Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Bead Spotlight: Teardrops

There are hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of different types of beads in the world. Every material, size and shape you can imagine is available for stringing and stitching. But there are some beads that are just beadier than others.

One of my absolute favorite bead shapes is the top-drilled teardrop, particularly smooth, round glass drops. Something about the way these beads dangle and sway really brings out one’s inner magpie.

Assorted Teardrop Beads

Green Turquoise & Topaz Swirl Czech Teardrop Beads, Bamboo Coral Freeform Flat Teardrop Beads,
Rose Quartz Side Drilled Teardrop Beads

Red Jade Gemstone Teardrop Beads, Tigers Eye Teardrop Brio Beads,
Silver Rose Czech Glass Teardrops


Drop beads - or any top drilled bead shapes - are great for fringe and edging, and finishing off strands. They make great ends for long drop earrings, and can add delightful texture to all kinds of beadwork ropes. My favorite way to use them is in spiral rope necklaces. They become like little caterpillar feet and are so pretty when evenly spaced all in a row.

Here are just a few examples of the fun and unique ways you can use drops to create beautiful jewelry.

Teardrop Bead Designs

Pink Sunset Jewelry Designs, Entwined Vines Jewelry,
Linda Landig Jewelry

The Wild Tangent, The Sage's Cupboard,
Phoenix Rising Glass Art


What’s your favorite treatment for teardrop beads?

Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading and BigHugeLabs
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading


7 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for including my anklet! Tear drop beads are my favorite even though they are sometimes hard to find :) Here is the link to my site and I will putting a link in to yours :)

    Http://www.TheWildTangent.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for featuring some of my Briolette/aka teardrop beads!!

    If anyone is interested in "where" you can find some of these lovely beads : http://www.supplysnmore.etsy.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. So, so sweet of you to feature my rose and silver teardrops! They are one of my favourite beads, and I'm always searching out new ones:) Love the beautifully inspired teardrop creations too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those are all great pieces of jewelry, but I especially love the red bracelet. It reminds me of a pomegranate.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm a new follower of your blog. I hope you'll stop by my blog and follow me too!

    http://yelliepooh.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like to use them in spirals or netting they have such a great feel when wearing them!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for including my Elephant Charm Bracelet! I love using teaddrop beads, they add such great texture.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Inspiration Topics

accessories amulet Ancient Worlds Modern Beads animals April's Army art ArtFire astrology astronomy autumn awards awareness bangle beach Bead Inspired Bead Shops bead soup bead spotlight bead stash Bead Trays beaded beads beading theory beads belt bezel birthstones black blog spotlight blue boho bone book spotlight bracelet Bracelet A Week branch fringe brick stitch brown bugles buttons cabochon ceramic chain maille challenge charity chevron chain christmas collar Collections color Color Ideas color triads conservation craft shows crafts crochet crystals cuff Culled Beads current events Current Faves daggers Daily Sets daisy chain Delicas Destash drops Dutch spiral earrings Egypt Egyptian Gods embellishing embroidery environment etsy exotic fair trade fantasy fashion Favorite Beads Favorite Techniques feminine fibers film findings fire polish fixtures Flashback Test flickr inspiration flowers food found object free form fringe Geek Jewels geekery gemstones geography giveaway glass gold gray Greece green herringbone hex cuts history holiday home decor insects inspiration tip inspired beader Inspired by... Inspiring Links ivory Jewelry Stash knitting ladder stitch lampwork lariat leaf fringe leather lights literature loomwork macrame magatamas Master Class Medallions metal free metalwork Mini Collar a Week mixed media mixture Mood Board MOP multi-color multi-strand music natural beads nature necklace Necklace a Day Nepal chain netting New Beads ocean ombre orange paint paper patterns pearls pendant peyote photography Picasso finish pink Pinspiration PMC polymer clay poster sketch purple quick inspiration rainbow RAW red resin ring Ring a Day rivoli Rome Russian spiral scarf science seed beads shell silver soutache spiral rope spring square stitch St. Petersburg steampunk stringing stripes summer tagua TBT The Elements thread Tilas Time Capsule tools trade beads triangle weave tribal tropical turquoise tutorial two-hole beads Ugly vintage Wear it Twice weather white winter WIP wire wishlist wood World Beaders yellow
Blog Home * About * Beading Tutorials * Advertise

Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com