Hobbies by their definition are activities that one pursues for the pure enjoyment of them. Stamp collecting, hiking, and scrapbooking are all excellent hobbies that can serve as a type of therapy and can certainly help one relax. But these styles of hobbies do have a drawback, there generally isn’t anything practical one can do with them. If you are a person who wants to pick up a hobby but also wants something more out of it than just the enjoyment, then you should consider the art of beading and jewelry making.
Beading and jewelry making is a very enjoyable and creative hobby that many will find therapeutic and fun. Yet, this style of crafting also goes beyond just enjoyment for its own sake as there are a lot of useful things you can do with the bracelets you make out of alphabet letter beads and necklaces you string with stone beads. Let’s take a look at just a few of the ways in which beading is also practical.
The Useful Side of Beading & Jewelry Making as a Hobby
Making gifts for loved ones. This is a big one. If you love giving gifts to your friends, family members, colleagues, and others but often find yourself strapped for cash or uncertain of what to get them, then you can use your beading hobby to your advantage. Make them a personal anklet with your beading tools and supplies featuring their school colors or a holiday-themed necklace and pendant.
Create home decorations. Speaking of holidays, there are a ton of home decorations you can craft after you buy jewelry making supplies online. For Christmas, you might bead yourself some unique holiday ornaments like a dozen different white snowflakes. For Halloween, spooky door decorations, beaded pumpkin coasters, and bat earrings are all wonderful ways in which to tie your hobby with holiday cheer.
Make some money on the side. All of those things you make as gifts for others and those exciting holiday decorations can also do another thing: They can put some cold hard cash in your pocket. Selling the jewelry you make from sterling silver beads or a dozen snowflake ornaments is a great way to make money on the side and there are a ton of fantastic websites and platforms like Etsy to help you do so.
Donate for a better cause. If you don’t need the cash, what about donating instead of selling? Homemade jewelry is absolutely something you can use for fundraising events, such as when your children need items for an auction that will raise money for their sports league.
When it Comes to Getting Started, Let Crystal Findings Be Your Guide
Our team at Crystal Findings is proud to host one of the largest collections of wholeslae beading and jewelry-making supplies in the country. We have everything you need to get started with this fantastic hobby today, and to take that hobby to more serious levels like selling jewelry online. Visit our website today to see some of our fanastic starter collections that will have you creating your own unique and beautiful beaded pieces in no time.
Sterling silver beads for jewelry making are a popular choice among jewelry crafters and customers. Though durable and beautiful, however, shimmering sterling silver items will tarnish over time. The darkening that occurs is a form of corrosion from reactions to everyday substances like oxygen, water, and sulfur-containing foods. But unlike rust, it does not break down the metal beneath. Fortunately, tarnish can be removed and prevented with the right jewelry care techniques.
Wear Sterling Silver Jewelry Regularly
Wearing sterling silver can actually prevent discoloration. The oils from your skin can protect sterling silver beads, helping them maintain their shine.
Avoid Contact with Substances that Cause Tarnishing
Don’t wear sterling silver Bali beads or other sterling silver jewelry when bathing or swimming. Remove bracelets and rings that could come into contact with cleaning products or foods. Also avoid contact with sulfur-containing products such as wool, latex, eggs, mustard, mayonnaise, and onions, which can accelerate tarnishing. Wait until after applying makeup and perfume to put on sterling silver jewelry, making it your finishing touch.
Store Sterling Silver Jewelry Carefully
Limit exposure to air and humidity, which accelerate tarnishing, by storing sterling silver items in sealed bags, such as zippered plastic bags that close tightly. Insert humidity absorbing chalk, activated charcoal packets, or silica gel packs in the storage container for added protection. Be sure to store each item separately to prevent scratching and tangling.
Clean Sterling Silver Regularly
Regularly polish your sterling silver alphabet beads and jewelry at the first sign of darkening and after wearing it to remove skin substances that cause discoloration. Do not use abrasive towels or tissues – only soft nonabrasive flannel and microfiber materials. Polish back and forth. Do not use a circular motion as this can magnify scratches.
