- A gemstone or glass cabochon, no larger than 30mm round or 30mm x 22mm oval
- 5 grams of Japanese cylinder beads in a color to match or contrast with the cabochon
- 1 gram of size 15 seed beads in a color to match or contrast with cylinder beads and/or cabochon
- Thread of your choice
- Size 12 beading needle
- Optional: size 12 sharp (short) beading needle and flat nose pliers or needle grabber
Materials Notes:
- It is easier in the beginning to use smaller cabochons, as this will allow you to get the "feel" of shaping the beadwork with your fingers as you stitch. Once you are familiar with the technique and have bezeled several smaller cabochons, you can stitch larger cabs up to 75mm or larger with this technique.
- Choose a cabochon with a low dome. Cabochons that are very thick and have a high dome will be harder to stitch, and you may not be able to get the bezel to fit correctly.
- Thread is a personal choice, but I have found that the best thread for this technique is Wildfire by Beadalon. It offers a thread-like feel with all the strength of a stiffer thread such as Fireline. Nymo is also an acceptable thread for this technique, however, because it tends to split when pierced with a needle, it does not necessarily create as strong a bezel as Fireline.
- A size 12 sharp (short) needle can make it easier to pass through the tight spots when stitching a bezel. Additionally, a pair of flat nose pliers or needle grabber can also be of great assistance when trying to get a needle through a tight spot. However, if in doubt, don't force your needle! You may break a bead which will result in a weaker bezel.
- This technique also works well with buttons and donuts with a flat edge.
Resource List:
- Gemstone Cabochons: Fire Mountain Gems or Gary Wilson Stones
- Glass Cabochons: Beads Forever by Linda Roberts
- Ceramic Cabochons: Artisan Clay by Kristie Roeder or Lisa Peters Art by Lisa Peters
- Cylinder beads and size 15 seed beads: WhimBeads