Bead Colors ~ Bead Colours

Using the bead colour/color wheel to select bead colours/colors.

The use of Fire Polish Bead colour/color in Beadwork and Jewellery making can be one of the most difficult aspects for some to grasp. However, this vital ingredient need not be a huge mountain to climb. Let’s break down the key concepts to bead color and see how these theories can be applied to our beaded jewelry designs.

Firstly, we use a colour wheel for the simple fact that this is the easiest way to display the range of colour combinations available to us. All colors originate from just three Primary colors, Red, Yellow and Blue. Primary means “First”, so these Primary colours can not be made by mixing other colors together, they are unique.

Next on our bead colour wheel we have our Secondary colors, these are made by adding equal parts of two Primary colours together so Yellow and Red produce Orange, Red and Blue produce Purple and Blue and Yellow produce Green. Now we can see by mixing these colours together we are introducing new colours on to our Bead color wheel.

With Tertiary colours the same rule applies, again by mixing equal amounts of primary and secondary colors together we produce new colours. The resulting bead colours in our Fire Polished Bead Color Wheel are Tertiary colours. Tertiary bead colours here are (clockwise) lime green, turquoise, indigo, pink, scarlet and gold.

Understanding how this basic Fire Polished Beads Colour Wheel is formed and where one bead colour sits in relation to another bead colour is probably the most important aspect to Fire Polished Beaded Jewellery making you could ever learn.

So this is all so very important to my Jewellery making designs and beadwork, but why, can’t I just keep stringing colour combinations of those little Fire Polished beauties together, the way I always have? Yes of course you can, but what is key here is to understand is why you like certain color combinations and not others and maybe this theory will help to give you new ideas to your Jewellery making projects. Let’s start with complimentary colors on our Fire Polish Colour Wheel.

Using complimentary colours

Complementary colours sit opposite each other on the colour wheel because of this they contrast. Complimentary colours in Fire polished beadwork are very powerful combinations and are best used when you would like a piece of Fire Polish jewellery or beadwork to standout. Caution should be applied to the use of complementary colors in Fire Polished beadwork as this can easily be overdone and can be quite harsh on the eyes.

In this example we see the complimentary colors Blue and Orange contrasting very well.

Bead mood colours

Colors in Beaded Jewelry can also reflect moods. For example bead colours such as Blues, Greens and Violets are often thought of as cool colours, where as Reds, Oranges and Yellows are thought of as being warm colors. The use of mood colors can sometimes help when say trying to target seasonal markets, you might like to think about making jewelry using warmer colours for the run up to and including the winter months. You may also like to think about using the cooler blues, greens and violate Fire Polished Beads to target customers for those warm summer days.

Related fire polish bead colours

Colours next to each other on our FirePolished Colour Wheel are called analogous colours, meaning “related”. This means they share a common colour and usually appear to be in harmony with each other.

Harmonious colours in FirePolished Beaded Jewellery are very often used to great effect. Creating subtle changes in related harmonious colours is always popular and can create a very stunning look.

Black and Crystal Clear fire polished beads

As I am sure you already know Black and Crystal Clear are not actually classed as Colours. Crystal Clear is the presents of all colours (the full spectrum of colours) and Black is the absence of all reflected light and thus the absence of colour.

Black Faceted Glass Beads are usually better balanced when used with deep and dark bead colours reflecting similar tones. Black FirePolish beads can be used to create impact and style in Fire-Polished beaded Jewellery. Crystal Clear Fire Polish Beads are usually more suited to lighter bead shades, again reflecting similar tones. Crystal Clear Faceted Glass Beads always add a sense of elegance and sophistication to Fire Polished Beaded Jewellery.

Seasonal bead colors

Another area to focus on is seasonal colors, whether you are making Fire-Polished Beaded Jewellery for yourself or for others seasonal colours are a great way to express a special time of year. For example, bead colors can be used to help reflect a season such as Christmas time by using rich Reds and deep Greens or Easter by using bright Yellows.

Current bead trends

Reading fashion magazines regularly, looking at the Beaded Jewellery available on the High Street and Online can also be a great influence. Keeping an eye on what others are wearing and making and looking out for current and future colour styles and trends allows creative ideas to flow and can help broaden your creative process. This may even lead to you producing new designs. Creating an image mood board of the styles and colours you like can help new Jewellery design ideas to flow.

bead color-bead colour - To conclude

Bead color-Bead colour use in Beaded Jewellery Design is paramount. The design might be floorless but with poor color use it may never get off the bead board. Understanding Bead colour relationships will allow your Fire Polished Beaded creations to look stylish and will help to avoid the common mistakes. Taking a closer look at the use of Bead color in your Fire Polished Beaded Jewellery designs may even open up new possibilities and trends for the future.