Evidence of our urge to decorate with beads has now been traced back 100,000 years ago to a finding of shells with perforations believed to be human-made in a cave in a mountainous region of South Africa. Chris Stringer, who co-authored a journal article about the beads, said:

The message may be that we are powerful, or wealthy, or sexy, that we’re part of a particular group, or to ward off evil. They’re not just decorative; we think they had a social meaning.

Earliest beads? Journal of Science, June 23,2006 Other scientists have disagreed with the claim that the shells were beads, saying that findings of beads older than 40,000 years ago are very rare. At any rate, you can see that our urge for wearable art in the form of beads goes back a long way! Many ancient beads that we have found are stone, some with drilled holes   and others carved into disks: The earliest glass beads probably developed from faience beads from Egypt, which were made by mixing crushed sand, lime, soda, and water, shaping the mixture, and then firing it. Sometimes a faience bead would be heated unevenly, and the end that was heated more turned into glass. Faience beads

Glass beads then (at about 1800 B.C.) began to be made at the same time as faience beads, and the art has progressed to modern beadmaking, such as this intricate lampworked bead by Michael Barley:

Beautiful handmade glass beads have a way of inviting all of us to become artists. If you’re not ready to invest the time and money to develop the skill of creating your own glass beads, you can still use your artistic eye to find gorgeous beads to create your own fine art jewelry or other wearable art, even if it’s a glass-beaded lanyard to hold your work ID!

References

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5099104.stm http://metamedia.stanford.edu/~mshanks/weblog/?p=120 http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/faience.htm http://www.thebeadsite.com/BB-FA.html http://www.barleybeads.com/

by Merry Henderson

Making and selling jewelry is an attractive business because you have the satisfaction of creative and artistic work and the convenience of work at home. You can make money from your hobby! Breaking into the business, though, can be tricky if you don’t know the trade secrets for selling jewelry.

Kameron Kay, an internationally known jewelry designer, has written an ebook,  Jewelry Selling Secrets, that reveals her specialized knowledge. She takes you step by step through the process of creating the jewelry pieces, showing them, and marketing them. 

Show your work locally or internationally, in shops, galleries, or boutiques. 

The book includes $178 worth of bonuses to help get you going. Starting a business can sometimes involve hefty startup costs. So she gives you a wholesale directory to keep your costs low.

Want to sell your jewelry online? You’ll get a bonus video that will help you build your website in just an hour.

Another valuable bonus is membership to Kameron Kay’s online community. Ask questions, show your work, and join a community of artists around the world who support each other in their business.

Find out more information here.

  Let Kameron Kay help you sell your jewelry!  

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If you are a jewelry maker and want to buy wholesale beads online then you have a great opportunity to get materials that were once only available in specialized stores in big cities. In addition, you don’t have to travel around the world to locate exotic sources of beads; everything you need is right online and you can buy your beads at wholesale prices.

There are several categories that are popular and are supplied by most online wholesale bead suppliers. Let’s look at the most popular categories

Bali Silver Beads

The Island of Bali, in Indonesia is renowned for its fine silver jewelry. The jewelry of Bali is distinctive due a technique known as granulation. The Bali jewelers use small balls of silver arranged in patterns on a silver background.

If you are making your jewelry you can choose from Bali Silver beads such as large, small, toggles, chains, caps, cones and spacers.

Copper Beads

Copper is one of the oldest metals used in jewelry and the online wholesale bead shops usually have a good selection to choose from. As with the Bali silver beads, you can buy small beads, large beads, toggles, caps cones and spacers.

Czech Glass Beads

The use of glass beads in jewelry dates back to ancient times (Egyptian, Roman and beyond). Today the most popular glass beads are manufactured in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. The Bohemian beads are pressed and molded and come in great variety of colors, sizes and shapes.

Preciosa Crystal Beads

Preciosa is a branded Czech bead that is highly sought after by jewelers and collectors. It comes in a wide variety of shapes, and most bead wholesalers usually offer a big choice in this category.

Shell Beads

The oldest human jewelry was shell jewelry dating back 100,000 years and possibly more. You can buy a large variety wholesale shell beads online. Black mother of pearl is particularly popular at this moment.

