Beadwork is Beautiful and Delicate

Hey Beaders/Bead Lovers,

I wanted to share a quick reference guide for how to care for beadwork/beaded earrings. Chemicals, sweat (skin acid), and other factors can negatively affect the durability of beadwork.  

Glass AB gems are gorgeous but can diminish in sparkle by wearing them in pools, hot tubs, and saunas. They can be scratched if they are thrown in the bottom of a purse after a night out. Another problem can arise if they get into the washer and dryer as they can alter colours of beads or scratch gems, due to exposure of heat and cleaning solutions.  

Water alone can affect the sturdiness/stiffness of some earrings especially if made with stiffen felt or thinner beading foundation/materials. Some glues can be water-soluble, hence gems that been glue-down may pop off with humidity/water exposure like swimming. To avoid these problems, sew down gems when possible and try using lacy stiff stuff beading foundation.  Lacy stiff stuff is the best beading foundation, as water does not affect its stiffness, great for powwow regalia that's bound to get wet!

General rule for beadwork is “Put your jewelry on last and take it off first".  Little things that we do may affect the finishes like perfume or hairspray that can eat away at the sparkle of your gems or the coating on metallic beads.

Even our sweat contains acid that can break down nymo/silk threads that can lead to wear on your beaded goodies. Best to take your beadwork off when exercising or sleeping, to ensure minimal wear and tear of your beadwork. 

If you like wearing large earrings, you may even notice foundation stains on your beadwork backing. My suggestion is to use a gentle baby wipe with no alcohol, to remove it. 

I hope these tips help you to keep your beautiful wearable bead art pieces longer. If you got any quick solutions or hacks, feel feel to comment below!