New to Beads? A handy guide to what else you need

It's really hard to know where one thing ends and another begins, but if you have already read the related article, Using Findings, you might have wondered why we didn't cover other essential aids to producing jewellery. I am talking about all the pliers, wires, Chains etc So here is another quick guide to what we offer in our online shop under "Tools and Sundries"and "Cords & Threads"

Thong/Cord - Waxed cotton or leather, soft cord which can have beads directly threaded on if they have large enough holes, we carry a range of 1mm thick cords for this purpose. Or these can be used to hang larger pendants off fdirectly, or to make comfortable and colourful side pieces to necklaces, see our kits for details, also the Thong Necklace article and Using Thong Clamps article.

Threads- Either a synthetic silk called nymo, which is in fact better than silk because it doesn't stretch, nor break easily, yet still provides a soft flexible feel to necklaces. Good for traditional styles, such as knotted pearls. The most versatile modern thread is a stranded mini-cable called tiger tail, which is great for threading beads onto rope styles necklaces, but also for making exposed wire styles, called illusion necklaces. Strong, can be knotted, and practically unbreakable!

Tools - We sell three styles of tool which should be all you need to make beaded jewellery. Round nosed pliers have tapering rounded points, essentail for turning loops, see the related article. Snipe or Chain nose pliers are useful for gripping, opening and closing loops and rings, and also for crimping-see article. The model we sell also has a cutting edge for trimming wires, but for a really close accurate trim, you need knot cutters, which have a scissor like blade set up, allowing you to ger really close to exactly where you need to cut. 

Sundry aids - design boards: These are great for setting out necklace designs before you thread your beads on, especially for tradional rope styles. Compartment boxes- once you get enough beads, you'll undestand just how useful these are for creating palettes of beads to design from.

If you are a total beginner, you might want to look at our starter packs, where we have selected for you really useful collections of beads and jewellery making items, the packs are very flexible, in that you can choose full packs with everything you need to get started,  or if you already have some items, such as tools, you can select the "beads and  findings only" options. there are also useful findings selections for those who have some beads to start with but need all the other things to get started on making jewellery.