Semi Precious Stones and Beads

The possibilities are enormous when it comes to semi precious gemstones in the form of beads. Popular materials include amethyst, turquoise, lapis, tourmaline, opal, quartz and malachite.

Wood Beads

For those who like an organic look and feel, wood beads are an ideal choice. Wood can be used for macram or for children’s jewelry.

If you are truly interested to buy wholesale beads then you usually have to open a user-account online with wholesale bead website, as the wholesale suppliers do not want to be bogged down with hobbyists buying just a few for personal use. It is worth signing up as you will then be able to get the current prices and also be notified about new offerings.

Author: Nir Kronenberg

Nir Kronenberg is the proprietor of Nirvana Beads, a New York based bead wholesaler. Visit his site for a wide selection and great deals on wholesale beads.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nir_Kronenberg

Several of my posts have covered the history of handmade glass beads, but I chose this article because its emphasis is on glass bead jewelry and the people who wore it (or wear it).

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Glass bead jewelry has a long and hoary past and still continues to be as popular today. Read all about this unique form of jewelry here.

They shine, they sparkle, they gleam, they glitter. While some are hand-painted in delicate hues, some have the colors of nature’s palette on them, and some look as if they have been made from the rainbow itself. Glass beads of all colors, shapes, and sizes can be turned into beautifully crafted jewelry like necklaces, earrings, bracelets, long strings that can be worn around the neck, and so on.

Beaded jewelry has adorned the human body throughout history in practically every part of the world. In the early ages animal bones were threaded with plant vines and worn as amulets as protection against evil. And once humans developed tools that could be used to create holes into various things, practically everything could be fashioned into a bead.

The Advent of Glass Bead Jewelry in Ancient Times

Tribal people, since ancient times, have used the pods of plants and seeds as beads. Later, they learned to make beads from clay, painting them with bright colors. And much later, when glass made its appearance sometime around 3000 BC, it transformed the concept of beaded jewelry forever. In fact, glass became so popular that the Egyptians as well as the Mesopotamians, and subsequently the Israelites, the Romans, and the Indians from the sub-continent, created glass beads, using their own cultural norms on the art.

Although it is the Egyptians who are usually credited for being the first to create glass beads, it is still uncertain who were the actual originators of this beautiful art. Nevertheless, the Egyptians not only created glass beads but also turned them into beautiful pieces of glass bead jewelry. Today, this ancient legacy of glass-beaded treasures, which have come down to us, are some of the most exquisite and admired in existence.

The Egyptians also learned how to make colored glass beads, creating colorful and intricate designs, and often combined them with beads made of semi-precious and precious gemstones, as well as gold and silver, to make gorgeous jewelry. In fact, these beautiful glass beads were so much in demand in the ancient world that they were used as an economic commodity, being exported all over the world.

The ancient Egyptians also linked beads to spirituality, with different colored beads signifying various states of the mind, or represented the idols they worshiped, or an individual’s status in society. These people believed that beads ensured anything from happiness, to health, and a place in the next world.

Even the Vikings were great bead artisans. Although they were considered barbaric marauders, and the designs of their beads were not quite as elaborate as the ones made by the other people during the same era, the use of color in their glass beads was certainly remarkable. The distinctive colors as well as the way they arranged the glass beads in making bracelets, necklaces and amulets are beautiful examples of the glass bead jewelry-making skills of people in those early days of human history - many of which would be quite at home in the jewelry emporiums of modern times.

A classic string of original Viking glass beads, from http://www.regia.org/glass.htm

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Renaissance of Beaded Jewelry in the 19th and Early 20th Century

A renaissance of beading took place a few centuries after the Vikings when the couturiers of Europe, in the latter part of the 1800s, realized that they could not only draw attention to themselves but also earn a substantial amount of money by embellishing the accessories and gowns of the aristocrats with beads. Elaborate designs, which at times took several months to be created, were stitched onto all sorts of things like ball slippers and dresses.

Victorian glass-bead purse, recently on sale at the Malleries art gallery.

