School of Design
Main menu Click here >

Bead Work
Learn about crimping, knotting and
finishing your beaded jewelry. Click here >

Wire Work
Learn all about WigJigs, knitting spools and wire techniques.
Click here >

Gemstones
Learn about Moh's Hardness Scale, what gemstone attributes are valuable and more.
Click here >

Reference Materials
Metric conversion chart, bead sizes, length information, birthstone chart and more.
Click here >

Have a Beading Question?
Ask Sara!

The first step in jewelry designing is the proper tools. The Soft Flex® U-channel Bead Board functions as a bead holder and 35 inch measuring tool as you lay out your designs.

Shop Bead Boards

Do not let your beads and findings roll away - use our Soft Flex® Bead Mats. Our double sided Soft Flex® Bead Mats are made with a durable foam material. They are wrinkle free and washable. They cushion your hands while stringing beads and keep small items from rolling away.

Shop Bead Mats

How many times have you designed a fantastic necklace to accidentally have half of the beads slip off the wire when you are trying test the length or crimp the ends? I bet too many times to count, right? The Bead Stoppers clip on the end of Soft Flex® or Soft Touch™ Wire to keep beads from slipping or sliding off of the wire. Never again do you have to worry about losing your design due to a silly mistake. Check out our Bead Stoppers with Soft Flex® Exclusive Grip Tips if you would like to add some color to your Bead Stoppers.

Shop Bead Stoppers

Shop EZ Sizers

Power your vision with the Double Lo MagEyes headset. This hands free magnifier makes every project and detail easy to see. The headset can be worn with or without glasses or contact lenses, is lightweight, and fits all head sizes. The lenses are distortion-free and can be swapped out when more or less power is required. The visor can also be adjusted for comfort. Double Lo MagEyes are great for general applications like reading and is an essential tool for hobbies and crafts when fine detailing or enhanced vision is required.

Shop Mag Eyes

Design your next project under the wonderful glow of an OTT-LITE. This portable light is perfect for beading and craft work, whether you are at home or on the go. It will clip or stand wherever you need it and is easily adjustable. What makes this light really stand out is that is true to natural sunlight, what you see is what you get when working with colors. The 13 Watt bulb is replaceable and will last up to 10,000 hours.

Shop Ott-Lite

This variable speed Electric Bead Reamer makes reaming beads quick and easy. The motor goes up to 15,500 RPM. It comes with three different diamond coated bits and is perfect for cleaning out and smoothing the inside of bead holes. When using, make sure to use water as a lubricant to avoid breaking your beads or wearing down the bit. Easy to use and dependable!

Shop Bead Reamers

Bead Nippers are wonderful for a beginner. These are cost effective for someone who does not do a lot of cutting. These are not intended to be used for anything but cord and soft wire. Please note: these cutters are designed for use on beading wire and soft metals, such as sterling silver or copper. We do not suggest attempting to cut hard wire, such as Memory Wire, with these cutters as it will harm the blades of the cutter.

Shop Bead Nippers

Italian Flush Cutters are a high quality tool for the professional jewelry designer. You can cut Soft Flex® and Soft Touch™ in all sizes along with Artistic Wire in most gauges. Italian Flush Cutters have a lap-joint, a smooth spring return and a Rockwell Hardness of 61. Please note: these cutters are designed for use on beading wire and soft metals, such as sterling silver or copper. Hard wire, such as Memory Wire, will harm the blades of the cutter. Euro Tool, the manufacturer, recommends not cutting anything larger than a 16 gauge wire, unless is it a soft metal like, gold or silver wire, then you could go as large as 14 gauge.

Shop Italian Ultra Flush

Maun Side Cutter is our heavy duty cutter to be used with Memory wire.

Shop Maun Side Cutter

Quality That You Can Trust! Professional Soft Flex® Flush Cutters are manufactured by Soft Flex® Company for our top of the line, bead stringing wire: Soft Flex Wire and Soft Touch Wire. This cutter will cut all 4 of our diameters: .010, .014, .019 and .024. They will also cut stainless steel, tungsten and nickel in diameters up to 1.00mm. The blade exceeds 64 on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. Each cutter is hand tested and will get up to about half a million cuts! This tool is manufactured in in the USA. These cutters are constructed of high grade alloy steel with ergonomic foam cushion handles. They have a lap-joint.

Shop Soft Flex Pro Flush

Quality That You Can Trust! Professional Soft Flex® Razor Flush Cutters are manufactured for Soft Flex Company for our top of the line, bead stringing wire: Soft Flex® Wire and Soft Touch™ Wire. This cutter will cut only 2 of our diameters: .010 and .014. The blade exceeds 64 on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. Most "flush" cutters still leave a bit of a burr on the end of the wire. The Professional Soft Flex® Razor Flush Cutters cut wire so flush that you can`t even see a burr with a microscope. This pair of cutters is executed by a proprietary process and thus unmatched by any other precision cutting tool in the world. This tool is manufactured in the USA. These pliers are constructed of high grade alloy steel with ergonomic foam cushion handles. They have a lap-joint.

Shop Soft Flex pro Razor Flush

Bent Nose Pliers make viewing what you are doing while you work a bit easier as compared to the standard chain nose pliers.

Shop Bent Nose Pliers

Chain Nose Pliers are great for bending, creating perfect 90 degree angles, gripping and shaping wire. They are a must for all wire workers.

