Top 10 Best Jewelry-Making Supplies Store in United States, Canada, Australia and United Kingdom
1:13 PM | Beadwork, Buying Guide with 0 comments »
Jewelry
making is fun, though with the numerous supplies
available, getting started can be confusing or overwhelming. Making
jewelry, either as a hobby or as a business, can get expensive, particularly if
you don't have access to good suppliers. Are you bored of the selection of
beads and jewelry supplies at your local crafts store and don't know where to
turn to find beads of quality and value? For individuals just getting started
in beading and jewelry making this is a common road-block.
Whether you're a novice in jewelry
making or you've been crafting jewelry and beading bracelets for years,
you need quality jewelry supplies
to create beautiful necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and more. With the
right beading supplies,
jewelry-making tools and other jewelry
findings, you're sure to craft stunning pieces for your own collection
and as gifts for others.
It seems many craft stores stock the same old thing, making it difficult
to find a truly unique piece around which to focus a piece of jewelry art.
Making jewelry doesn't have to be expensive, though, and the world wide web increasingly
has an amazing array of excellent suppliers. Read on for tips on buying jewelry-making supplies and the best
places to look for jewelry making supplies:
For
beginners, once you have established a work area (which can be portable), you
should think about the types of jewelry you would like to make in regard to
style and materials. Prior to the bead and findings purchasing trip (to the
store or online store), you may want to do a little research by perusing books,
magazines, and Web sites for ideas so that you know where you want to start.
With
a slightly better idea of what you want to make, you will need to purchase a
basic set of tools. Here are the most commonly used tools for making bead
jewelry and other accessories:
1) Chain-nose pliers—make sure you try them out for the size,
shape, and comfort in your hand
2) Round-nose pliers
3) Wire cutters
4) Ruler
5) String for measuring necklace, bracelet, and anklet lengths
6) Towel, bead mat, or piece of felt to keep beads from rolling
on your work surface
7) Storage containers for beads and findings
When
shopping for tools, purchase good quality items, as you will use them
frequently. In addition to this tool selection, there are some other items that
will be helpful to you for specific projects:
8) Crimp pliers for stringing on beading cable or monofilament
9) Scissors, a good all-purpose tool
10) Heavy-duty wire cutters for cutting memory wire, which will
ruin small cutters
11) Bead board with built-in grooves with rulers, compartments
for beads, and a flocked surface, which holds beads in place, making necklace
and bracelet design much easier
12) A second pair of chain-nose pliers, especially helpful for
jump ring projects
13) Tweezers, which not only are helpful for picking up small
beads, but also are very useful for knotting beading thread between beads
14) Jump ring tool, which is another good option for closing
jump rings
15) Knotting tool for knotting thread between beads or as
decorative elements on projects
16) You will need storage boxes. Beads are often small and round
and apt to roll into inconvenient places. Choose storage boxes carefully,
making sure they have dividers that are fused to the bottom of the box and are not
removable. As tempting as it may be to purchase boxes with adjustable
compartments, you will be glad later that you did not. Over time the dividers slip, and small beads and
parts will sneak into other sections. Unless you really enjoy re-sorting, think
twice about adjustable dividers.
Also look for boxes that have grooves
in the lid of the box that snap over the dividers so that if the box is
closed and gets turned upside down, everything stays in place. As you do more
jewelry making, you will find the best way to organize and store your beads and
findings in a system that works for you.
Why
do you Need Buy in Bulk via the Web?
When
you’re ready to do some serious buying and feel confident about what you want,
it’s always cheaper (and more convenient) to buy in bulk. If you’re buying from
a website, many have free shipping with a $50 to $100 minimum order, so buying
in bulk can pay off. You can often get more beads at a lower price per bead,
plus you often save on the shipping costs.
Let’s
say you design jewelry using primarily crystals and pearls. Consider buying the
following items in bulk:
1) Buy precious gemstones, semi-precious gems or crystals of any size (but get as many 4mm and
6mm as you can afford, because smaller quantities of these sizes get expensive very quickly)
2) Pearls, both cultured
and faux, in a variety of shapes and colors. Be informed, get the complete
guide here... How to Tell Real Pearls from Imitation Pearls
3) Findings, including
jump rings, earwires, headpins, crimp beads, clasps, and any other basics
4) Miscellaneous beads,
plus glass beads, seed beads, and metal spacer beads, in neutral colors and
shapes
5) Stringing materials,
including metal wire and nylon thread
Consider your own projects and designs when
you make your own list of items to buy in bulk. If you are interested in honing
your skills in Native American jewelry, purchasing some turquoise beads in
bulk, for example, may be a perfect solution for you.