Beads continued to be a part of fashion in the western society of the early 20th century. The Victorians and the Edwardians used elaborately made beaded jewelry as adornment as well as luxurious garments embroidered with beads. Portraits of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth are evidence of the popularity of beaded stringed jewelry and beaded garments during that era. Even the unconventional Flappers in the 1920s used beads as fashion accessories.

Glass Bead Jewelry Today

Today, glass bead jewelry is as popular in the fashion scene as it has always been throughout the centuries. Fashion ramps are filled with women wearing necklaces embellished with small glass beads and colorful pendants. There are also earrings and necklaces that have eye-catching large sized and lightweight glass beads. Tiny black glass beads strung on delicate silver chains as well as bulky and colorful beads embedded on heavier chains are the latest trends in jewelry. Then there are strands of glass beads of various colors, sizes and shapes that can be strung around the neck, either as a single long strand or twisted or braided for an elegant look. Vintage glass beads are being juxtaposed with wooden beads to create a dramatic effect. From white pearl glass bead necklaces and black glass bead chokers to black glass bead hoop earrings to green glass bead brooches and bracelets, glass beads are being used to create a colorful and distinctive look today.

As mentioned in a previous post, glassblowing is not for the faint-at-heart. You must be sure to take precautions in case your piece explodes—a real possibility!

Due to the materials you’ll be working with, a few cuts and burns are inevitable. Proper safety equipment is essential: gloves, safety goggles, a respirator, closed-toe shoes, and perhaps a face shield and cotton clothing (or even better, protective clothing). In addition, you should stay hydrated while you are working.

As a matter of fact, glass blowing is often done as a team effort to help cut down on errors that could lead to dangers such as burns or explosions. A gaffer who directs the team through perhaps hundreds of steps to create a single piece, where timing is critical. 

The following article gives you an overview of precautions that you need to take before getting into the hobby of glassblowing, or lampworking.

Read This Before You Get Into Glassblowing

Glassblowing is an exciting occupation. You’re reading this article right now because this is something that you’re seriously considering doing. Well, you better be serious because glassblowing is serious business. While it is relatively safe when done under proper conditions and supervision, there are dangers involved. You’re working with glass and extreme temperatures. So before you get into this, there are a few things you need to know. This article will get you started.

For one thing, this is a regulated industry because of the potential dangers. That means that you’re going to have to have your place inspected by the state authorities. Each state’s regulations are different, so you’re going to have to check with your particular state for theirs. I can’t help you specifically in this area without knowing where you live. So it’s your responsibility to make sure that your work area meets their criteria.

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Here’s a short video that gives you an idea of the heat involved in making glass beads. Note that the artist is not wearing gloves!

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The actual art of glassblowing essentially involves inflating molten glass into a bubble. Yes, as I said, there are extremes in temperature involved in this art. This inflating is done with the aid of a blowpipe or blow tube. One who does this is referred to as a glassblower, glassmith or gaffer.

There are basically two different types of glassblowing. One is called off hand glassblowing and the other is called lampworking. Both of these types of glassblowing involve working with hot molten glass and the use of a stainless steel or iron rod called a punty. Where they differ is the process by which the glass is heated and manipulated.

If you’re going to use off hand glassblowing techniques, you’re going to need three furnaces. The first one is used to hold the hot molten glass, the second is where the glass it heated and reheated and the third is where the glass cools. The lampworking method uses a flame that is created by an alcohol lamp and breath or bellows. This method is still used today to create such items as test tubes for laboratories.

By: DoDaman

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

If you’re really interested in learning about glassblowing, in my signature is a review of a great resource that will teach you everything you’ll need to learn about this fine art.www.glassblowingreview.info

Handmade glass beads can be used as a focal point, as accents, or as a "background" in jewelry pieces. Other types of beads can provide an attractive contrast to the glass beads.

A relatively new product opens many possibilities for creative combinations: Precious metal clay can be molded and fired to create beautiful silver beads, which can be stamped or shaped to complement the glass beads. It could also be shaped to create a setting for a glass bead.

 Silver clay beads and baubles can complement glass beads.

