Bead-Work As a Home Business

Bead-work is one of the most popular crafts worldwide.

One of the best things about this is that the styles differ vastly around the world, and even within countries.

Now starting up a beading business from your home is something that is extremely east to do. Sadly it is not that easy to make money unless you follow some basic guidelines.

Due to the fact that beading is so very popular there are so many different people doing it that the competition is very fierce.

Now do not let yourself be put off by that fact, because if you target your market tightly and then do it better that any others within that field then you will become profitable very quickly.

It is simply a matter of knowing where the money lies and then how to go and get it.

This will be covered in the research part of setting up your business.

However before you even start you will need to know and understand which direction it is that you want to go into. There are a huge amount of choices available here to you. From the very simple, train other beading beginners from your home workshop, to wholesaling, to doing very high-end specialty pieces. The art side of beading is also a possibility.

What you need to consider is all the festivals, shows and flea market options, and then compare those results to supplying specific retail outlets. It is important that you do this research side correctly in the very beginning, as this is the basic foundations that your business will be built upon.

The good news is that once you have done that, you will be in a position to do the planning and get the step by step daily tasks written down and put into action.

You will be on your way to success.

This first step is what you need to concentrate upon in the beginning and then you will be ready to take the next step.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2925391

How to Buy Beads for Home-Craft Jewelry Making

Buying Beads by Size

Buying beads can be complicated. With hundreds-of-thousands of different materials, sizes, shapes, colors, and prices. Often buyers purchase the wrong size because they don't know millimetres - and purchasing too many beads is a waste of money. However, armed with a little knowledge and common sense, it's not so difficult.

Seed beads

Seed beads range from 1mm to 3mm or size 11/0. The most common seed beads are Chinese, Czech, or Japanese. Traditional Czech beads are sold on hanks, mostly round, but can be uneven. Chinese and Japanese seed beads are more uniform, come in many different colors and are sold loose in bags or tubes.

Remember that 1,000 (or even 4,000) seed beads will come in a little bag - don't expect them larger than they are! However, some of these tiny beads can be tricky to make, so are only a little cheaper than bigger beads.

Large beads

Larger beads are sold either loose or in strands. Buy beads in strands if you want the best quality and uniformity of holes - they will hang better on a necklace. However, loose beads are great if you want a lot cheaply for a large project or for many different works. Beads over 14mm get heavy, so expect to pay more shipping.

Measuring Beads

I often get letters telling me the 8mm beads we mailed are not 8mm. Some people say our 4mm beads look bigger on the picture! Others insist we've sent them the wrong size strand of pearls because most are smaller than listed. Size of beads can either be exact or approximate depending on the type of bead:

• Simple round bead sizes should be exact: 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm etc.
• Chip beads, being varying size, will not be exactly the size quoted - some will be longer, but most will be shorter.
• Bead sellers usually quote the largest size in the strand. This is especially true with natural pearls - where less than 25% in a strand may be the full size quoted.
• A Choker necklace measures 16-inches, a Princess necklace 18-inches long, a Matinee necklace 24-inches, and an Opera necklace 32-inch.
• A bracelet is usually 7-inches - and an anklet 9-inches.

Bead Measure

Invest in a bead measure, as it's easy to overestimate bead sizes. Most good bead stores sell them.

How Many Beads Will I Need?

If buying by the strand, just divide the length by the bead size to tell how many there will be.

For example a (16-inch) 400mm strand will have about 50 beads of 8mm - 400 divided by 8.

Strands can be different lengths, but there is a general rule:

• Usually each strand measures 16-inches = 400mm.
• A necklace will need at least 75 x 6mm beads, allowing it to hang 9-inchs, 18-inches in all.
• If you're making a bracelet, you need about 26 x 8mm beads on average.
• Choosing Beads by Material

Know what you're buying

Semi-precious stone beads should be studied before purchasing. Search online or get a book on minerals and gemstones.

Beads can be compared as to their treatment. Some enrichment is perfectly acceptable such as heating the stone to boost its color. Turquoise varies dramatically in price depending on its treatment. Advance study and a reputable dealer are your best insurance. Dying of pearls, coral and jade is usual. The color shouldn't come off.

Pearls

Pearls are usually freshwater and cultured, unless they cost over $100 a strand. Except for plastic and faux pearls, which look perfectly round without any grooves. Cultured means they are 100% natural, but are farmed with the help of man, rather than growing in the sea. Expect to find irregular sizes, shapes, and grooving in these pearls.

Other pearls that don't fit these descriptions are fake, unless very expensive. Size quoted by the seller is always the largest in the strand - this means that only a few will be that big. More on pearls 

later.

Metal beads

Metal beads come in all shapes and sizes - silver, gold, copper, round, square, etc. Common metal beads include Bali Beads, usually made from sterling silver, gold or gold plated sterling. Also popular are "liquid silver" and "liquid gold" beads: tiny tubes made of metal, usually strung together which drape beautifully.

Lampwork

Lampwork beads make great jewelry centerpieces. These were traditionally crafted with a torch by expert glassmakers, although most are mass produced today. Judge the price of lampwork according to the complexity of the finished bead. More on lampwork later.

Quantity

Knowing how many beads to buy can be a problem. If you purchase too many, you'll waste money with leftovers. Yet purchase too few, and you may not have enough to finish a project. Also buy all you think needed in one go - otherwise the seller may not have any more of the same batch to match at a later date.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5663416

Handmade Necklaces Derived From Medieval Pieces Of Jewellery

 Handcrafted jewellery such as handmade necklaces are perfect for depicting our islands' huge treasure chest of ancient art and monuments. Orkney jewelry often presents special collections based on this theme.

They include attributes from the wonderful craftsmanship of the Neolithic folks who left their mark on the ancient village of Skara Brae. These men and women loved art and ornaments. Their stone built dressers survive to this day. And magnificently decorated stones reveal the enigmatic emblems of these ancient people which are preserved crisp as the day they were carved.

This unique village was preserved for millennia under sand dunes until a tremendous storm revealed the cluster of homes once inhabited by early farmers. Handmade necklaces featuring the Skara Brae motif are some of the best selling handcrafted jewellery items.

Lately it has emerged that the great variety of ancient archaeology which draws people to the islands here in Orkney is simply the tip of the iceberg. You can also find possibly just as many monuments under the seas which surround Orkney. The 70 or so isles in the archipelago were once all joined together until mounting sea levels created the isles and skerries we see today. Sea levels were around three metres lower 5000 years ago in Neolithic times, even though the isles were already separate by then. Several of the tombs, houses and temples which lie near to the shore today were once inland.

Many of the buildings then on the shore must now have been covered by sea. A group of archaeologists, geo scientists and geographers have already been surveying the sea bed and have just identified what seems to be a henge monument under a loch (an oval enclosed by ditches and banks) very close to the famous Ring of Brodgar standing stones. And what looks to be a tomb much like Maeshowe burial cairn has been identified in a sheltered bay.

A lot more work needs to be done to find out just what these structures or features are. Divers will undoubtedly be sent down again to check out the stones coated in seaweed in waters that have very limited visibility. And sonar studies much like the geophysical surveys on land will look closer at what lies below the waves.

Much more inspiration for handmade necklaces similar to the Skara Brae design may perhaps be found eventually. Nevertheless the monuments and tombs will remain underwater keeping most of their secrets eternally.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6630614