Beaded Lanyard Patterns

A cord or a strap that is worn around the neck to hold a whistle, identification badge or other small objects is referred to as a lanyard. These accessories are of various types and colors with different hardware attached to the bottom.

Lanyards are made out of various materials like nylon, polyester, cord and cotton. Beaded lanyards are one way of making a style statement. The vast range of choices that are available make it very simple for the buyer to acquire something that matches his/her individuality.

Some of the designs available in the market are:

• Crystals
• Polished stones
• Faux pearls
• Gemstones
• Frosted and clear glass
• Colored glass
• Beads that have alphabets on them
• Beads that glow in the dark
• Beads that have a silver or gold tone

Hmm! I have just heard that beads need not be round anymore, and now I know that it is true. Beads today come in every shape imaginable. Square, octagonal and oblong are some of the simple shapes whereas beads shaped like your favorite animals, angels, dolphins; celestial stars or hobbies constitute the newer trend. Men have also been taken into consideration in the whole process with sports lanyards that have been designed in a nice beaded style using the colors of their favorite teams. These lanyards are affordable thus providing the buyer an opportunity of possessing more than one!

Beaded Lanyard Patterns

• Metallic Beaded Lanyard Patterns
  Simple and inexpensive, these beaded patterns offer a variety of hardware attachments to secure small objects. The lanyards mentioned, are available in different lengths and a wide range of colors too.
• Jeweled Beaded Lanyards
  This is a unique form of lanyard that takes the form of jewelry too. Designed by skilled artisans, these lanyards can be extremely expensive which depends on the type of material used. Colorful patterns of glass beads, seed beads, gemstones and crystals make up this beaded lanyard pattern. Some of the popular patterns are the blue, black or multi-colored beads accented with gold and silver. Also available are the exquisite lanyards made of swarovski crystals or semi-precious beads.
• Creative Lanyards
  Colored plastics, sparkling crystals and metallic beaded chains find a place for themselves under this heading. While buying such a beaded lanyard pattern remember to check out to see if the artisan has designed jewelry that coordinates with it.
• Popular Lanyards
  Lanyards are also used to hang glasses around the neck when they are not in use. Such types of lanyards are better known as eyeglass necklaces or eyeglass holders. Always remember to check the durability of these eyeglasses before buying them!

Now that you are equipped with the information regarding lanyards, I hope you find one that is affordable, fashionable and reflects your individuality.

Making your own beaded lanyard

With a few simple directions and a few materials, you can make your own beaded lanyard pattern. Here are the directions on how to make a beaded lanyard.
Required Materials

• Some popular lanyard material which is readily available at most craft shops (better known as gimp, boondoggle or craftlace)
• Beads

Method

• First take two strands of craftlace and fold them together and tie a knot towards the top to hold them securely.
• Place a bead there, now spread the four strings apart, separately and point them in each cardinal direction of a compass. Use a finger to hold the west string. At the same time, pull the west over the north one.
• Continue the process by crossing the north string over the east string. At this juncture, the north string will be covering both the west string and the east string too. Once that is done cross the east string over the south string, in the end cross the south string over the west string.
• Pull each end of the four strings extremely tight now to make the first knot and continue crossing the strings in the same manner until you reach the desired length. When you reach the end, remember to place a bead before you make the last knot. A rounded lanyard is produced because of these knots.

Note
Use different colored and patterned beads to enhance the beauty of the lanyard.