Here’s an article that will fill you in on what precious metal clay is and how to use it: 

How To Use Precious Metal Clay In Jewelry Making

Precious metal clay (brand names are PMC and Art Clay) is modern-day alchemy. PMC is a clay base with tiny pieces of silver suspended within it that, when heated, burns off the clay leaving a solid silver residue. The clay base acts as a binder for the metal particles. Once this has been removed, the remaining silver particles bind together, giving you the finished product.

The real beauty of precious metal clay is that it can be manipulated like any ordinary modelling clay, making it perfect for jewellery making. The modern precious metal clay can be using a jewellers torch, as the firing temperature is much lower than the early versions of this clay. However, a small kiln will produce a much more constant temperature range and can be controlled exactly, meaning that the results will be more consistent.

Precious Metal Clay once had a very bad reputation for shrinkage, making it unsuitable for fine work or detail. Modern precious metal clays have a much lower shrinkage rate (around 10-15%), but you still need to factor this into the final piece to ensure that really fine detail is not lost in the firing process.

Once fired, the silver piece will seem very lacklustre and dull, so it will need finishing. The dull matt surface hides the real beauty underneath, so finishing and polishing will reveal the shining silver below. When soldering finished precious metal clay pieces it is essential to remember that the surface will be more porous than standard sterling silver, so it is best to burnish the piece prior to soldering. But because it is almost pure silver there is little risk of fire stain on the surface and the final results are almost indistinguishable from sterling silver.

Because precious metal clay is a clay, it takes impressions very well. A design can be pressed onto the surface of the clay and be revealed in the final silver piece. Patterned rollers, lace or even leaves can be used to create unique effects that are difficult to reproduce in ordinary silver unless it has been cast. Precious metal clay is a popular way of making silver beads. The clay can be formed into beads, decorated with a surface pattern and then fired in a kiln quickly and easily, producing high quality silver beads.

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This video will show you several examples of glass beads embedded into precious metal clay designs.

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Safety considerations have to be taken into account when working with precious metal clay because of the high temperatures required to fire the clay. A small enamelling kiln allows you to safely achieve the temperatures required for optimum results, but ensure that you have all the correct equipment such as tongs with heat resistant handles to extract work from the kiln safely and a heat-proof surface upon which to work.

Precious metal clay is an ideal medium to work in if you want to create pieces of silver jewellery that are unique to you. The only thing that limits you is your imagination. Precious metal silver clay is widely available from good jewellery equipment suppliers. There are two main brands Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay Silver. The clay is also available in other metals including gold, but the cost is significantly higher than the silver clay.

By: Adam Hunter-4587

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Adam Hunter – E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of jewellery making supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and precious metal clay, jewellery findings, tools, precious metal clay and gold and silver sheet - gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students. Contacts Adam Hunter E-commerce Marketing Manager Tel(DDI): ჸ (0) 121 212 6491 E-mail: adam.hunter@cooksongold.com

If you want to build a business around a hobby that you love, protect what you enjoy, and don’t let that get lost in the business. If creating original works is where your interest lies, there IS a market for one-of-a-kind pieces! Just keep in mind that your business may take longer to build than if you do production work.

I can see production work as a viable alternative in three different ways (perhaps you can think of more?!):

1. You see the work as a meditative activity. 
2. You want something to keep your hands busy while your mind is occupied with something else.
3. You want to hire someone else to do the production!

Be careful about deciding to do production work as a temporary measure if your preference is to create one-of-a-kind pieces. You may end up feeling stuck in production.

  You don’t want your work to feel like this!

Here’s an article that will give you further insights on the implications of choosing either production or original-only pieces:

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Selling Crafts - Production Crafts Vs. One Of A Kind Crafts

When you are selling crafts, at some point you will likely make a choice between creating production work and creating one-of-a-kind pieces. If you choose to become a production craft artist, you will develop a line of items that you make over and over, if you create one of a kind pieces, you will rarely repeat the same design twice.

Following are some considerations to help determine whether production crafts or one of a kind items are a good fit for goals for your craft business.

