Any beading fan, amateur or pro, knows that findings are a must-have when it comes to beading.
What may not be so easy to figure out, however, is what kind of findings you need.
If you go into any arts and crafts store, you're going to be overwhelmed with all sorts of findings, made of all different types of materials, at all different prices.
It's enough to make anyone go insane.
However, the first thing to remember when looking to make your beadwork shine with findings is that the findings themselves should be of high quality.
This means to not necessarily go for the first thing you see.
Anything made of copper, sterling silver, gold, or any kind of precious metals are the way to go.
Sure, you might have to pay a pretty penny, but it's worth it.
With my help, I'm going to show you what to look forward to and what to avoid as far as findings are concerned.
The following five tips will get you on your way to creating jewelry that is fun, but also fabulous! Ear Wires.
These are shaped like fish hooks, only they are used to hang dangly beads or jewelry from your ears.
While you don't necessarily need to buy dangly hooks, you could go for other options.
These can include non-pierced findings, ear posts, and ear studs.
There's no right or wrong ear wire to pick.
Clasps.
These are essential for keeping bracelets, necklaces, and anklets together.
While there are literally hundreds of types of clasps available, it's advised that you should pick enough so that you have a variety in your tool collection.
The reason for this is because if you maintain several different kinds of clasps, it will help showcase the uniqueness of each of your beaded pieces in their own right.
Head Pins.
These have stoppers at the end, are thin, and are generally used in making dangly earrings.
The most common of pins to work would be those that have flat or round disk heads.
However, if you're the more flashy type, fancy and elaborate head pins would be the way to go.
Crimp Tubes.
These should be used with crimping pliers.
Essential in attaching any sort of beading wire to clasps, these tubes are shaped like small cylinders.
They come in different shapes and sizes, like tornado crimps and crimp clasps.
If you're just starting out, however, you only need a small bag of these.
Jump Rings.
Circular wires that are used in linking pieces of beads and jewelry to each other, jump rings can be a very fun addition to your findings stash.
A medium bag of approximately 6 millimeter rings would suffice for a starter embroidery kit.
To liven up your collection of jump rings, try experimenting with different sizes and styles.
Big, chunk, oval, and twisted are excellent examples of this.
What may not be so easy to figure out, however, is what kind of findings you need.
If you go into any arts and crafts store, you're going to be overwhelmed with all sorts of findings, made of all different types of materials, at all different prices.
It's enough to make anyone go insane.
However, the first thing to remember when looking to make your beadwork shine with findings is that the findings themselves should be of high quality.
This means to not necessarily go for the first thing you see.
Anything made of copper, sterling silver, gold, or any kind of precious metals are the way to go.
Sure, you might have to pay a pretty penny, but it's worth it.
With my help, I'm going to show you what to look forward to and what to avoid as far as findings are concerned.
The following five tips will get you on your way to creating jewelry that is fun, but also fabulous! Ear Wires.
These are shaped like fish hooks, only they are used to hang dangly beads or jewelry from your ears.
While you don't necessarily need to buy dangly hooks, you could go for other options.
These can include non-pierced findings, ear posts, and ear studs.
There's no right or wrong ear wire to pick.
Clasps.
These are essential for keeping bracelets, necklaces, and anklets together.
While there are literally hundreds of types of clasps available, it's advised that you should pick enough so that you have a variety in your tool collection.
The reason for this is because if you maintain several different kinds of clasps, it will help showcase the uniqueness of each of your beaded pieces in their own right.
Head Pins.
These have stoppers at the end, are thin, and are generally used in making dangly earrings.
The most common of pins to work would be those that have flat or round disk heads.
However, if you're the more flashy type, fancy and elaborate head pins would be the way to go.
Crimp Tubes.
These should be used with crimping pliers.
Essential in attaching any sort of beading wire to clasps, these tubes are shaped like small cylinders.
They come in different shapes and sizes, like tornado crimps and crimp clasps.
If you're just starting out, however, you only need a small bag of these.
Jump Rings.
Circular wires that are used in linking pieces of beads and jewelry to each other, jump rings can be a very fun addition to your findings stash.
A medium bag of approximately 6 millimeter rings would suffice for a starter embroidery kit.
To liven up your collection of jump rings, try experimenting with different sizes and styles.
Big, chunk, oval, and twisted are excellent examples of this.
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