Know
more about... How to Identifying Gemstones Easily
How to Avoiding Common Mistakes in
Buying in Bulk
Just because it’s cheaper to buy in bulk
doesn’t mean you have to buy more than you need, so measure out what your
needs are first. If you’re starting a jewelry-making business, find a
balance with your cash flow (the amount of money coming in versus the amount of
money going out). Because jewelry making and beading is so fun, it’s easy to
forget that you need to sell your creations to get money to buy more supplies.
If you order something and change your mind,
consider saving it for later. You may need it. But if you really hate it, by
all means send it back fast, before you lose track of it in your
growing beading inventory.
Many items, especially beads, may not be
returnable, so choose a reputable vendor and ask about its return and refund
policy before giving your credit card number. Ask if the vendor refunds
shipping costs as well. Many vendors don’t, even if they do accept returned
merchandise.
Keep all your beads in the original packaging until you’re sure you are keeping them. It’s tough
to sort through subtle size and color differences among beads after they get
mixed up, and most bead vendors won’t take returns if you’ve opened the bulk
packaging.
As always on the Web, make sure the website
you visit offers a secure order form before you give any personal
information. If it makes you feel more comfortable, get the customer service
number from the website and call them directly.
If you have a bead budget, stick to it.
Promise you’ll only spend $50 and no more because like anything else, jewelry making
can be addictive.
How to Get the Most of your Money
When Buying
Buying in bulk always gets you the best price;
but again, don’t buy excessively more than you need.
Always read the fine print in the catalog
or on the website, or else call and ask customer service for details that
could impact your buying. Many beads and stones look alike and have similar
names, and it can be confusing. For example, hemalyke is the simulated (manmade)
version of the natural semi-precious stone hematite. If you want (and
pay for) the genuine article, make sure you get it.
Choose the Best Store for your Need
Local hardware stores are a necessary source for jewelry making
materials. It is sometimes important to support these individually owned
enterprises; the big box stores are big competition, but cannot provide the
service, atmosphere, or knowledge that these old stores offer. Be prepared to
spend a lot of time discovering their hidden treasures and do not be surprised
when the owners are at first wary of your interest. They generally warm up to
the idea and often find all kinds of things that can be adapted to jewelry
making.
Online
stores are also important; they
have many of the miniature sizes of hardware that will be necessary for
projects. Finally, local craft and bead stores provide a hands-on resource for
the beginning jewelry maker and some of the materials you will need to add to the
hardware. From my experience here are the best place to buy jewelry making supplies:
ONLINE
HARDWARE
MCMASTER-CARR
630.600.3600
WWW.MCMASTER.COM
Huge selection of
hardware, easily search-able website with illustrations; only available
online—print catalog is no longer available
REACTIVE
METALS STUDIO
800.876.3434
WWW.REACTIVEMETALS.COM
Supplier of niobium
and titanium for jewelry making
SMALL
PARTS, INC.
800.220.4242
WWW.SMALLPARTS.COM
Print catalog shipped
to United States and Canada only
JEWELRY- MAKING SUPPLIES STORE IN UNITED
STATES
ARTGEMS,
INC.
480.545.6009
WWW.ARTGEMSINC.COM
Gemstones, beads,
findings, and other jewelry-related supplies
BEADALON
866.423.2325
WWW.BEADALON.COM
Beading wire, wire,
and general jewelry-making supplies
CGM
800.426.5246
WWW.CGMFINDINGS.COM
Wholesale wire, metal
beads, and findings
CK
GEMS USA
212.683.0297
WWW.CKGEMSNY.COM
Large selection of
gemstones
EARTHSTONE
800.747.8088
WWW.EARTHSTONE.COM
High-quality
gemstones
FIRE
MOUNTAIN GEMS AND BEADS
800.355.2137
WWW.FIREMOUNTAINGEMS.COM
Large catalog of
jewelry-related supplies in all categories
HALSTEAD
BEAD
800.528.0535
WWW.HALSTEADBEAD.COM
Findings, metal,
crystal, and other jewelry-related supplies
HHH
ENTERPRISES
800.777.0218
WWW.HHHENTERPRISES.COM
General
jewelry-making supplies
MONSTERSLAYER
505.598.5322
WWW.MONSTERSLAYER.COM
Large selection of
gemstones, beads, findings, and other jewelry-related supplies
RINGS
& THINGS
800.366.2156
WWW.RINGS-THINGS.COM
Wholesale
jewelry-making supplies
RIO
GRANDE
800.545.6566
WWW.RIOGRANDE.COM
Large catalog of
jewelry-related supplies in all categories
SOUTH
PACIFIC WHOLESALE CO.
