Beads and Beyond (published by Traplet L3.95UK; $9.99 US) is a beading and jewelry making magazine published in the UK that focuses on tips, projects, and information for jewelry designers. It is a monthly publication covering all types of jewelry making including lampwork beads, wire work, bead stringing, bead weaving, metal clay, fiber, fused glass, and mixed media techniques. Obviously, as the title suggests, it is not just about the bead.
Projects and Techniques
Some projects use beads as primary pieces and some are more secondary to the project designs, but either way there are lots of projects that will appeal to bead lovers. One concept that I really liked is how some of the projects include variations of the initial design but use the same jewelry components. For example, the main project may show how to make a necklace using beads and wire, but then there are pages afterwards showing additional jewelry designs using the same beads and wire but they may be a bracelet or earrings instead.The projects include full color how-to images illustrating the techniques used, but there is also a "Back to Basics" section in the back of the magazine that covers basic techniques such as crimping and wire loops.
