FREE Beaded Jewellery Instructions

Eureka! Beads Beading Glossary

Basic Materials & Tools Needed

Standard Necklace & Bracelet Lengths

Common Findings Colours

Mood Beads Colour Chart

Birthstones

Stones of the Zodiac

Birthday Stones

Beading Links

What do I need to make a basic necklace?[top]
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.

• 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?[top]
To make a basic tigertail necklace (such as the Green Crystal Earrings or the Blue 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.

• 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.

Standard Necklace & Bracelet Lengths [top]
'Choker' necklace	-	40cm (16 inches)
'Princess' necklace [most common sized necklace]	-	45cm (18 inches)
'Matinee' necklace	-	61cm (24 inches)
'Opera' necklace	-	81cm (32 inches)
'Rope' necklace	-	122cm (48 inches)
Womens' Bracelet	-	15cm - 18cm (6 to 7 inches)
Mens' Bracelet	-	23cm (9 inches)
Anklet	-	25cm (10 inches)
Note: These measurements are approximate only. The only way to get a truly accurate measurement is to measure the jewellery before completion.

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Common Finding Colours[top]
The majority of our range of findings are available in a range of different finishes. Colours available are dependent on what particular finding you're looking at (see the individual page for information on what colours it is available in). Colours that we often stock are:

	Silver	The silver coating is usually either a bright silver, or a dull (antique) silver. As a general rule, our main jewellery making components (ear wires, head pins, parrot clasps, etc) are available in a bright silver colour, whilst our more decorative components (multi strand pieces, decorative metal beads, toggle clasps etc) are available in the duller, 'antique-y' finish. Photos available on the website are photos of the actual product - they usually show which kind of silver is available, as does the description. The first photo shows the more common (antique) silver, whilst the second photo shows our bright silver.
	Gold	As with silver, the gold coating is usually either a bright gold, or a dull (antique) gold. Photos available on the website are photos of the actual product - they usually show which kind of gold is available, as does the description. The first photo shows the more common (antique) gold, whilst the second photo shows our bright gold.
	Black	Also referred to as 'gunmetal', the black colour coating on our findings is reasonably uniform across our range, although on some findings (in particular crimps), it has a strong shine to it, making it hard to distinguish from nickel. Black does not come in an 'antique' look like the other colours available.
	Bronze	Also referred to as 'antique gold', or 'old gold', bronze has a mustard yellow look to it (that makes it sound awful, but it's not!). The bronze colour looks great with black beads, and is a great option when wanting to use gold, but not the bright gold colour.
	Nickel	Often referred to as a 'duller' silver, we have only a small range of findings available in a nickel colour. The nickel colour that we stock is very similar to the colour you see in many of the metals around the home - think of the metal colour of your knives and forks.
	Copper	The copper coating has a strong red element to it - it's almost a brown/red colour. Copper has been one of our most popular colours for a while - it teams well black beads, and often with beads that have brown though them.

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Mood Beads Colour Chart [top]
Exclusive to Eureka! Beads, these fabulous colour changing beads cleverly reflect your mood and body temperature. See the mood beads category for more information.
Black		Edgy Worried Uptight
Grey		Uneasy Tense Anxious
Amber		Jumpy Emotional Troubled
Green		Average Reading Passive Not under great stress
Blue/Green		Inner Peace Somewhat Unperturbed Peaceful
Blue		Relaxed Composed Calm Enchanting
Dark Blue/Purple		In High Spirits Blissful Passionate

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Birthstones [top]
January	Garnet
February	Amethyst
March	Aquamarine or Bloodstone
April	Diamond
May	Emerald
June	Pearl or Moonstone or Alexandrite
July	Ruby
August	Peridot or Sardonyx and Sapphire
September	Sapphire
October	Opal or Tourmaline
November	Citrine or Topaz
December	Turquoise or Zircon or Lapis Lazuli
Don't forget to check out Eureka! Beads' collection of semi-precious beads - the perfect bead for making an unforgettable birthday gift for someone you love.

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Stones of the Zodiac [top]
Aries (21 March - 20 April)	Bloodstone or Diamond
Taurus (21 April - 20 May)	Sapphire
Gemini (21 May - 20 June)	Agate or Spinel
Cancer (21 June - 20 July)	Emerald
Leo (21 July - 22 August)	Onyx or Ruby
Virgo (23 August - 22 September)	Carnelian or Opal
Libra (23 September - 22 October)	Peridot
Scorpio (23 October - 22 November)	Aquamarine
Sagittarius (23 November - 21 December)	Topaz
Capricorn (22 December -20 January)	Ruby or Garnet
Aquarius (21 January - 18 February)	Garnet or Amethyst or Moonstone
Pisces (19 February - 20 March)	Amethyst or Diamond
Don't forget to check out Eureka! Beads' collection of semi-precious beads - the perfect bead for making an unforgettable birthday gift for someone you love.

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Birthday Stones [top]
Sunday	Ruby
Monday	Pearl
Tuesday	Garnet
Wednesday	Cats Eye
Thursday	Emerald
Friday	Topaz
Saturday	Sapphire
Don't forget to check out Eureka! Beads' collection of semi-precious beads and pearls.

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Beading Links [top]

The following links are a select list of quality, informative and interesting bead-related websites, enjoy!

About.com - Jewelry Making - Up to date information on jewellery making and the techniques involved

Bead-Media - all sorts of info on different beading techniques

Birthstones Table - List of the different birthstones for each month - can be narrowed down to date of birth

Beading Forum dot com dot au - Extremely active and fun Australian beading forum

Find-Beads - Growing collection of bead resources and shops from around the world

Top-listed Beads - List of the 50 toplisted bead sites

Aussie Crafts - Selection of craft suppliers

Bead Directory - A collection of bead suppliers from across the world

The Bead Society of Victoria - Membership is open to bead fanatics from every walk of life!