Creating and selling crafts on a production basis:
You’ll need to ensure your product is marketable and influenced by current trends and customer preferences. That means you may make design decisions because a particular style sells well.
Because you’ll be making the same items many times, you’ll give up a certain amount of artistic expression that you would have if you made one of a kind items.
You must be happy doing repetitive work and enjoy the production process. You’ll spend a lot of time creating the same design. If you don’t like the production process, rather than rejoicing in a big new order, you’ll dread the thought of a huge order coming in.
You will most likely sell your crafts primarily at retail and wholesale craft shows, and perhaps online.
Once you create some effective routines, you’ll be able to create a predictable work schedule for your time in the studio and your time spent marketing and selling crafts at art shows.

Creating and selling one of a kind crafts:

There will be plenty of room for creative expression, and you will be engaged in less repetitive work in the studio.
You won’t repeat your designs, so you’ll need to have no shortage of great ideas if you go this route with your craft business.
You’ll need to be comfortable with exploring new ideas and techniques for creating your work.
You may have a fairly erratic work schedule in which you work long hours to complete a specific project, and then have slower periods.
You will most likely need to network and build business relationships with galleries to have success in this venue.
You income may be less predictable and you may need another source of income to supplement your earnings.

Your choice to create production crafts or one of a kind crafts will impact most of your other decisions related to selling crafts. Take some time to determine which approach best fits your needs and work preferences so you will create a craft business that truly meets your expectations.

By: Lisa McGrimmon

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Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Craft business writer, Lisa McGrimmon, publishes Inspiri-Art-and-Craft.com, a comprehensive guide to starting a home based craft business. For more information on selling crafts, visit Lisa’s site.

If you’ve decided you want to make of business of selling jewelry that you make, you’ll probably start out at the retail level, selling to friends, relatives, and acquaintances. If you decide to expand your business, though, you may want to change that model and sell directly to a retailer (use a middle man, or cut out the middle man?). The following article gives you points to consider when making that decision.

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Selling Crafts - Wholesale Vs. Retail Sales

When you are selling crafts, you’ll need to determine whether you plan on selling crafts primarily on a wholesale basis, or directly to retail customers. There are pros and cons inherent in each type of craft business, so it will be important to think through your options and decide which approach works best for your work preferences and fits best with your vision for your business.

     Wholesale or Retail?    

Considerations for creating a wholesale craft business:
If you wholesale your crafts, you’ll be selling your work to a buyer who intends to resell your items at a higher price, usually at least double the wholesale price. Before selling crafts wholesale, consider the following:
You’ll sell your items for a lower price than you would if you sold directly to retail customers (usually half of retail), but you’ll sell your items in a higher volume to fewer buyers.
When you attend shows, you’ll bring only a range of samples of your line of product, not endless inventory. You’ll take orders for items that you will then produce and deliver at a specified date. Many professional craft artists say that it is nice to know that items they are producing are already purchased.
You’ll typically attend fewer shows than you would if you were selling on a retail basis, and you’ll spend more time in production in your studio.
Feedback on work will come from professional buyers; your contact with the end retail customer may be quite limited.
Your sales will consist of larger but less frequent purchases. That means you’ll have to be good at managing your money because income will not come in a steady flow.
You’ll need to ensure you have a large enough production capacity to manage large orders. Since you’ll be selling crafts for less per unit, you’ll make this up on volume. Therefore, it’s important to ensure you are ready to manage that volume.

Considerations for selling crafts on a retail basis:

If you sell your crafts at retail shows, you will be selling your work directly to the end customer. To determine if this strategy works for your own craft business, consider the following:
You’ll sell items at a higher price than you would if you sold on a wholesale basis, but you’ll sell smaller quantities to more customers.
You’ll need to bring plenty of inventory to craft shows, so you’ll need to make plenty of items ahead of time to sell at retail craft shows.
You will very likely attend more shows that you would if you were selling wholesale, some craft artists enjoy attending art and craft shows and see this in a positive light, while others do not enjoy the time spent away from the studio.
You’ll get direct feedback from and contact with your customers, which can be very satisfying and important to some craft artists.
You will make all of the money from the sale of the product (as opposed to approximately half when you sell wholesale), and since you’ll attend more shows, you’ll have more frequent influxes of cash.
Retail craft shows provide opportunities for interaction with customers and with other professional craft artists. This interaction can be important to some people who work alone and can provide important opportunities to network with colleagues and to understand your customer.
Time spent at shows will take you out of your studio. You’ll need to ensure you have enough time in your studio for production and balance this with number of shows you chose to attend.

