Top 5 Secrets For Making Beadwork Look Professional

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Here are some simple tips for making beadwork look professional so your beaded jewelry doesn’t look like a DIY craft project.

Every beader loves it when friends and family can’t believe they made a piece of jewelry. It just looks that good. It’s the ultimate feeling of accomplishment.

But, making beadwork look professional seems like a challenge especially if you’re just getting started bead-weaving. It doesn’t have to be so hard, though.

Here are five simple ways to make your beaded jewelry look like it was made by a pro!

5 Tips for Making Beadwork Look Professional

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1. Use High Quality Materials

Of course, you can’t make beaded jewelry without using beads. And, the quality of the beads you use can actually impact the overall look of your beadwork.

The quality of seed beads actually varies according to the manufacturer. Japanese brands e.g. Miyuki and Toho tend to be better quality than Czech, Chinese or Indian brands.

Here’s a comparison of the seed bead brands so you know what to expect from each one.

2. Cull Your Beads

Even when you use bead brands that are good quality, you can still find broken or misshapen beads in a batch. It’s important to cull or remove them instead of including them into beading projects.

SuperDuo beads are notorious for having blocked holes so be sure to check that the holes are free. You can do this before you start beading but I usually do it as I go.

3. No Thread Ends

When ending threads, always try to cut them as close to the beadwork as possible. This is one way of making beadwork look professional.

Nothing’s worse than having a beautiful piece of jewelry with tons of thread ends sticking out from between the beads. It completely spoils the finish.

You can use a very sharp scissors to cut thread but I definitely recommend a thread burner. This is a very useful beading tool and is non-negotiable for me. I never bead without mine. It allows you to get incredibly close to the beadwork and remove excess thread and is much more effective than a scissors.

4. Use Good Thread Tension

Thread tension is one of those things that lots of beaders struggle with. But, having good tension is crucial is you want your jewelry to look professional. Nothing screams “Amateur!” more than loosely held beads or thread that’s pulled so tight, the beadwork puckers.

Use these simple tips to get the best thread tension in your beadwork.

5. Match Thread To Beads

Beading thread is an essential tool when bead stitching. You can’t do any project without it.

GSP threads like Wildfire and Fireline come in a few colors—black and white being the most popular ones. You can also find blue and green Wildfire. Nylon threads like Nymo come in a wide variety of hues.

Usually, the goal of bead-weaving is to see as little thread as possible. Whichever thread you choose to work with, make sure you match the color as closely as you can to the bead colors you’ll be using. For example, don’t select a black thread when working with transparent beads. You will see the thread running through them.

However, in certain stitches like Right-Angle Weave and some beading designs, you’ll see a little more thread. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable. In these cases, you might want to embrace that fact and use a contrasting thread color. This will turn the thread into just another part of the jewelry design.

Using these five tips, will help you improve the quality of your jewelry. And, no-one will ever guess that you made it yourself at home.

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