I would just like to add that pearls typically have much smaller holes than other beads do and the smaller pearls usually have even smaller holes. There are some places where you can get “large-hole” pearls.

Based on what you’ve written, I suspect that you’re knotting regular beads with larger holes rather than pearls. If that’s the case and you’re using thread that’s about the same size as the bead hole, it’s probably fairly thick thread. That will definitely make large knots, which you might think look clumsy.

There is a way to use smaller-sized thread. Place seed beads on each side of the bead. Make sure that the seed bead is not so small that it gets lost inside the bead hole. Now you can use a finer silk thread and make the knots outside the seed beads. You’ll have to try it out to see if you like the look. If you’re doing an illusion-style necklace, this should work well. However, if you’re knotting the beads like you would knot a strand of pearls, it might not make you happy.

If you’re careful, and keep your round bead cool (pop it in the fridge before texturing,) it will retain it’s shape as you press the texture into the bead. Sometimes, depending on the type of texture and how large it is in relation to the bead, you might have to finagle it a bit, or gently coax it into a round shape again and “touch up” the texture in spots.

There are lots of other ways to add texture to beads. Cindy has a few videos that include adding texture—one of them uses Rubber Stamps for Textured Beads and Pendants.

Have fun with it, and since you are new to this, you should try Cindy’s Polymer Clay Basics Course. It’s the best way to get lots of information, as well as helpful tips and tricks for all aspects of getting started with polymer clay. It’s even helpful for intermediate & advanced clayers—everyone can learn a few things from this set of 39 videos. You should also sign up for the Polymer Clay Newsletter. You get 3 free videos for signing up, as well as a couple of free color recipes from Cindy’s custom palettes each week. If you like the looks of the videos (which you will–they’re the best!) you will probably want to become a member. It costs $9.95 for 3 months of videos (12 videos — about 80 ¢ each, or $3.32 per month.) You also get additional color recipes from Cindy’s A-series palettes. It’s a fantastic bargain—you won’t be sorry you joined! The links to all of the things I mentioned are at the top of this page…

One thing I forgot to mention—the search box at the top of each page. Just about every question has been answered at least once at this blog. Type “how to texture beads” or “textured beads” or something like that in the box & you’ll get a list of articles where the topic was mentioned. You can find all kinds of cool info and tips by reading the article and the comments below it (sometimes there’s even more info in the comments under the article than in the original post!) Good luck with your beads, and I hope to see you around as a new member!
~Kat  Riverside, CA, USA   –Where are you from?

One thing worries me. When I made a comment to my daughter, who’s BIG into making all kinds of things by hand, about using store bought jewelry items and making molds out of them she said if it’s copyrighted it can’t be used. What are your thoughts?