Focus on: The Focal Bead

Do you have an odd bead laying around that doesn't have anymore like it left? Or do you have your eye on an expensive style of beads that would be to costly to string a necklace out of?

Welcome to the focal bead. A focal bead can be a useful design element in situations like the ones mentioned, or simply for a fun design. The trick is to have this single bead work with the other beads for the necklace you are designing. The focal bead can contrast the main colors, and have an accent color matching, or colors from the focal bead can be more predominate through the rest of the piece. Materials and shapes are something to keep in mind as well, in addition to color.

This is a necklace I made a little while ago (and haven't gotten a chance to take a nice photograph yet), where the focal bead is mostly blue. I stuck with blue for the rest of the necklace. The yellow from the focal bead isn't carried like the blue, which gives the focal bead something to make it pop a bit.