Of course, selling crafts retail or wholesale is not an either/or proposition. Some craft artists choose to incorporate both strategies into their craft business. If you have a clear understanding of your work preferences and your vision for your business, you’ll be well prepared to make smart choices about the business strategies that will work best for you.

By: Lisa McGrimmon

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Lisa McGrimmon is a freelance craft business writer who publishes Inspiri-Art-and-Craft.com, a free guide to creating a home craft business. For more tips on selling crafts, please visit Lisa’s site.

With the economy today, you may well be wondering if you can turn your hobby into a side business. I will be running a series of posts that will explore options for making money selling your glass bead jewelry.

Today’s post covers creating your own website. Although free hosting is available from a number of sources, it will not look professional. You will be subject to the ads the hosting company chooses to place on your site, including one for them. If you need a quality source for paid hosting, I recommend Hostgator, where you can have unlimited disk space and bandwidth starting at $4.95/month (use coupon code "green").

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Where Can I Sell Online Crafts?

In today’s economy, using the Internet as a means for income is a logical idea. Designing a personal website to sell handmade crafts from home is one way to get noticed and bring in additional income, since millions of people around the country shop online every day. They’re looking for goods, products and crafts.

Those who make crafts find that the many resources on the Internet turn out to be very valuable as well as convenient. Tools, beads in every color of the rainbow, design ideas and inspirations for crafts or other handmade items can be found on the Internet.

Purchasing goods from a craft website allows crafters to save money, since its possible to purchase large or bulk amounts at wholesale price. Both men and women can find a multitude of resources to sell their homemade goods online as well.

No matter what type of craft you design or sell, there is someone out there who will want to buy it. From crafters who create wood art to crafting jewelry by hand, listing it in auction sites or placing it online within your own personal webpage allows others to shop and purchase what they like.

Many shoppers like to find unique gifts to give friends and family, especially around birthdays and holidays, and look online to save the hassle of walking around the mall and still not being able to find anything.

In most cases, designing your own personal webpage to sell handmade crafts is free, but some of the more advanced sites will charge a fee for your domain name. Remember also that you may need to pay yearly fees for website registration.

There are a few things to remember when designing a site so that customers find it easy to navigate, shop and pick up those wonderful handmade items you’ve worked so hard to create.

The first thing to think of is accessibility. Since there are thousands of other pages selling crafts, you need to make yours stand head and shoulders about the crowd. It needs to be user friendly. Utilize optimized keywords and phrases to help search engines find you. Keep graphics and other extras to a minimum in order to cut down on load time.

Graphic load times should usually be under 10 seconds to accommodate anyone’s Internet speed. The one thing Internet users hate the most is a long wait time for a website to load. They will promptly leave your page and move on to other sites.

Keep the pages looking professional. Selling arts and crafts is essentially your home business, so make sure that your site looks well maintained and offers a good indication of the quality of your work. Add contact information so that potential customers are able to reach you and ask questions about crafts prior to purchase.

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Think about having a blog on your website where you feature pieces that you have created on a daily or weekly basis. Here’s a short clip that shows a trend that has helped artists make money by creating a "painting for the day." You could do the same for your glass beads or jewelry.

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Try to incorporate a way for customers to not only browse what you have in stock, but also to order and purchase online. Today’s Internet shoppers want to browse, shop, buy and pay for their goods at the same time, so offering easy and secure payment processing shows you are able to offer them full service for satisfaction.

The final step to making sure your arts and crafts sell successfully on the web is to market and advertise your goods. With thousands of pages of competition, you need to make your site stand out and offer what no one else does.

During the busiest shopping times of the year like Christmas, offer discounts or specials that allow customers to buy goods and receive a coupon or offer on something else. Those looking for a good deal will utilize your marketing techniques so that it ends up being advantageous to you.

