AUNTIE’S BEADS · EST. 2000
Build your kit around the jewelry you want to make.
You do not need a hundred tools to begin. Choose one project, read its materials list, and gather the supplies for that technique. Add specialty tools when the next project calls for them.
Start with a place to work
A bead mat gives loose beads a soft work surface; a bead board gives you channels for arranging a strand. A ruler or tape measure helps you check length, and small labeled containers keep findings and leftover beads organized.
A board layout is a starting point. Check the finished fit too, especially with large beads or a clasp. Our bracelet sizing guide explains the difference.
Choose your first project kit
| Making… | Gather… |
|---|---|
| Strung jewelry | Beads, suitable flexible beading wire, a clasp, compatible crimps, the specified crimping tool and suitable cutters. |
| Seed-bead weaving | The pattern’s bead sizes, beading thread, a compatible needle, thread scissors and a bead mat. |
| Earrings with loops | Earwires, the chosen drops or beads, suitable pins or connecting rings, and the pliers and cutters required by the design. |
Know what each tool does
Chain-nose or flat-nose pliers grip components. Two suitable pairs give you control on both sides of a jump ring. Round-nose pliers form loops in wire. Crimping tools finish compatible crimps; they are not interchangeable with every other pair of pliers.
Cutters must suit the material. Ordinary soft-wire cutters are not the tool for hardened memory wire. Use memory-wire shears or a cutter explicitly rated for the memory wire you are using.
Keep the first shopping list focused
Check what you already own, then buy the missing items for one complete project. The finishing supplies matter as much as the beads: count the clasp parts, rings, pins or crimps before you start.
Choose adhesives only when the project calls for them, and follow the adhesive maker’s compatibility and curing directions.
Explore tools and supplies and bead boards and mats.