3/18/25
by Victoria Ritter
The next time you see a piece of handmade jewelry, be sure to look a little closer. The wires and clasps may have come from Beadalon.
Beadalon got its start in 1976 when Jim Clark and Robert Shields founded Wire and Cable Specialties, Inc., Beadalon’s parent company. Their first products were industrial wire and cable along with a basic three-strand bead-stringing wire.
“This is a second-generation family-owned wire factory,” said Mike Shields, president of Beadalon and Robert’s son. “At our core, we produce miniature wire and cable for several different industries. The biggest market that we serve is DIY jewelry-making and crafts.”
Beadalon stands apart with of its manufacturing capabilities. Its domestic factory draws, strands, nylon coats and spool most of its wire products, allowing Beadalon to control all aspects of production.
Vendors can catch Beadalon at Creativation by Namta, Bead Fest in Philadelphia, and Creativeworld in Germany.
Crafting a creative toolkit
Beadalon has 2,700 SKUs for jewelry making and crafts. Its catalog includes wire, cords, pliers and shaping tools. Its colored wire is especially appealing for general crafting, with more than 40 colors, 13 different gages and various styles.
“We’ve settled into what our core products are and we’re focusing on those,” Mike said. “We’re having a lot more success doing what we do best, which is wire cord stringing and tools.”
The one thing Beadalon doesn’t offer is beads. “We’re like the Switzerland of the industry,” Mike explained. “We work well with a lot of bead companies, but we don’t do beads because it’s a whole different animal – it’s highly specialized.”
Beadalon’s wires are durable (most are made from stainless steel) and abrasion-resistant while still being flexible. Its most popular products are bead-stringing wires, which come in seven, 19 and 49 strands; the higher number of strands, the softer and more supple is the wire.
Last year, Beadalon introduced a range of designer and professional quality tools with vinyl-free, thermosplastic elastomer (TPE) grips. There are plans to release new products this summer.
A variety of applications
With a wide array of products and materials, Beadalon is able to cater to several industries. Its biggest market is the DIY craft industry, followed by fishing, aerospace, dental and orthodontics, and arts and frames. Because Beadalon sells the components of beading and wire crafting, it can sell to different types of customers – from jewelry manufacturers and wholesalers to retailers.
“There’s a lot of creative and unique designs that have used our products over the years,” Mike said. “We’re always blown away by the amount of various designs that we see.”
Beadalon is dedicated to helping art and craft stores best sell its products. Its team can help retailers educate customers on how to use their materials in projects; Beadalon’s online learning center, found on beadalon.com, provides instructional content. Plus, its packaging is store- and consumer-friendly as it includes labels with QR codes that give information for shoppers.
It also helps if a store carrying Beadalon products also stocks beads. The Beadalon team can coach retailers on bead purchases and refer them to complementary bead companies.
“We’re a passionate group of people who have a lot of experience working with stores directly and helping them know what products to start with that work well with their needs,” Sheilds said. “We can build merchandising sets around our most popular sellers.”
