Basic Materials & Tools Needed

What do I need to make a basic necklace?

To make a basic tigertail necklace (such as the Red Crystal Necklace or the Simple Black/Silver Necklace), there are a few basic materials that you will need:

Tigertail - Tigertail is the stringing material that we thread the majority of our necklaces on. It is reasonably stiff in that you will not need a needle to thread beads, however it is soft enough to float around the neck. We sell tigertail in 10metre and 100metre rolls - silver and gold are the most popular colours.
Crimps - A crimp is a small weak metal tube that can be squished onto your tigertail to prevent beads from moving around, by placing either side of a bead you can create a floating illusion necklace. Their fundamental use however is to lock the clasp into place at the end of necklace. We have a variety of crimps available, however the most commonly used crimps are the small tube crimps.
Clasp - The clasp or catch is what you will use to do your necklace up. We stock a large range of clasps, however the most common is the parrot clasp.
Jump Rings - A jump ring is a circular ring that can be linked together to create a chain. They are most commonly used on one end of a necklace: one end has a parrot clasp, and the other has a jump ring. We have a range of jump rings available, however the most popular jump rings are the 6mm strong jump rings - as these jump rings are quite strong, you will need two pairs of pliers to open them.
Beads! - Beads come in a huge range of sizes, styles and colours. On our website, we have ceramic beads, crystal beads, glass beads (including beads by the strand), metal beads, semi precious gemstone beads, swarovski crystal beads, wooden beads and more.

There are also a few basic tools that you will need:

Crimping Pliers are needle nose pliers with a serrated edge and are used to squish the crimps down onto your tigertail. As mentioned above, when working with strong jump rings you will need to use two pairs of pliers - you can either use two pairs of crimping pliers, or you can use one pair of crimping pliers, and one pair of 'twirly wirlies' (these are used for making earrings and more complex necklaces and bracelets).
Wire Cutters are a side cutter that are used to cut any excess tigertail.

What do I need to make basic earrings?

To make basic earrings (such as the Green Crystal Earrings or the Sparkly Crystal Angel Earrings), there are a few basic materials that you will need:

Head Pins - A head pin is a long pin with a flat end on it - beads are threaded onto the pin and the end is twirled into a loop and attached to an earwire. The most common head pin that we stock is the 50mm head pin - if you don't plan on using all of the pin, you can cut it down to size.
Ear Wires - The component that goes through your ear, ear wires have a small loop on the bottom that can be used to attach your beaded head pin. We sell both base metal and sterling silver ear wires - base metal is more popular, however sterling silver ear wires are great for people who have sensitive ears.
Beads! - Beads come in a huge range of sizes, styles and colours. On our website, we have ceramic beads, crystal beads, glass beads (including beads by the strand), metal beads, semi precious gemstone beads, swarovski crystal beads, wooden beads and more.

There are also a few basic tools that you will need:

Twirly Wirlie Pliers are round nose pliers with a completely round tip and are mainly used for making loops in wire. They can also be used in conjunction with crimping pliers to open strong jump rings.
Wire Cutters are a side cutter that are used to cut any excess tigertail.

Other Stringing Materials

Other than the above tigertail, we also use a range of different stringing materials to create our range of beaded jewellery:

Beading Elastic - transparent stretchy cord that is perfect for making elastic bracelets. To make a bracelet or necklace, simply string up your beads and tie off with a double knot (add a dab of glue at the knot for extra strength).
Beading Wire - our copper wire comes in a range of thicknesses (gauges). The most popular is the 28 gauge - coming in a wide range of colours, at this thickness the wire can be twisted around components - great for making twisted wire necklaces and knitted wire bracelets.
Memory Wire - available in ring, bracelet or necklace sizes, memory wire is a strong wire that has been hardened so that it 'remembers' it's shape, which makes it a fantastic and easy material to use. Simply make a loop on one end, thread your beads on and make a loop at the other end. When using memory wire, always ensure you use stronger 'memory wire' cutters.
Wire Mesh Tubing - a hollow wire mesh tubing, available in a range of colours and sizes. To use, simply fill with beads and add end attachments.
Chain - we stock a wide range of colours and styles of base metal chains by the metre - these chains can be cut apart (or the links opened) to add components or links into them.