Beading your own jewelry is a great way to relax your mind. It is good therapy for those who are recovering from illnesses or accidents. It’s also a great hobby to share with your children. If you are not already a beading enthusiast, it doesn’t take much to get started. You will find everything you need at a hobby store or at numerous online stores devoted to the art of beading jewelry.

To begin, you will need a pair of small needle-nose pliers, a pair of scissors, Tigertail wire or Soft-flex wire, crimp beads, clasps, and your choice of colorful beads made of glass or natural materials.

The sturdiest beads and findings are made of sterling silver or copper. The most durable clasps are lobster claws, clasps that have a catch (as opposed to the hook and eye or barrel clasp) and interlocking magnetic clasps. You will soon discover your own preferences in findings and materials.

Once you have assembled your basic tools, you can begin. As you progress in your hobby, you will likely add more tools to your beading kit. But, it is really relatively inexpensive to get started. You will find a lot of inspiration online with free beading tutorials and online patterns.

• Bead Patterns Online offers instructions for beginners and detailed patterns to get your creativity flowing.
• Free Patterns gives visitors a new free beading pattern every day, so that you never run out of fresh ideas.
• Beadage features tutorials and instructions for beautiful handmade jewelry. Take further inspiration from their beaded jewelry gallery.
• Rockfront offers patterns from the simple to the more complex.
• WigJig is an extensive beaded jewelry-making site that offers instructions and lots of free patterns.

There are many websites devoted to selling beaded jewelry. You will soon see that many of their products are easy for you to reproduce. Simply, browsing those sites and looking at their offerings can inspire you.