Beaded or Beadwoven Rings: Different Uses for Jewelry and Accessories (Includes Free Patterns/Tutorials!)

If you do bead or beadweaving work, you have probably seen, if not made, beaded rings. For beadweaving, there are many different stitches that you can use for rings including peyote, right angle weave, and herringbone. There are different possibilities for flat or tubular rings. Many patterns combine at least two stitches. Once you get hooked on a pattern or settle on a design that you've created yourself, you will probably find that you suddenly have a dozen little rings, if not more. You can choose to wear or sell them as rings, which is fine. However, you may want to use them for other jewelry and/or accessories as well. I've detailed a handful of these ideas in this hub. Happy beading!

I've focused on beadweaving for my pictures and links because that's where my interest is. If you're interested in other beaded designs and are having trouble finding patterns or examples, let me know. I'll do what I can to help you find what you want.

I have to give credit to Mandy at Beads For Brains for my inspiration for this post. I absolutely love the green beaded ring that she worked up for her blog. It got me thinking about all of the neat things that you could do with it.

You can easily turn a single beaded ring into a pendant with a loop at the top or a couple loops in the back. You can keep the look simple with a silver snake chain or ribbon or you can make a more elaborate piece with a beaded rope. Consider attaching or linking a few beaded rings to make a longer pendant. Check sagescupboard and Ellad2 on Etsy for great pendant tutorials.

Constructing a necklace is generally a little more ambitious than creating a pendant. The result can be well worth it, though. Consider using several beaded rings and/or adding other components to your necklace. The possibilities are endless.

I love how many people design beaded earrings with multiple circles such as the one pictured on the right. You can keep it simple with single rings, too. Both options can create very elegant earrings.

I absolutely love the bracelet pictured on the right. (Click on the source link for the tutorial.) There are so many possibilities for color, link widths, and extra details on the links. Just as you can add other components to necklaces, you can add more components to your beaded rings for bracelets.

Beaded rings make excellent loops for toggle/loop clasps for bracelets or necklaces. Make sure that the ring is an appropriate size for the piece and that it matches the style.

Think outside of the jewelry realm for a minute and consider using a beaded ring or a set of rings as a zipper pull or a pull for a shade, fan, etc. Make sure that your bead construction is solid for these types of products, as the beads will take more wear and tear than they would in a jewelry piece.

There are tons more patterns and listings than I could ever link to here. I've included some of my favorites. Let me know if you want something specific that you can't find through Etsy or a Google search.