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Tools

Many of the tools a beader uses can be found in the toolbox sitting in a dark corner of the garage or basement. While it might be temping to use these readily available tools when first starting out, it is best to purchase a set of tools specifically designed for jewelry making. There are several reasons for this. First, jewelry-making tools are specifically made to fit more ergonomically in your hand, enabling you to easily perform some of the intricate tasks required when making beaded jewelry, and saving your hands from fatigue. This means you can spend more time making your beautiful beaded creations. Secondly, the jaws of standard pliers have ridges, while those designed for jewelry making do not. Jewelry pliers will not scratch the metal used to make your necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. If you invest in a good set of tools for your new passion, they will repay you with years of fun creating your wearable works of art.

Toolbox Essentials

Certain tools are “must haves” if you are starting your journey into making beaded jewelry. After years of leading beginners into the world of jewelry design, these are the tools I have found to be absolute essentials. By building your tool kit with these fundamentals, you will have everything you need to make elegant earrings, beautiful bracelets, and knockout necklaces.

Pliers

Every beader should work with a reliable set of pliers. Pliers allow you to bend wire, make loops, get into hard-to-reach places, and add crimp tubes to a jewelry design. You can often find pliers designed specifically for beading as a set.

Bent-nose pliers

Bent-nose pliers: The jaws of bent-nose pliers are easy to identify, because they are tapered like regular “toolbox” pliers, but are then bent at an angle near the tip. These are the pliers to turn to when you need to get into tight spaces.

Chain-nose pliers

Chain-nose pliers: Chain-nose pliers, also known as needle-nose pliers, have a smooth flat surface on the interior of the jaws. The small tapered point allows you to get into small areas. You will typically use this tool for gripping jewelry findings and working with wire.

Crimping pliers

Crimping pliers: Crimping pliers are one of the cornerstone tools of beading and were designed specifically for jewelry making. Their purpose is to flatten and bend a small tube of metal, called a crimp tube or crimp, to securely finish a necklace or bracelet so your jewelry will stay together for years to come. When purchasing crimping pliers, make sure you buy regular-sized ones, not micro or mighty crimping pliers. Regular crimping pliers are meant for 2 x 2mm crimp tubes, which are what you will use when making most of your jewelry.

Flat-nose pliers

Flat-nose pliers: With large flat rectangular jaws, flat-nose pliers are useful for holding and bending wire. Flat-nose pliers give you the ability to grip objects tightly, because of their large surface area.

Round-nose pliers

Round-nose pliers: The jaws of round-nose pliers are, of course, round, and taper to a point at each tip. The cone-like shape of each jaw enables you to make different-sized loops for earrings, pendants, and wirework. Round-nose pliers can also be utilized to help grip small areas.

Other essentials

Don’t forget these next few tools. They’re also necessary items you will need in your toolbox.

Bead board

Bead board: A bead board is to a jewelry maker what canvas is to a painter. Bead boards give you a place to lay your radiant beads out before stringing, so you can have a preview of your finished piece. There are many types of bead boards available. Most are gray and have one or more shallow channels. The best boards for beginners are flocked (covered in minute fiber particles) so your beads have a non-slip surface. I suggest beginning beaders purchase a necklace bead board with three channels, rather than just one. Not long after you start making jewelry, you will want to try making multi-strand necklaces, and with a three-channel board, you are equipped to do so. A bead board’s outer channel is measured in inches, while the innermost channel is measured in centimeters.

Bead mat. Photo supplied by Euro Tool, Inc.

Bead mat: These practical mats are soft, fuzzy, and will save you lots of frustration. Their wooly material keeps beads from rolling away from your jewelry-making area. Bead mats often come in many different colors. They are very inexpensive, so it is worth having a few on hand.

Suzann’s Sensational Beading Tip

If you find a place on the jaws of your round-nose pliers that makes a perfect-sized loop, take a permanent marker and mark the spot. By consistently using the same place on your pliers, you will always make loops of the same size.

End clamp

End clamps: There is nothing more heartbreaking than picking up your beautiful necklace design after you have strung your all your beads and watching them fall off the other end. Over the years, I have tried many different methods of keeping my designs intact when moving them. The best solution I’ve discovered is the end clamp. End clamps are about 2" (51mm) long and have rubber tips. The rubber keeps the clamp in place without kinking your wire. Most beaders I know keep several in their toolbox to use on pieces in progress.

Wire cutters

Wire cutters: Wire cutters are the workhorse of your toolbox. You will use your wire cutters on everything from beading wire to head pins and eye pins. I recommend using flush cutters to obtain the straightest cuts. If your wire cutters are leaving burrs (jagged edges) or you need to use excessive force to complete a cut, the blades might be worn down and you may want to replace your cutters.

Toolbox Extras

After building the base of your tool kit, you might want to add on a few extras. These tools, although not essential for making strung jewelry, can make life much easier for jewelry makers. If your jewelry making turns into a passionate hobby or a career, I highly recommend investing in these extras.

Toolbox extras like a polishing cloth, bead reamer, memory wire cutters, extra end clamps, and bead tweezers make beading faster and easier.

Bead reamer

Bead reamer: If you have a bead that isn’t drilled all the way through, a bead with something stuck inside it, or a bead with a hole that needs to be just a bit bigger, a bead reamer will save the day. A bead reamer comes with three interchangeable diamond-tip points that are stored in the handle when not in use. Using one of the tips, you can drill and smooth out almost any rough spots you may encounter in troublesome beads.

Bead tweezers

Bead tweezers: Bead tweezers are much longer than regular tweezers and come with a bead shovel at the end. The tips are useful for separating out individual beads from a collection for your design, while the opposing shovel end helps when you need to get lots of beads out of a bead storage box all at once. And, when the unavoidable bead spill happens, the shovel end will make cleanup a snap!

Jewelry glue. Photo supplied by Euro Tool, Inc.

Jewelry glue: Jewelry glue is formulated specifically for the beads and metals that are used in jewelry making. The glue applicator is long and needle-like, allowing you to apply the glue in tiny areas. A little bit goes a long way with this extra-powerful adhesive.

Suzann’s Sensational Beading Tip

Place a drop of water on a bead where you plan to drill it with the bead reamer. It will often make the reaming process easier.

Memory-wire cutters

Memory wire cutters: Memory wire cutters are specially made to cut the super-strong steel wire that gives memory wire its name. These are the only cutters you should ever use to cut this wire. Using regular wire cutters on memory wire will destroy the cutting blades.

Polishing cloth

Polishing cloth: Metal findings can often lose their shine because of wear and tarnish, but a good polishing cloth can make your findings look brand new. Polishing cloths are about five dollars and can be used until they are totally black from removing tarnish. I prefer the cloths to polishing creams or liquids, as these can damage the porous surfaces of opals and pearls.

Suzann’s Sensational Beading Tip

If you use reading glasses, I highly recommend keeping them on hand when you are designing jewelry. Not only will you be able to see the small beads and crimps you need to make your designs, you will be able to bead longer with less eye fatigue.

Task lamp. Photo supplied by Euro Tool, Inc.

Task lamp: As a jewelry maker, you will need a well-lit area where you can complete your beading projects. Eventually, you may want to invest in a task lamp. Task lamps enable you to see the true color of your beads. Take it from personal experience, there is nothing worse than thinking you are beading with black beads, only to discover they are actually purple! My favorite task lamp is one that has a magnifier attached, giving you an extra bonus.