Beaded bracelets are a fashion accessory suitable for any type of event. They can be as casual as jeans and cowboy hat for the rodeo or made to go with the ultimate designer gown and a reception at the White House or the red carpet at the Oscars. All you need is a little money and an idea of what you want.
There are multitudes of beaded bracelets available in stores, through catalogs and on the Internet. Some are as simple as a few glass or semi-precious stone beads and some macrame cord or silk stringing thread. Plastic beads can sometimes be just the needed look, and, along with paper bead, are light weight. If you want the chunky look without having one arm stretched longer than the other, look for large wooden beads or hollow beads of glass or porcelain. All you need are three or four large beads and some smaller beads to fill out the 6 to 7 inches needed for a bracelet. A basic bead stringing/jewelry making class will provide the knowledge you need, and you are in business, figuratively or literally.
Once you tire of simple strung bead bracelets, there is a world of bracelets that involve three or four techniques to turn small beads, thread, clasp and needle into amazing creations. You will need another couple of classes, some magazines or books with patterns you want to try, and practice. Soon you will be making incredible beaded bracelets from your own or others’ designs. You will have a bracelet for every day of the year, and gifts for friends and relatives. All beginning with a basic strung beaded bracelet.
One word of caution: As this article implies, the first bead bracelet you make can be the beginning of a life-long hobby/skill. It frequently turns into an obsession for beads of every make, model, shape, material, size, color … There is really no end to the variations of beads made in the world, past and present, and the ways that they can be combined into beaded jewelry. So beware, lest the first taste hooks you forever on this best of glass collectibles. Or give in to the impulse and go for it. The one with the most beads is the winner!
* * * Don’t forget to get magazine holders to keep your beading magazines neat and located for future use. * * *