Looking To Use Acrylic Beads In Your Next Craft Project? Here?s What You Need To

Posted by adortalukdar on April 23rd, 2014

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that acrylic beads are the staple for most craftsmen. This is a favorite because it is flexible it can be made into any shape or size. Further, it has the property of retaining color and can even be manufactured to look like imitation gems. They are used not only in jewelry making, but these days they can also be seen in all forms of crafts including home décor. There are a few things that you should know before buying these beads. There is a whole lot of variety and hence you should think about what project you are going to use it in.

Based on this you should decide on the color, shape and the finish of these beads. In addition, decide upon the size you are looking, diameter of the hole and where it is located. Consider all this before buying because not all beads are suitable for every crafts project. History of Beads: Humans have been using beads for ornamental purposes for over 1000 years now. Most of these beads were made of natural materials like glass, stone, metal, clay and wood. Only after the invention of the synthetic polymers in the 1920s, acrylic beads were made for the 1st time. They are cheap and hence possible to make them to meet the requirement of the broad buyer category.

Advantages of using acrylic beads

The 1st and foremost advantage is that they are very cheap in comparison to naturally occurring beads. As they are lightweight, they are used in lots of projects like decorating a dress, handbag, or even in jewelry. In fact, there are many artisans who make jewelry these days preferring these man-made beads over even precious metals. Further, they are hypoallergenic.

Pros:

Acrylic beads are very flexible material it can be manufactured in different shapes and colours. The artisans are left with an unlimited option which is limited only by their imagination. Further, they are durable and can be even handled by children as long as there are supervised by an adult so that no choking hazard takes place.

Cons:

Apart from the choking hazards they cannot be the right choice for all crafting projects. They lack the lustre of glass beads and therefore not suitable for some types of jewelry.

Its uses and Source:

Being a versatile material it can be used for different projects which includes dressmaking, jewelry making, scrap booking and even sewing. If you are planning to buy them, you can consider buying beads wholesale as many retailers sell in large lots. If you are looking for vintage pieces or statement pieces, you can check with retailers or can buy jewelry and disassemble it.

There are many speciality bead shops that sell these. Another simple way is to buy them from online stores. Buying beads wholesale will ensure that you do not run out of beads in the middle of a crafts project. You will have lots of them to work with so you can try new designs and craft unique pieces.