Use All Your Odd Beads for a Charm Bracelet!

January 6, 2013 at 4:38 pm | Beads, Charms, Charms Bracelets

Time to have a new year tidy up of your bead boxes and use up all your odds and ends, stray beads and findings. One way to get rid of a big variety of beads in one hit is to make a  charm bracelet with a medley of different types of beads combined to make dangling charms. This works particularly well if you adopt a style such as vintage for which antique gold style findings work well combined with decorative beads such as cloissonne, dark coloured glass beads and millifiore pieces. Try blending all your  citrus colour beads no matter what shape they are to create a harmonious and bright piece, using a chunky shiny chain for a great statement piece.

How small is that Bead – Size Matters

December 11, 2012 at 2:21 pm | Beads, bluestreak beads, General & Admin

Here at Bluestreak Beads we sell over 4000 different beads and findings to our lovely customers. Most of the people who buy our crystal sparkly things are experienced jewellery makers and know exactly what they are looking for.  But everyone has to start somewhere and understanding size is one of the areas with which aspiring beaders have the most problems. It is not unusual to have items returned to us because they are smaller than the purchaser realised.  Added to that many of our more senior “silver surfer”  buyers do not work in millimetres and are unable to imagine for example the size of a little bead described as “round sterling silver spacer bead 2mm“.

The problems for us are that we can’t list the imperial measurement for everything and most beads are shown larger than life size on a website, the medium through which we sell.  So for bead newbies we suggest that you get hold of a collection of odd beads, measure them and glue or wire them on to a piece of card with the sizes written underneath until you have grasped the subtle differences between the sizes. Or just draw some circles of different sizes on a piece of paper and keep it handy when popping new beads in your online shopping basket.

In the old days when we sold our beads through a catalogue they were always depicted life size, but that just doesn’t work on a computer screen, and so we created a new and common complaint “The beads I have bought are not the right size”.

Of course we will always take back any product that you bought from us and try to find  exactly the bead you need for the job in hand.

You can buy a bead gauge to help with measuring or simply use a ruler.

Polymer Clay Fruit and Flower Beads for Jewellery making

October 11, 2012 at 3:56 pm | Beads, Polymer clay beads

They are bright and cute, these little handmade flower beads which are used by jewellery makers to fashion brooches and bracelets, or colourful tiaras and decorations for wedding settings!

These examples are only about 10mm in diameter and are just perfect for incorporating into lots of craft projects. We supply these beads in a mixture of colours, some with leaves poking out from under the petals and some without. The hole in this bead runs through the base of the flower so they can be threaded onto a length of stretch magic elastic jewellery thread to make a quick stretchy bracelet. This could be a fun activity at a  girls’ birthday party.

Or take a piece of thin silver plated wire, use the 22 guage for its easy to twist qualities. Pop the wire through the flower bead until it sits halfway along then pull the wire’s ends together underneath and twist them tightly together to gve the flower a shiny twizzly stalk. Add a glass leaf halfway down the stalk if you fancy.

Polymer Flower Beads for Jewellery making

Pearls for Jewellery Making!

August 24, 2012 at 1:26 pm | Beads, pearls, Swarovski Crystal Beads

Pearls are for every occasion!

Pearls have always been my jewel of choice. My obsession began when I started collecting pearls as a child. Every year my collection increased by one when I was allowed to choose the perfect oyster that housed my treasured pearl on our family holiday. Whether round or irregular, large or small, acrylic or freshwater, natural or coloured, I love them all. Being a pearl enthusiast, it’s great to be constantly surrounded by the extensive collections of pearl beads available at Bluestreak Beads.For me, pearls have marked major milestones in my life such as birthdays, graduations, and my wedding. Wearing my grandmother’s pearl necklace has become a tradition for most women in my extended family. Do you have a similar tradition in your family? Jewels passed on from generation to generation? If not, why not start now. Create a fabulous pearl necklace, earrings, bracelet, tiara, or hairband that will be worn and cherished by generations to come. We have glass, Swarovski crystal pearls, and freshwater pearls ranging in colour, size, and shape to suit your every need.  Pearls are one of the most versatile jewels, suitable for any occasion.  Whether you are looking for a subtle but elegant accessory or something more bold and eye-catching, we have a pearl to suit your needs at Bluestreak beads. Our 6mm and 8mm round glass pearls come in various pastel hues, while our Swarovski crystal pearls range from 3 to10mm round to twisted pearls in many colours  including white, cream, cream-rose, peach, rose, black, purple and  bronze. We have round, button or coin, oval, rice-grain, and baroque freshwater pearls. We’ve just had a new shipment into the Bluestreak Beads warehouse and now have nearly 20 different shades of pink, blue, and green baroque pearls in stock. Overwhelmed by the selection of pearl beads on offer? Unsure of which pearly colours to choose? No need to worry, we sell these baroque pearls in sets of coordinated colours that include seaspray, berry, and warm brown. For something unique and distinctive, why not spice up your earlobes, neck, or wrist with a splash of lime with our bright lime baroque pearls. In whatever pearl project you choose, have fun and happy beading!

Coloured Freshwater Pearls

Bead & Jewellery Kits for the holidays & the olympics!

July 26, 2012 at 12:44 pm | Beads, Jewellery kits, jewellery making

The countdown is over, the Olympics are here!