By: Sean Watson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Sean Watson is an internet marketer who has put together the website www.buywholesale4ebay.com and hopes that this article Where Can I Sell Online Crafts? can help other internet entrepreneurs with any general questions they may have about eBay or any other online auctions as well.

Create Your Own Glass Bead Lanyard!

Beaded Lanyard Patterns

Beauty lies on the neck of the person who wears a beaded lanyard…this is possible with the wide range of beaded lanyard patterns available.

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This  article will give directions to make a beaded lanyard using traditional craftlace material. However, you can also make a glass beaded lanyard that is more like a necklace, as seen in the following video, which will show you how to create a glass beaded lanyard. 

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A cord or a strap that is worn around the neck to hold a whistle, identification badge or other small objects is referred to as a lanyard. These accessories are of various types and colors with different hardware attached to the bottom.

Lanyards are made out of various materials like nylon, polyester, cord and cotton. Beaded lanyards are one way of making a style statement. The vast range of choices that are available make it very simple for the buyer to acquire something that matches his/her individuality.

Some of the designs available in the market are:

• Crystals
• Polished stones
• Faux pearls
• Gemstones
• Frosted and clear glass
• Colored glass
• Beads that have alphabets on them
• Beads that glow in the dark
• Beads that have a silver or gold tone

Hmm! I have just heard that beads need not be round anymore, and now I know that it is true. Beads today come in every shape imaginable. Square, octagonal and oblong are some of the simple shapes whereas beads shaped like your favorite animals, angels, dolphins; celestial stars or hobbies constitute the newer trend. Men have also been taken into consideration in the whole process with sports lanyards that have been designed in a nice beaded style using the colors of their favorite teams. These lanyards are affordable thus providing the buyer an opportunity of possessing more than one!

Beaded Lanyard Patterns

• Metallic Beaded Lanyard Patterns
  Simple and inexpensive, these beaded patterns offer a variety of hardware attachments to secure small objects. The lanyards mentioned, are available in different lengths and a wide range of colors too.
• Jeweled Beaded Lanyards
  This is a unique form of lanyard that takes the form of jewelry too. Designed by skilled artisans, these lanyards can be extremely expensive which depends on the type of material used. Colorful patterns of glass beads, seed beads, gemstones and crystals make up this beaded lanyard pattern. Some of the popular patterns are the blue, black or multi-colored beads accented with gold and silver. Also available are the exquisite lanyards made of swarovski crystals or semi-precious beads.
• Creative Lanyards
  Colored plastics, sparkling crystals and metallic beaded chains find a place for themselves under this heading. While buying such a beaded lanyard pattern remember to check out to see if the artisan has designed jewelry that coordinates with it.
• Popular Lanyards
  Lanyards are also used to hang glasses around the neck when they are not in use. Such types of lanyards are better known as eyeglass necklaces or eyeglass holders. Always remember to check the durability of these eyeglasses before buying them!

Now that you are equipped with the information regarding lanyards, I hope you find one that is affordable, fashionable and reflects your individuality.

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Here are some examples of beaded lanyards that may give you ideas for your own creations:

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Making your own beaded lanyard

With a few simple directions and a few materials, you can make your own beaded lanyard pattern. Here are the directions on how to make a beaded lanyard.
Required Materials

• Some popular lanyard material which is readily available at most craft shops (better known as gimp, boondoggle or craftlace)
• Beads

Method

• First take two strands of craftlace and fold them together and tie a knot towards the top to hold them securely.
• Place a bead there, now spread the four strings apart, separately and point them in each cardinal direction of a compass. Use a finger to hold the west string. At the same time, pull the west over the north one.
• Continue the process by crossing the north string over the east string. At this juncture, the north string will be covering both the west string and the east string too. Once that is done cross the east string over the south string, in the end cross the south string over the west string.
• Pull each end of the four strings extremely tight now to make the first knot and continue crossing the strings in the same manner until you reach the desired length. When you reach the end, remember to place a bead before you make the last knot. A rounded lanyard is produced because of these knots.

Note
Use different colored and patterned beads to enhance the beauty of the lanyard.

By Rachna Gupta Published: 11/6/2007

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