March 30th, 2009 by JT Miller

If you’re looking for a great way to make some extra money, be creative and have fun at the same time, then making beaded may be for you! Learning to make bead jewelry doesn’t take very long, the supplies are affordable and the rewards are great! It’s a great hobby that can easily turn into a business with just a little luck.

When you first start making beaded jewelry you may be quickly overwhelmed with the amazing number of beads available, the different materials that are used, the many different wire techniques and clasps that are all available for just about any piece of jewelry you could ever imagine. You may want to start out buying some discount beads and supplies just so you can practice your skills without breaking the bank.

There are numerous places you can go to learn all the skills you need to make your own bead jewelry. Here are a few of the best ways learn the basics of jewelry making quickly and get your jewelry making hobby or business off the ground:

Check Out a Craft Store: Most craft stores now have a pretty big beaded jewelry supply section, so you can get a good feel for what beads are available, what tools you may need and what’s possible. Making bead is a popular enough hobby that there are almost always people at the store who can help you with basic questions.

Bead Store Class: Many beading and jewelry supply stores will offer classes, sometimes in a group, sometimes in a personal training session. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Often times bead stores will go out of their way to help beginners because the more people they can train, the more people they’ll have buying their supplies!

Read a book: Not an earth-shattering move, but there are lots of great bead jewelry books for beginners filled with photos and tutorials that can give you exactly the information you need for starting out. Bead jewelry books are also great for getting the creativity going because they will often show you the finished product first and then explain how to get to that point from the very beginning.

Online blogs, tutorials and videos: The internet has changed the way we all live and learn, and picking up a new hobby like making bead jewelry is no exception! There are lots of great blogs about beaded jewelry, tutorial videos and websites dedicated to learning about making jewelry and working with beads. The best part is that most of these sites are free and available at any time of the day or night, so it’s like having your own library and beading instructor right inside your computer!

Making beaded jewelry is a fun and exciting way to make extra money in your spare time. Once you learn the basics you can continue to make as much or as little jewelry as you like at any hour of the day or night. It sometimes only takes a few minutes to put together an earring set or a small bracelet, so you can quickly make a few pieces each night while you watch or just relax for the evening!