2022 Interweave Readers’ Choice Awards Winners in Bead and Jewelry

Welcome to the 2022 Interweave Readers’ Choice Awards, where you—the community—voted for your favorite vendors. The companies ranked here are suppliers that, according to you, are the best of the best. Despite. Your hectic schedules, nearly 2,000 of you voted for your favorite vendors across 50+ categories, far exceeding our expectations!

Run by the sales and marketing teams here at Golden Peak Media, the Readers’ Choice Award program is not a scientific survey or an editorial analysis, but democracy in action. Voting was conducted via an online ballot, which was sent to readers through direct email and advertised across Golden Peak Media’s network of websites.

The ballot consisted of 50+ categories encompassing many key aspects of beading and jewelry making. Dozens of companies were listed on the official ballot, and voters were also given the option of writing in their own choices. Several companies received votes via this write-in option.

Best Beads – Crystal

Swarovski
Preciosa
Dreamtime Creations

Best Beads – Czech Glass

Raven’s Journey
Artbeads
Lima Beads

Best Beads – Eco-friendly

Golem Design Studio
Artbeads
Beadaholique

Best Beads – Lampwork Glass

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Artbeads
Unicorne Beads

Best Beads – Gemstone

Dakota Stones
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Cherry Tree Beads

Best Beads – Metal

TierraCast
The Bead Place
Artbeads

Best Beads – Plastic

Michaels
Hobby Lobby
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Best Beads – Pearls

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
The Bead Place
Artbeads

Best Beads – Seeds

Miyuki
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
The Bead Place

Best Beading Kits

Goody Beads
Beadaholique
The Bead Place

Best Cabochons

Dakota Stones
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Cherry Tree Beads

Best Charms

TierraCast (tie) 
Green Girl Studios (tie) 
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Best Gemstones

Dakota Stones 
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 
Cherry Tree Beads (tie) 
Rio Grande (tie)

Best Faceted Gems

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 
Cherry Tree Beads 

Best Chain – Precious Metal

Rio Grande  
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 
The Bead Place

Best Chain – Base Metal

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 
Rio Grande  
Kellie’s Bead Boutique

Best Clasps

Claspgarten 
TierraCast  
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Best Connectors (End caps, bars, links)

Tierra Cast  
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 
Rio Grande

Best Jewelry Settings

Rio Grande  
TierraCast  
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 

Best Ear Wires

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 
TierraCast  
Rio Grande  

Best Metal Clay

Rio Grande  
Art Clay World USA 
Cool Tools  

Best Metal Sheet 

Rio Grande  
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 
Parawire  

Best Craft Wire

Parawire
Artistic Wire
Soft Flex Craft Wire

Best Precious Metal Wire

Rio Grande
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Stoned & Wired

Best Beading Thread

The Beadsmith FireLine
Beadalon Wildfire
Toho One-G

Best Beading Wire

Soft Flex Beading Wire
Beadalon
The Bead Place

Best Leather Cord

LeatherCord USA
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
The BeadSmith

Best Stretch Cord

Beadalon
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Pepperell

Best Beading Loom

Jewel Loom
Rick’s Beading Loom
Clover

Best Beading Needles

Tulip
Beadalon
Big Eye Needles

Best Forming Tool

Artistic Wire
Rio Grande
Beadalon

Best Hammer

Rio Grande
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
The BeadSmith

Best Kiln

Paragon
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Kingpin 88

Best Kumihimo Disc

The BeadSmith
Beadalon
The Bead Place

Best Thread Burner

The BeadSmith
Beadalon
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Best Thread Cutter

Xuron
The BeadSmith
The Bead Place

Best Magnifier

CraftOptics
MagEyes, Inc.
The BeadSmith

Best Metal Shears

Rio Grande
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Pepetools

Best Pliers

Tronex
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
The BeadSmith

Best Polisher

Rio Grande
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
JoolTool

Best Polishing Material

Rio Grande
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
JoolTool

Best Flat Lap

JoolTool
Rio Grande
Kingsley North

Best Trim Saw

Rio Grande
Kingsley North
Hi-Tec Diamond

Best Rolling Mill

Pepe Tools
Rio Grande
Durston Agile

Best Rotary Tool

Rio Grande
Dremel
JoolTool

Best Tumbler

Lortone
Rio Grande
Durabull

Best Saw Frame

Haymaker
Knew Concepts
Green Lion

Best Saw Blades

Nano
Rio Grande
Lasergold

Best Stamping

The Bead Place
Eastern Repousse & Chasing Tool Sets
Stoned & Wired

Best Torch

Little Hotties (tie)
Smith Little Torch (tie)
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Best Cutters

Xuron
The Bead Place
Rio Grande

Best Bezel Pusher

SmoothSet by Flow
DiMarca-Online
Rio Grande

Best Stone-Setting Punches

SmoothSet by Flow
Rio Grande
Kingsley North

Best Beading Board

Bead On It Board
Beadalon
The BeadSmith

Best Bead Organizer

Acclaim Crafts Beaders Pocket Board
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
BeadmasterUSA

Best Jeweler’s Bench

Rio Grande
Beadmaster USA
Stuller

Best Enamels

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Stoned & Wired
Island Cove Beads & Gallery

Best Jewelry Adhesive

Loctite Gel
The Bead Place
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Best Lapidary

John Dyer Gems
Rio Grande
Bright Star Gemstones

Best Polymer Clay

Premo
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Sculpey

Best Task Lamp

OttLite
Daylight Company
Verilux

Best Resin

The Epoxy Store
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Mr. Resin

Best Polishing Cloth or Jewelry Cleaner

Sunshine Cloth
The BeadSmith
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Best Safety Equipment

Rio Grande
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Harbor Freight

Best Bench Pin

The Perfect Bench Pin
Knew Concepts
Kingsley North

Best Local Shop

The Bead Place
Cherry Tree Beads
Kellie’s Bead Boutique

Best Online Retailer

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Cherry Tree Beads
Goody Beads

Best Beading Book

The Art and Elegance of Bead Weaving by Carol Wilcox Wells
Jewel Loom Inspirations by Julianna Avelar

Best Beading Instructor

Abbi Berta
Juliana Avelar
Kellie Sutton

Best Jewelry Book

Chained by Rebeca Mojica
Professional Jewelry Making by Alan Revere
The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight

Congratulations to this Year’s Winners!

Nearly 2,000 dedicated members of the beading and jewelry communities cast their votes for their favorite products and brands in this survey. As you can imagine, the competition was fierce! Congratulations to all this year’s 2022 Interweave Readers’ Choice Awards winners!