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A member of my About.com Jewelry Making Forum recently asked how one goes about learning all there is to know about the zillions of different kinds of beads available gemstones, crystals, metal, glass, seed – as a new jewelry maker she felt totally overwhelmed with it all. On top of this, she did not have a local bead shop in her area, so that was not an option.
She had a really good question: How do you learn all this stuff about beads? Here are a few ideas and resources for you:
1) Take it slow. First of all, dont feel like you have to learn everything about beads right away. Thats part of the enjoyment of this craft: you always have something to learn. And, the more jewelry and beadwork you do, the more youll learn about beads and other elements of jewelry making. It will come, so dont feel overwhelmed. Youre expecting too much from yourself if you think you can pick up all this knowledge quickly.
2) Look at lots of bead books. Check out The Library for suggestions!
3) Check out craft stores. Bead shops are great but not necessarily available to everyone. No beadshop? The next best thing is your local craft store. Every time I make a trip to Michaels, Im amazed at how much more jewelry inventory they continue to carry. Even Wal-mart has a surprising array of beads. Granted, these are the most economical places to shop for beads, but when first starting out, its very helpful to see what youre buying as apposed to buying over the net, sight unseen.
4) Order catalogs. Rio Grande and Fire Mountain have two of the best catalogs available. They are huge, full-color, and both offer extra information throughout the catalogs pages about the supplies they carry. If you cant see the beads in person, then a catalog is the next best thing.
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