Ways to Clean Sterling Silver Jewelry
Cleaning sterling silver beads isn’t hard. There many safe options for cleaning and removing tarnish, including:
Silver polishing cloth
Tarnish-removing polishing cream
Easy Silver Cleaning Bath – The “Electrolyte Cleaning Method”
This at-home method is easy and safe. Start by lining a glass bowl or container with foil. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt and baking soda. Place your sterling silver jewelry in the bath and let it soak for 5 minutes. (You may notice a rotten egg smell – this is normal.) After the tarnish disappears, rinse thoroughly with cool water and dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.
Note: For heavily tarnished jewelry, you may need to repeat the cleaning process a few times. But your persistence will pay off – cleaning can make even the oldest sterling silver jewelry shine like new again.
When to Enlist Professional Assistance
If your silver jewelry has significant discoloration or is fragile, old, or valuable, it may be best to have it professionally cleaned.
Sterling silver beads can provide many years of enjoyment. Create designs that remain bright and beautiful. Shop jewelry making supplies wholesale at Crystal Findings today.
These shimmery charm bracelets are impossibly easy and inexpensive to make. They are the perfect gift for any occasion, accenting a variety of clothing styles from everyday casual to evening and formal wear. Keep your jewelry design simple and classic with our sterling silver beads and findings, or dress them up with our stunning Swarovski crystal pendants. Prefer a warmer tone? Don’t be afraid to go for the gold!
7 strand cable wire or Soft Flex .019 or .024 49 strand wire.
2 x smasher pliers
Cutters
Beaded bracelet assembly instructions:
Place a crimp bead on one end of the beading wire, using your smasher pliers to crush and hold it in place.
Thread the charm on, followed by 11 stardust beads to fill half the bracelet. Follow with 3 seed or spacer beads on the end.
Place a crimp bead on that end of the wire.
Take your jump ring with one pair of pliers, with the split facing up in the middle. Use the other pliers to hold the opposite side. Open, pulling one side of the jump ring toward you while pushing the other away.
Take the loop end of the lobster clasp, threading on the ring. Close it in the reverse method of opening, taking care there is no overlap.
For the other half of the bracelet, place another crimp bead on the wire following the seed/spacer beads.
Take the clasp and jump ring you constructed, feed the wire through the jump ring, and then bend it back toward and through the crimp bead, feeding the wire through twice.
Pull the crimp bead as close as you can to the jump ring, then use flat nose pliers to push the crimp bead shut.
Now slide all your beads toward that end, tucking the wire’s tail end to hide it within the beads.
Go to the other side of the wire. Use side cutters to remove the crimp bead.
String the next 11 stardust beads onto the wire, followed by 3 seed/spacer beads and another crimp bead, close to seed/spacer beads.
Take the jump ring and hook it into the clasp. Push the wire through the jump ring. Make sure the beads fit snugly together. Next, bend the wire back on itself, pushing it through the crimp and seed/spacer beads as you did with the other side.
Hold the main wire steady with a pair of pliers; use the other pair to pull the wire back through the seed beads and first stardust bead. Complete the fit by hand for a snug finish.
Cut the excess wire, tucking it into the beads.
Squeeze the crimp bead carefully into place, taking care to avoid crushing the seed beads.
Get the look for less. Find premium beads at affordable wholesale prices. Shop the wide selection of beading supplies at Crystal Findings today.
From fashion jewelry to faucets, there have been many significant changes in the popularity and prevalence of precious metals over the years. Few have withstood the test of time. Sterling silver is the exception, and it’s easy to see why. This affordable, durable, beautiful metal outshines competing options. What makes this the substrate of choice in the fashion and jewelry industries?