800.338-2162
WWW.BEADING.COM
Pearls and stone
beads
STULLER,
INC.
800.877.7777
WWW.STULLER.COM
Large catalog of jewelry-related
supplies in all categories
INTERNATIONAL JEWELRY-MAKING SUPPLIES STORE
AUSTRALIA
KATIE’S TREASURES
011.61.2.4968.9485
WWW.KATIESTREASURES.COM.AU
Gemstones, beads, and jewelry-related supplies
SPACE TRADER BEADS
011.61.3.9534.6867
WWW.SPACETRADER.COM.AU
Gemstones, beads, and jewelry-related supplies
UNITED
KINGDOM
BEADGEMS
011.44.845.123.2743
WWW.BEADGEMS.COM
Beads, crystal, and findings
BEADS UNLIMITED
011.44.127.374.0777
WWW.BEADSUNLIMITED.CO.UK
Supplier of beads and general jewelry-related
supplies
BEADWORKS
011.44.208.553.3240
WWW.BEADWORKS.CO.UK
Supplier of beads and general jewelry-related
supplies
KERNOWCRAFTS ROCKS & GEMS LTD.
011.44.187.257.3888
WWW.KERNOWCRAFT.COM
Beads and jewelry-related supplies
Do
you know the top jewelry designers and jewelry brands in USA? Top
10 Jewelry Brands in United States According to Google
CANADA
BEADFX
877.473.2323
WWW.BEADFX.COM
Gemstones, beads, crystal, and findings
CANADA BEADING SUPPLY
800.291.6668
WWW.CANBEAD.COM
Large catalog of jewelry-related supplies
THE HOUSE OF ORANGE
866.401.9174
WWW.HOUSEOFORANGE.BIZ
Beads, crystal, and general jewelry-related
supplies
Here are some places
to get jewelry-making supplies in Toronto, Canada:
1) Arton Beads www.artonbeads.net
Arton Beads is located
at 523 and 525 Queen Street W. The 523 shop supplies base metal findings,
tools, stringing materials, and beads made of plastic and wood. They also carry
a variety of not related but totally fun materials like neon feathers. The
other adjacent store is 525 shop which carries higher quality supplies
including semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, and silver and gold
findings. The store have incredibly affordable products, especially if you've
got a membership card.
2) The Beadery www.thebeadery.ca
This jewelry supply
store have a vast selection of quality imported gemstones, handmade glass,
wood, and seeds all in bead form. They also offer jewelry making classes.
3) Bling Bling
This jewelry supply
store found at 448 Queen Street W. Bling specialty is their hanging strings of
glass beads and crystal materials. They also sell findings and semi-precious
stones, and although the collection is not as impressive as others in the same neighborhood,
the store merit a visit.
4) Fancy Gems &
Accessories www.facebook.com/FancyGems
Fancy Gems & Accessories
carry a number of findings, beads and semi-precious stones unavailable at the
many other jewellery supply stores on the same strip. The prices are also
reasonable despite the high quality, and there's an entire basement dedicated
to discount items.
5) Bead Girl www.facebook.com/pages/Bead-Girl/153636106093?v=info
Bead Girl is located
in Yonge and Eglinton, the roomy and well-organized space carries a limited
selection of beautiful semi-precious stones, glass beads, and Swarovski
crystals. If you are into ornamental function of jewellery this jewelry-making
supply store is for you.
6) Bead Junction www.bead-junction.com/home
This store on
Roncesvalles is great for those aiming to make quality statement jewelries. Bead
Junction have pendants ranging from base metal to Japanese glass, and from
natural bone to freshwater pearls, it's hard not to find what you're looking
for. The store also offer beading events every week for beginners and also
specialty jewelry-making lectures.
7) Beadworks www.beadworksjo.com
Beadworks is located
in the Beaches. They have large variety of natural beads made of materials such
as clay and seed. The store can definitely supply the basic need of a beginner
jewelry maker.
8) Earth Rocks by
Bead Heaven www.beadheaven.ca
Earth Rocks comparative
advantage is that they only carry handpicked crystals and stones, both in bead
as well as specimen form. They also offer jewelry making classes.
9) Courage My Love www.blogto.com/fashion/couragemylove
This jewelry-making
supply store is located in Kensington Market. Courage My Love is a hub
for vintage clothing and accessories.
10) Artka (416.322.7832)
This bead supply store
located on the upper floor of the Yonge and Eglinton centre. Artka is also a source for pre-made jewelry
and other accessories. Their main specialty is Swarovski crystals and
semi-precious stones.
You
are on your way to making that jewelry art
masterpiece. Happy jewelry making to you all!
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