the roses one dry day and chop the petals very finely. Put them in a saucepan and barely cover with water. Heat for about an hour but do not let the mixture boil. Repeat this process for three days and if necessary add more water. The deep black beads made from rose petals are made this rich color by warming in a rusty pan (I.E.Iron) It is important never to let the mixture boil but each day to warm it to a moderate heat. Make the beads by working the pulp with the fingers into balls. When thoroughly well worked and the fairly dry press on to a bodkin to make the holes in the centres of the beads. Until they are perfectly dry the beads have to be moved frequently on the bodkin or they will be difficult to remove without breaking them. Held for a few moments in a warm hand these heads give out a pleasing fragrance.
19th. century recipe
—from Rose recipes from Olden times
Eleanour Sinclair Rohde.
Some notes: I think I saw another recipe in my life because this one doesn’t mention the water being rose water (available at Middle Eastern & Far East Indian stores in USA.) or rolling the beads in Rose Attar or oil at the end of the process of making them. Rose Attar is the most precious rose oil there is & very expensive. In a whole life I’ve only owned one teaspoon of it!
Questions : would spraying oil the bodkin be a good idea?
I have some very precious (to me) beads that are made of Myrrh – they are a natural brown and have a wonderful scent when heated. I would love to figure out how to make them.
Frankincense and Myrrh are both resins and could be drilled and used as beads, I suspect. Never tried that. Maybe a little experimentation is in order? I wonder if my myrrh beads (Shipwreak doesn’t carry them any longer) are just powered myrrh, a little fixative and some adhesive/binder? A fixative is a herb, power, wood, etc etc that helps fix – make permanent the scent. Read up on making potpourris and perfumes to get more info. This entire subject takes me back to my herbal inquiries more than a decade ago.
Just checked on the net – tons of info out there. I should check for myrrh beads… weird, I don’t always think of the net with my inquiries. My brain is still in 1980!
Cyndi – never bored in a hardware store.. ! Love Copper ! Keep thinking of things to do with it – and well, the tool section, paints — .
I’ll check the steam punk, later… did you know there are science fiction novels about that subject; a world that never advanced beyond steam? alternative realities, worlds, usually … some have come out in recent memory, haven’t read them.
Did you ever play Myst? I did. Couldn’t do the music puzzles – Leon did them for me. I did any color puzzles. He’s color blind. LOL
Another note about herb sources : San Francisco herb company still is the cheapest and more useful one.
http://www.sfherb.com/
Their essential oils aren’t the best though.
Right! Those sci-fi novels are steampunk novels
William Gibson, Alan Moore, Neal Stephenson, many others
Oh, I forgot to say, my family loved Myst, but I couldn’t sit still long enough to play it!
I’ve seen the Neal Stephenson novels at the library and B & N but haven’t tried them, yet (Intrigued, though!). I’ll have to check them all out in the New Year.. right now, Santa’s got his whip out and not in a good way. The Christmas punch has hit the fan, so to speak. Why do all my friends live more than 2000 miles away? I could relax some if I didn’t have to mail everything!
Does that say something about ME?
I checked Moore on Wiki and and the article mentioned Victorian era novels – Loved them all – Verne, H. Rider Haggard, READ all of Tarzan before the age of 17 .. etc. One writer you might want to try (his novels are rare, though) is Eric Temple Bell, great writer from the early 20th, but hardly known now. John Taine was his pen name or is it visa-versa? NOT sure whether he would qualify as steam-punk, though.
Had no trouble hitting my head against the monitor screen (I have oceans of patience) but sometimes I just got locked up in a knot with Myst. I can’t hear sounds well – remember that steam organ? did you get that far?
WE started working together and played the game together and things were easier. I would have never finished without Leon’s help. Its a lot of fun to play games with best friend and Leon is definitely that.
I really gota discipline myself.. been using this site as a relaxation and excuse, today. Back to work!
Mike and I shoulda played it as a team. We might have either killed it, since we think completely differently, or we might have killed each other LOL!!