The Fun of Creating Alternative Bead Jewelry
By: JT Miller

A lot of people enjoy designing and creating their own bead jewelry these days because it's a challenging and rewarding way to create something beautiful and useful at the same time. Most home made jewelry is created with beads bought from an online beading store or craft store, but there are more and more people who are pushing the bounds of jewelry making by using alternative materials to create some amazing jewelry.

Creating jewelry out of objects that are not primarily designed for jewelry making can be physically and mentally challenging. The first step is often figuring out how you're going to string or mount your items on a string or chain and the next challenge is working out how you're going to make it both beautiful and wearable at the same time!

Here are some of the many things you can create jewelry from:

Dried Beans and Seeds: Almost everyone has tried to make popcorn strings for a Christmas tree, and the principals behind using beans and seeds at beads is not much different. The key is to pick beans that are durable and dependable. To thread or string beans you'll probably have to either use a tension mounting system of some sort or drill a hole through them. After that you will probably want to protect your beans or seeds with a spray on sealant to make sure they don't dry out and fall apart.

Paper Bead Jewelry: This idea dates back from the Victorian times when making beads out of paper was a popular hobby. You can make paper beads by cutting out strips of paper and rolling them around a toothpick or similar small tube and then gluing the end. You may want to seal these as well so they don't fray and get damaged at the first hint of humidity or moisture. You can experiment with different types of paper, different colors and even different shaped strips of paper when making your beads. Make a bunch and string them together!

Jewelry from a Hardware Store: This is an idea which a lot of people have taken and run with. Metal washers, screws, bolts and other fasteners can sometimes make for some incredible looking beaded jewelry! A visit to a large home improvement store can give you lots of ideas for making jewelry out of hardware items.

These are just some of the many alternative items you can make jewelry from. If you already know how to make your own bead jewelry then you probably already possess the skills and even the tools to make some of your own alternative bead jewelry!