8 Must-Know Facts About Sterling Silver Beads
1. Sterling silver beads are formed from a mixture of metals.
Sterling silver is an alloy, or mixture of metals. To bear the “sterling silver” namesake, sterling silver beads and findings include a blend of 92.5% silver, as well as several other metals (or combinations of metals). The most common combination is silver and copper, though composition may vary.
2. Sterling silver is stronger than 100% pure silver.
Because silver is a soft metal, it’s prone to dents, scratches, and warping. For jewelry that sees frequent use, that won’t do. Adding copper and other metals to silver makes it harder and more durable, while still maintaining its beauty and value.
3. Sterling silver bears markings of origin and authenticity.
Assayer’s marks denote the origins of each piece of sterling silver, bearing animals and other symbols that signify the country in which each item was made. In addition to this, sterling silver pieces will also boast a number showcasing purity, usually “925,” which stands for 92.5% silver.
4. The value of sterling silver fluctuates.
Though it’s not a pure precious metal, the value of sterling silver changes based on the market price of silver due to the alloy’s high silver content.
5. Sterling silver can tarnish.
While adding copper and other metals to form sterling silver imbues strength, it also makes it more prone to tarnishing with oxygen exposure. Fortunately, you can keep sterling silver jewelry looking its best with regular cleaning with a soft microfiber cloth and nonabrasive polish.
6. Some chemicals can damage the sterling silver.
Always take off your jewelry when swimming in a chlorinated pool or cleaning with bleach, as these chemicals corrode silver. Long-term exposure to sunlight, salt water, perfume, and hairspray also accelerate corrosion. Be mindful of activities before donning your sterling silver creations.
7. Proper storage can prevent tarnishing.
Storing sterling silver jewelry in sealable polyurethane bags, or with desiccants, can prevent tarnishing from humidity and oxygen exposure.
8. Sterling silver can irritate the skin.
Fortunately, flashing with a thin layer of pure silver, plating, and other coatings can damper irritation.
Ready to Design with Sterling Silver?
With proper care, sterling silver can last a lifetime – or longer. Create jewelry designs that will stand the test of time with our wide variety of sterling silver offerings, including:
Already sweating summer boredom? Whether you are a parent or activities instructor, summer break is the perfect time to try a few fun jewelry making projects with your kids. Easy and inexpensive, jewelry projects help kids develop their fine motor skills and creativity and leave them with a unique memento of the summer season.
Inspire Your Child’s Creativity with these Kids Jewelry-Making Favorites:
We offer a variety of colorful and unique beads that children love for making necklaces and bracelets. Choose from some of the kid-friendly favorites below, complementing them with our wide assortment of gold-filled and sterling silver beads and findings…
It’s easy for kids to get creative with a mix of alphabet beads and colorful spacers. We offer a wide assortment of alphabet bead options, sold by the letter.
A-Z alphabet bracelet or necklace for younger kids, placing colorful round beads between each letter.
Name bracelet.
Friendship bracelets: “BFFS FOREVER.” Or “X O X O.”
‘Positive message’ bracelets, such as, “BE HAPPY,” “DREAM BIG,” “THANKFUL,” “SMILE,” AND “U R AWESOME.”
Alternate colorful semi precious stones in a vibrant pattern of each child’s favorite colors, stringing on a stretch cord for an easy fit. Add in fun accent pieces such as Bali beads or gold-filled and silver charms with a jump ring to make a statement.
Colorful yet sophisticated, Cloisonné are favored by older girls, adorned with beautifully painted imagery with metallic accents perfect for pairing with gold and silver beads and findings.
The perfect way to add both color and texture to a jewelry design, smooth, shimmery cat’s eye beads make kids of all ages ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhh.’ Alternate bold colors of stones of the same shape, or mix shapes to stunning effect.
Don’t Miss Out on these Other Fun Bead Styles
Providing an assortment of beads allows each child to showcase their own unique personality through their jewelry making creativity.
From simple shapes to flashy designs to liven up any creation.
While the day away, creating a new tradition. Discover the fun of jewelry making with your kids. Shop the wide selection of inspiring options at Crystal Findings today.
