Beading 101 - Starting An Accessory Making Business
POINTS TO CONSIDER:
CREATIVE IDEAS & PASSION IN FASHION ACCESSORIES:
Before going to this business, you must be interested and love fashion accessories to appreciate the art and craft of accessory making. You must also have a creative mind and vast imagination to produce unique and exceptional designs. I believe that "being interested" in fashion accessory is the most important factor to consider before to going to this kind of business.
STARTING CAPITAL:
It really depends on what you want to produce. If you want to produce accessory out of precious stones, like swarovski, pearl or gem; you must prepare at least PHP 3,000 () to PHP 5,000 (5) for startup capital. But if you will just use ordinary beads, startup capital of PHP 1,000 () is enough.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Aside from the stones and beads, you need the following materials and tools
Tools:
1.) Pliers
a.) Long nose and flat nose pliers - used to handle pins, bend wire, crimp bead, etc.
b.) Round nose pliers - used to make loops for the pins.
2.) Cutter: for cutting pins and wires.
Materials:
1.) Pins
a.) Head pins - nail-like pin (flat base) use to create dangles for your jewelry
b.) Eye Pins - have loops in the end of the pin, used as connectors from one bead to another
2.) Ear wires or fish hooks - hook that goes through the ear
3.) Clasps - a fastener that attaches two things, like the ends of a necklace or a bracelets
4.) Open jump rings - are jump rings that are not soldered shut. They can be opened or closed using pliers
5.) Trigger clasp - utilizes a lever and spring to open and close the arm of the clasp. Trigger clasps can come in various shapes such as an oval or heart
6.) Stringing materials - composed of multiple strands of steel wound together and then coated with nylon. It is sometimes referred to as tiger tail.
7.) Bead cap - used to "dress up" a bead, crystal, stone, or other type of bead. It adds a touch of gorgeousness to your bead.
Those are just basics. You will need more stuff as you go along.
WHERE TO BUY MATERIALS: (in the Philippines)
1. ) QUIAPO - The Philippine bead paradise. There are so many bead shops to choose from along this area. Its in Villalobos St., the narrow street in front of Quiapo Church, behind the Mercury Drug Building. The most famous shop of them all is the Wellmansons shop, because you will see all materials you will need for accessory making at a very affordable price.
TIPS & TECHNIQUES IN MAKING FASHION ACCESSORY:
Browse the web, you will see a lot of tips and techniques for beginners. There are many sites that offer free tutorial on accessory making.
