Beads for jewellery making are found in vast arrays of shops and stores. They fascinate even those who do not make jewellery. All colours, shapes and sizes are available for not too much money, or for a lot of money, depending on what you want. Swarovski crystal will cost much more than simple, natural wood, but crystals and wood can be paired up to make a unique necklace.

Wooden beads come in a surprising quantity of colours and shapes. Natural and wood-coloured beads are often elegant in their simplicity, and patterned beads in these tones create panache. They blend well to make a good piece of jewellery versatile and eye-catching. Wooden beads also come in every colour in your imagination, and sizes vary.

Some wooden beads are flat with large holes in them to add to the appearance and some are ball-shaped with a hole only for stringing. There are also semi-flat, oval shaped beads to suggest a cultural flair. Other shapes are: barrel, tubular, flower, abacus, ring, button, leaf, fruit, ladybug, fish, gears, keys, flat, flat-round, and solid. Some beads are carved and some are made from bamboo, just to illustrate the number of choices a bead buyer has.

Mixing wooden beads with cultured pearls is another twist to making unique jewellery. The possibilities are endless. Glass beads come in just as many or more varieties than wooden beads and can be mixed with other textures as well.

The qualities of glass beads that are unique and different from wooden are several. Adjectives describing glass beads sound like a surreal trip through a light-filled, but cosy aura: luminous, reflective, translucent, opaque lustre, transparent, pearlized, iridescent, plated and galvanized. They all sound pretty and curiosity provoking.

“Plated” glass beads means they are electroplated or coated with a lustre gold or silver finish. This process makes subtle gold highlights in the beads. “Galvanized” means they are plated with zinc and can be shiny or have a matte finish; matte meaning with no shine. Strikingly different qualities such as these certainly distinguish glass from wooden beads.

Making glass and/or wooden bead jewellery entails procuring necklace or bracelet items to hold it all together. Chains, ribbons, wire, thread and many other options are needed to string the beads. Clasps, toggles, hook and eye buttons connect the two ends of the piece. You may want spacers or connectors between beads, and there are bead caps to add allure. The wire that holds the beads in a line can be very costly or very inexpensive according to what kind of piece you make. Silk ribbon, satin silk string, gold-filled wire, sterling silver wire, and crystal yarn will set off high-end beads with sophistication.

Suede, leather, hemp cord, thread, braided thread and elastic will give the piece a casual or outdoor, sturdy appearance. These materials will help make the jewellery look natural and handmade, in a good way. If Native American or Western is the look you want, natural materials are essential. Beads are versatile.