Toronto Bead Shops
- Bead material can range from simple wood or clay to crystal and gemstones.Nick White/Digital Vision/Getty Images
While Toronto's high-end jewelry shops may carry items that are out of most people's price range, the city's many bead shops offer more affordable jewelry and accessory options. Most bead shops in the city have ready-made pieces available for purchase, or you can buy the materials and tools to make your own, one-of-a-kind pieces. - Located on the Roncesvalles strip, near High Park, Bead Junction offers a wide selection of beads, crystals, stringing materials and full bead kits. They also offer classes in bead stringing, finishing and earring-making. Classes in making cold-process soap are also available at Bead Junction.
- The Sassy Bead Company has been in operation for nearly 20 years and has two stores in Ottawa and one in Toronto. The Sassy Bead Company carries various beads as well as semi-precious stones, pearls and sterling silver. The store runs workshops on weekday evenings and Sunday mornings that range from beginner beading to more advanced techniques. Jewelry-making kids' birthday party packages are also available.
- Beadworks is located in the heart of Toronto's Beaches neighborhood, on Queen Street East. Beadworks carries a full assortment of beads and jewelry making supplies, including sometimes hard to find items like clay and bone beads. You can use the work tables and tools in the shop free of charge to assemble your pieces, and the store's workshop is available for rent to groups.
- Bead FX has a storefront located in the Scarborough area of Toronto and also offers many of its products for purchase online. Bead FX carries Swarovski and Preciosa crystal, Japanese seed beads, handmade lamp-work beads and a full range of jewelry-making supplies and kits. Group classes are available, but you can also request a private, one-on-one class if there is some specific technique that you would like to learn. The shop also has a glass-working studio that is available for rent.
- The Beadery is located on Toronto's trendy Queen Street West. The store carries a full range of simple and decorative beads, gemstones and tools and also offers free instructions on its website for a variety of beading and jewelry making techniques. The Beadery offers four-hour beading and wire-linking workshops every Saturday morning from 11:00. The maximum enrollment for the class is four people.
