Making handcrafted jewelry is becoming a very popular hobby for a lot of people from all walks of life. You can make jewelry out of regular jewelry supplies and traditional beads or you can get creative and make your own jewelry with all sorts of non-traditional materials. In fact, you can save a lot of money on your handcrafted jewelry by making your own jewelry beads!

Creating jewelry out of objects that are not primarily designed for jewelry making can be physically and mentally challenging. The first step is often figuring out how you’re going to mount your items on a string or chain and the next challenge is working out how you’re going to make it both beautiful and wearable at the same time! After all, the best way to make your own bead jewelry is to make your own handcrafted beads! Here are some surprising materials you can make jewelry out of:

Make Jewelry Beads From Beans or Large Seeds: Don’t forget, most of the fun of making bead jewelry bracelets and necklaces is being creative! You can make all sorts of funky beads from dried beans and seeds. Think about coffee beans and other fairly large seeds or beads that could easily be threaded on a string. After drilling holes you’ll also want to protect your new jewelry beads with some sort of sealant spray.

Paper Bead Jewelry: This fun idea dates back from the Victorian times when making beads out of paper was a popular hobby. All you do is cut strips of paper and roll them around a toothpick. You may want to seal these as well so they don’t fray and get damaged at the first hint of moisture. You can experiment with different types of paper, different colors and even different shaped strips of paper when making your beads.

These are just some of the many affordable alternative items you can make beads jewelry from. If you already know how to make your own handcrafted jewelry then you probably already possess the skills and even the tools to make plenty of affordable beads that can be turned into beautiful jewelry!

Too many jewelry pieces to keep track of? A good bead bead and jewelry inventory program can help you track your bead and jewelry inventory, customers and even sales!