Here at Bluestreak Beads, excitement is brewing as the summer has finally arrived, and just in time for the highly anticipated London 2012 Olympic games! Who will win big? Who will come out on top? Who will win gold? Best of luck to the many Olympic medal hopeful from all of us in the Bluestreak Beads office!

We haven’t got any gold medals here but we do have lots of lovely gold beads to use in your jewellery designing!

It’s time to don our patriotic colours to support our incredible athletes! Why not fashion a necklace or bracelet showcasing our vibrant blues/reds/whites? Check out these hassle-free Team GB jewellery making kits that we have created using a range of vibrant beads with the British patriotic colour scheme. You can make a fun and stylish piece in a matter of minutes. We hope that they inspire you to design something fabulous! Alternatively, you can easily fashion a pair of earrings and necklace with our Swarovski teardrops or their  crystal 10mm hearts,  Use a medley of sapphire, crystal, and light siam. If you are new to jewellery making, don’t worry, as there are beautiful projects for all skill levels. Please check out our instructions showcasing basic jewellery making techniques.

Just in time for the Olympics our long wait for the sun is finally over and it’s time to don our summer wardrobes and put away our brollies! Need some beady accessories for that new sun dress? Whether you’re after something bright & bold, or simple yet elegant, we have a jewelley making kits to suit all tastes, and they are simple to  to make at home. Why not give our bright beady illusion necklace a shot if you like light colourful jewellery made with pretty beads and wire.

Now that school is out for the summer break, are you finding that your kids have too much time on their hands and in need a creative outlet? We have a huge range of easy starter projects to match your child‘s creative flair. I think our watches or bag charms would be fun projects for those with an artistic and imaginative spirit.
Happy beading!

April 25, 2012 at 6:40 am | Beads, Charms Bracelets

Kashmiri beads are traditional, handmade Indian beads embellished with coloured glass chips, diamante, mirror chips, seed beads, spiral wire rings and gimp,  Each little bead is an individual work of art! The bead is made from a clay usually a mixture of marble powder and a resin. The decorative elements are added before the clay has hardened and dried. They have a large threading hole which is lined with a metal core. Designers can use them instead of rhinestone balls in shamballa style bracelets. A particularly glittery kashmiri bead makes a  neat pendant threaded on a fine chain.

Kashmiri Beads

New Swarovski Crystal Disc beads

April 24, 2012 at 6:51 pm | Beads, Swarovski Crystal Beads

Lovely New Swarovski Crystal disc beads are now online at Bluestreak Beads in our vast Swarovski section. As official stockists of the famous Swarovski crystal beads we like to provide a good selection. Look out for new styles online on a regular basis.

These little discs make pretty earrings with the addition of just a headpin and ear wire! Choose from Amethyst, Aquamarine, Crystal and the new Swarovski colour, Silver night.

Swarovski Twist Disc Beads

New Beads due in tomorrow!

October 31, 2011 at 4:01 pm | Beads, glass beads

We are getting excited here waiting for the delivery of our next shipment of lovely glass beads!

The beads are due in tomorrow, and we cannot wait to get the boxes off the pallet and have a good old rummage around  inside at all the new jewellery making goodies we ordered around 5 months ago! I ordered them but I cannot remember every design of  bead that  we went for. I know that there are a load of lovely lampwork beads with unusual designs and some cute little glass pip beads. We’ve got the traditional baroque type wedding cake beads too with their applied garland of golden glass strands and dots of colour. There should be some dichroic glass pendant beads in the delivery too.

Anyway some of the girls who work here are ready to pick out their favourites and take them home to their bead boards and craft studios. I’ll get them on the site as soon as I can. The great news is that they will be really good value!

Many of them should be available in wholesale beads packs in the next few weeks!

Happy Halloween fellow beaders!

New Beads on the site

October 28, 2011 at 4:40 pm | Beads, pearls

We have lots of lovely new beads for the weekend, including, some gorgeous printed shell discs, 24mm diameter.

Also new is a range of  mixed strand pearls. These are freshwater pearls in various sizes and shapes, including rice grains, baroque and potato pearls.  There are winter berry colour mixes, champagne pearl, aqua pearls and rose pink pearls available in our new strings. Prices from only £4.99 a strand.

New coin pearls in mixed colours, oval baroque pearls , and tiny potato pearls are added to our wholesale pearl collection.

Jewellery Making -Vintage Bracelets

October 22, 2011 at 12:11 pm | Beads, Swarovski Crystal Beads

I’m starting to think about Stocking fillers and tree presents. . . . . I know Christmas is still a couple of months away but I might as well use my jewellery making time to add to my stash of gifts. If I make jewellery that I like I can always keep it for myself

I’m starting with bracelets this year, mostly because I like making them but also they are really popular and they can use up lots of odd beads in different shapes, sizes and colours especially if you go for the vintage look which is so fashionable still.

For a pretty handmade vintage beaded bracelet you will need some jewellery making chain, black or copper plated works well and a handful of headpins and spacer-beads. Next you need to choose all your beads and pendants. I like a real good mix of colours and materials to include filligree beads, glass beads, stampings, pendants and pearls. You may prefer to stick to a colourway such as goden browns and autumnal shades in an assortment of bead types, include some swarovski for a bit of sparkle and maybe a special clasp to finish the piece in style.

Bracelets such as these also sell well at  fairs and markets. Make a nice collection of them,  pop them in  pretty boxes with a little “handmade by me” label and you should have a successful day at the craft fair.