The materials for making jewelry have been long listed, and items are still being added. If let us count how many kinds exactly can the materials be classified, frankly speaking, I do not know. 

So far, many materials most of us would never see and use, just for beads, they have 15 or more types, and every type can be sub-classified into different branches and levels. What I can introduce to you is just 5 materials for making jewelry, more specifically; they are 5 kinds of beads we often used for beaded jewelry making.

Materials for making jewelry No. 1: Acrylic beads

Acrylic belongs to a kind of chemical. And its scientific name is "PMMA", commonly known as “specially treated glass”; acrylic enjoys the reputation of “plastic crystal" with its high degree of transparency and 92% of light transmission rate. Moreover, acrylic is light in weight, favorable in price and easy to mold.

Materials for making jewelry No. 2: Clay Beads

Clay beads are actually made of natural or synthetic powder compounds which made after forming and high temperature sintering. Clay beads, according to the temperature and manufacturing crafts, can be classified into two kinds: fimo beads and porcelain beads. What we usually use about this type are fimo beads, because they are soft and not easy to break.

Materials for making jewelry No. 3: Glass Beads

Glass beads, by definition, is made of the melt glass, with all kinds of dye added, plus various effects through a variety of processes. One of its branches is very famous, that is Cat eyes beads. The natural Cat’s eye, also known as Oriental Cat Eyes, is a kind of precious jewelry, rare and valuable species. As the optical phenomena existing in this jewel make people associate it with cat’s eyes, bright and fantastic, so the name was created.

In the matter of fact, the frequently used materials for making jewelry are far more than three. Still for the beaded jewelry making, pearl, wooden beads, resin beads, and metal beads are the common choices. Some of you may wonder why I don’t mention the crystal beads. The reason is that in DIY field or costume jewelry market, many precious materials for making jewelry are replaced by the inexpensive ones, like semi-precious stone beads and crystal beads are replaced by plastic or glass ones.