The Fun of Creating Bead Jewelry from Recycled Materials

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Creating your own jewelry, whether it’s with glass beads, crystal pendants or even wooden pieces is always fun and often a little challenging. And while most of us spend a good majority of our time searching for and buying beads that can be put together into some wonderful jewelry pieces it is sometime a little more exciting to make “bead jewelry” without the use of traditional beads!

Creating jewelry out of objects that are not primarily designed for jewelry making can be both physically and mentally challenging. First you’ll have to figure out how you’re going to string or mount your items into a piece of jewelry and then you’ll have to spend the time actually doing it. This sounds easy at first, but a lot alternative materials need to be drilled for wire or string insertion or even soldered together or otherwise modified to work well in jewelry. There’s an added challenge in using materials in such a way that they still “work” as jewelry. Sure, creating beautiful jewelry from Swarovski crystal beads or elegant pearls is fairly easy because the materials are so stunning by themselves. But sometimes the biggest challenge is creating jewelry out of things that are not inherently beautiful.

Here are just some of the many things you can create jewelry from:

Bead Jewelry from Beans or Seeds: Whenever I start thinking about making jewelry from beans I immediately think of coffee bean jewelry. Obviously there are lots of other beans and seeds that are about the same size and could work just as well. The key is to pick beans that are durable and dependable. To thread or string beans you’ll probably have to either use a tension mounting system of some sort or drill a hole through them. After that you will probably want to protect your beans or seeds with a spray on sealant to make sure they don’t dry out and fall apart.

Beaded Jewelry from Computer and Game Parts: I wrote about several different people creating their own necklaces, bracelets and even earrings from old computer parts. I think this is a really fun and funky idea, though I’m not sure if I would personally wear jewelry like that. I’ve also seen a lot of jewelry artists make bead jewelry out of junk and typewriter keys and even Scrabble letters!

Paper Bead Jewelry: This idea dates back from the Victorian times when making paper beads was a popular hobby. You can make paper beads by cutting out strips of paper and rolling them around a toothpick or similar small tube and then gluing the end. You may want to seal these as well so they don’t fray and get damaged at the first hint of humidity or moisture. You can experiment with different types of paper, different colors and even different shaped strips of paper when making your beads. There is at least one wonderful bead jewelry artist who is making her paper beads with candy wrappers and newspapers!

Bead Jewelry from Hardware: This beading idea has really taken root from what I’ve seen. I’ve actually met a couple people who have used various pieces of metal hardware and washers in their own jewelry. I blogged about some inventive kids who were making their own washer bead jewelry. Washers, screws, bolts and other fasteners can sometimes make for some incredible looking beaded jewelry! A visit to a large home improvement store can give you lots of ideas for making jewelry out of hardware items.

Making jewelry from alternative materials can quickly become a totally new form of jewelry making built off the foundations and skills of basic bead jewelry making. There are actually a few books that deal exclusively with making jewelry out of non-traditional materials. I’ve actually read and paged through a few of them and they all offer some unique bead jewelry ideas and projects to try.

Remember, don’t be afraid to try something new! If you already know how to make your own bead jewelry then you probably already possess the skills and even the tools to make some of your own alternative bead jewelry!