Tools & Accessories

Whether you require round nose pliers or a bead gauge for jewellery making, tweezers to help in the setting of crystal chatons or a wax pen to pick up flatback crystals for Nail Art, we cater for all your needs through our extensive selection of tools. We also offer a large selection of high-quality jewellery making findings in various plating’s including sterling silver and well-known thread brands such as Acculon, Beadalon and Fireline to assist you in your jewellery making.

Why Use Tools For Crafting and Embellishment

Crafting with crystals, beads, and pearls to create embellishments for clothing or items of jewellery, can be extremely difficult or wonderfully easy. The secret to a smooth and pleasant crafting experience is the right tools for the job.

Rhinestones can require either a picker tool and a glue applicator or a heat tool, depending on whether they’re Hotfix or Non-Hotfix Flatback Crystals. Jewellery making requires pliers and tools that can bend and cut the metal with fine detail accuracy to achieve the intricate designs that truly wow and astonish. Sewing and beading can be a tangled snagging mess unless you have accessories that ensure the thread is strengthened and unlikely to tangle. Having the right size needle is also crucial to being able to pass the thread through the holes in many beads and pearls.

Many crafters learn with experience that a small investment in a few versatile tools will make all the difference, both to the crafter who can now simply enjoy the act of creation and the wearer of the finished item, who will notice a visible improvement in the standard achieved, thanks to having the right tools for the job.

We’ll now explore the categories found within our tools and accessories section and offer insights that will help you make the right choice and select a tool that is best suited for your crafting needs.

Different Types of Tools and Accessories

Glue

Choosing the right glue can make or break a project and the correct glue is determined by the surface it will be sticking to, a few common examples include:

• Fabric needs a glue that will have a bit of flex once it’s dry and it needs to be waterproof to survive washing. Hotfix Crystals come with a layer of heat reactive glue on them that is designed for fabric, and you will need a heat tool to activate the glue. If Hotfix is not an option Ninja SuperTite Fusion Tack is an industrial strength fabric glue that dries clear and waterproof and is a reliable choice.
• Glass requires a strong glue because the shiny surface doesn’t offer a texture for the glue to grip to. If the embellishment is purely ornamental you can use Gem Tack, however if the glass is going to come into contact with water frequently, we recommend a resin-based glue like CG500 two part Epoxy Resin, which will dry clear, waterproof and hardwearing.
• Leather is notorious for resisting glue and for this surface we recommend rivets over rhinestones. However, Ninja SuperTite and E6000 Plus are both strong and flexible glues that will adhere under a reasonable amount of wear and tear.

Pick Up Tools

Crystal elements can be so tiny that picking them up with your fingers is not an option. Precision is key and we have a variety of pick-up tools that help you grab, move and place small crystal elements easily.

• Tweezers are good for gently picking up items and nudging everything into position once placed, because they offer a clear view of what you’re doing. However, with small items there is a risk of applying too much pressure and sending things flying as they ping out of your grasp, so tweezers require a featherlight touch and are better suited to medium sized items.
• Pick Up Tools are the best option for quickly and easily picking up and placing tiny crystals. This is due to their ergonomic pencil shape and waxy texture that offers just enough grip to hold a crystal for long enough to move it and place it on the tackier glued surface.

Pliers

Pliers are used to accurately bend and cut materials that are too strong or tough to be bent by hand and would damage domestic scissors. There are a few key types of pliers that achieve unique effects:

• Round Nose Pliers achieve rounded bends in metal wire and the Loop Pliers help you create accurately sized loops, which is extremely useful for jewellery making.
• Chain Nose, Bent Nose and Flat Nose are all flat on the inside and can create a sharp bends and help straighten out unwanted kinks in wire.
• Side Cutters and Memory Wire Cutters are stronger than scissors and can accurately cut wire.

Storage

On our website you will find several different storage solutions which you can choose from based in the amount of space you have available and the size of the items you wish to store. We also offer a selection of branded display cased that are perfect for showing off your sparkling crystal elements.

Thread

Our threads section offers a wide selection of materials that can be threaded through crystal elements to create items of jewellery. The key variations include:

• Fibre such as silk or nylon that offer a feel like sewing thread, which is great for tying knots and when you want a soft and fully flexible result.
• Synthetic Cord is slightly springy and resistant to mould.

Wire

Wire can be braided into a cord similar to a fishing line or be a spool of wire that will require pliers to manipulate. Wire can come in several finished including gold and silver plating and coming in a variety of thicknesses also known as Gauge or GA for short. When looking at gauges, a higher number means a thinner wire. Memory Wire is unique because it retains its shape like a Slinky unless it has been strongly bent using pliers, this type of wire is a lot tougher than other wires and does require the specialist Memory Wire Cutter.

Why Buy Jewellery Making Tools From Bluestreak?

We offer fast UK and International Delivery, a Rewards Program and 5-Star Customer Service via our dedicated Customer Service team who can be contacted 9am-5pm (UK time), Monday to Friday. Should you have any queries regarding stock levels or delivery our customer service team will be more than happy to help.

If you are looking for inspiration or need any assistance with your projects, you can always look at our step by step tutorials on the Bluestreak Crystals YouTube channel, get tips and tricks on our TikTok social media account or see close-ups of our crystals and jewellery findings range on our Instagram social media account.