Shop Chain Nose Pliers

A must have tool for compressing crimps. Crimping Pliers allow for your design to be secure with a crimp bead that looks and feels smooth. It is highly suggested that you check out our sterling silver and gold filled Soft Flex® crimp tubes. They are double the wall thickness of most on the market and are also seamless. You will feel ultimate security with our crimps and crimping pliers!

Shop Crimping Pliers

Flat nose pliers are great for bending, creating perfect 90 degree angles, gripping and shaping wire. These pliers have a smooth surface that will not mar or scratch your wire. Wider than a chain nose, this tool gives your more surface area to grip your wire or to work with multiple wires at one time.

Shop Flat Nose Pliers

Jump Ring Pliers are used to open and close jump rings without scratching the ring. They can also be used to hold jump rings when soldering.

Shop Jump Ring Pliers

Needle nose pliers allow you to get into the smallest of spaces.

Shop Needle Nose Pliers

This is a must have tool for anyone who wire wraps and designs using wire. Due to the nylon jaws, the wire is less likely to be scratched or marred while being worked on. Also great to recycle and straighten wire! Replacement jaws are also available.

Shop Nylon Jaw Pliers

Round nose pliers are great for bending, creating loops and shaping wire.

Shop Round Nose Pliers

Wire Looping Pliers make consistent loops and coils. This pair of pliers has a concave jaw and a round step jaw to form the perfect 2mm, 3mm or 4mm loop.

Shop Wire Looping Pliers

This much needed tool, the Split Ring Pliers were specifically designed for easily opening split rings. Just put the tooth between the two over lapping rings of the split ring and squeeze. The split ring should pop open and be ready to use.

Shop Split Ring Pliers

The Soft Flex Company Tool Line features, as standard, a unique double-sheathed, ESD safe, cushioned grip. The inner sheath is a tough vinyl, ESD safe material which holds the leaf spring and the cushioned surface to the handle. The outer sheath, also ESD safe, provides a no-slip, cushioned surface for the operator`s hand. This is important because the slight compressibility of the cushion aids to distribute the pressure more effectively. It can even absorb sharp particles which otherwsie could be imbedded in the hand. The Soft Flex Company Tool Line's cushion grip is almost always considered by operators to be more comfortable than the hard plastic used by competitors.

Shop Soft Flex Pro Tools

The Soft Flex Speeder Beader makes threading Soft Flex or Soft Touch beading wire fast and simple. Push Soft Flex or Soft Touch beading wire into the pan at a 30-45 degree angle. The pan will guide the wire into the hollow part of the Speeder Beader. Beads slip over the Speeder Beader and onto your wire quickly and easily. If you work with big, hollow beads, this tool is an invaluable asset. Since hollow beads have no channel, there is nothing to guide the wire out of the bead and the wire often curls inside. Soft Flex Speeder Beaders will make stringing these beads quick and painless.

Shop Speeder Beaders and Needles

Add some style to your hobby. This pendant makes a great focal piece on any necklace, unlike other pendants, this one is functional as well as fun. Hidden in the center of this pendant is a blade designed to cut thread. If you are on the road or just want to keep your tools close at hand, this is a wonderful way to add some charm to your tool stash. Also a great tool to take aboard an airplane, without worry of it being confiscated.

Shop Thread Tools

The Tri Cord Knotter is great for those times when you need to tie a knot right up next to a bead. Moves the knot up against the bead effortlessly! This handy tool comes with instructions.

Shop Knotting Tools

Kumihimo is an ancient Japanese braiding technique that has been used for armor, carrying weapons, and decorative beading. The art requires a disc for creating the braids, but there is no limit to the creative techniques beyond that – silk, fiber and thread can be turned into beautiful belts, hatbands, and jewelry.

Shop Kumihimo Boards

This wire-working tool, the Twist N Curl has taken much of the drudgery out of making coils and tight spirals for wire projects. The T-shaped tool joins the cross bar at its midpoint.

Shop Twist N Curl

You will have endless creative opportunities for your wire designs with our line of WigJig products. The transparent WigJig products are constructed of aircraft strength acrylic. So strong, they can be used in a vise.

Shop WigJigs

The Nylon Tipped Hammer is terrific for work hardening Artistic Wire. The tips are replaceable and will not mar or scratch the wire. Each tip has a 7/8 inch face.

Shop Hammer

Anvils are great for pounding, molding and shaping wire. Make all of your beading friends jealous with our Soft Flex Logo Anvil.

Shop Anvil

This Cup Bur comes with 6 attachments and a Swiss Pin Vice for smoothing and rounding the ends of Artistic Wire.

Shop Swiss Pin Vice & Cup Bur

The Wire Whacker has revolutionized work hardening wire components without hammering. This product is great for working with our Artistic Wire because the nylon will not mar or harm the enamel coating on the wire.

Shop Wire Whacker

Draw plates are handy if you use a knitting spool. When knitting, the wire will have a free flowing knit. With the draw plate, you can condense your knit chain into a uniform shape and size. If you are producing a number of designs and need to maintain the same size every time, this tool will be an invaluable addition.

Shop Draw Plate

An age old tradition of weaving has returned as a new innovation for wire weaving. Use a 5 Pin Knitting Spool to knit Artistic wire (gauges 24-34), beading wire (any diameter) and any thread, cord or fiber.

Shop Knitting Spools