How Many Beads Do You Make in a Set?

[MrsD]

I am constantly umming & ahhing over how many beads I should make in a set. Most of the time I either make a focal bead & then smaller spacer beads to go with the focal, but sometimes I just make a set of small beads like oval lentils or pillows. Usually when they are ones to match a focal I make the focal + an even number of beads, but when I am making a set without a focal I can't decide whether I should be making an odd number or even number of beads. Part of me says that it should be odd (Rule of Odds) for something like a bracelet but the other part of me thinks it should be even for a necklace (because most people like symmetry in something like a necklace). Then I have the question of how many do I put in a set? 5? 6? 7? 8? 15? Or does it just depend on what sort of set it is?

So how many beads do you make in a set?

[Kalera]

6 to 12, usually. I don't worry that much about it; different buyers like all different numbers of beads. In my experience seven is really popular for people who make bracelet/earring sets or rosaries, and some people only make earrings and prefer even numbers.

[Sheila D.]

I usually do 5, 7, or 9. It depends on the size of beads too. If they're 20-25mm I put 5, enough for a bracelet. You never know what people are going to do with them either. I sold a set of 9 and the lady only used 1 in a bracelet!

[Dragonfly Queen]

I make anywhere between 2 - 8, depending on what I'm making and the size.
Like 2 for earings, 3 for larger beads (2 smaller for earings or 2 medium and 1 focal), 5 for bracelets, etc. You get the picture.

[Lisi]

I usually make 9, but some customers have used only three in a bracelet. Seems to be common.

[mtarara]

I make sets of 5, 7, 9, & ll depending on the size of the beads. I find people buy all of the above, depending on what they want to do with them. I like to give lots of choices, LOL!

[Elizabeth Beads]

I like to make sets of nine plus eight coordinating spacers.

[JoyceMI]

Many times I find it hard to make more than 3 and then my mind wants to move on to something else. So I voted 4 or less, although I do make larger sets at times. Sometimes it depends on the beads as to how many I end up making. Some bead styles are more therapeutic to do and I enjoy doing them. Others I get bored with for some reason and need to move on. Maybe it's the color combo or something with it just didn't 'wow' me while making. Today I actually made a set of 6.

For a bracelet I like 3 or 4 at the most depending on what else I am mixing in with it.

[essiemessy]

No rhyme nor reason here. If I have a wirewrapped bracelet in mind, then prolly 5, plus accents. But if it's strung, then I do more.
I'm lazy, and would rather do a lot of wirewrapping than tax my poor peanut brain over colours and combos for strung pieces. I suck too much at ends for stringing, so I take the easy option.
The beauty of wirewrapping is that if you come up short on glass beads for a set, you can add things like metal beads as part of the design, which usually works very nicely

Then again, I have 79 tiny spacers to make a big bracelet with - but I reckon I could count that as a 'set'

[AVTrout]

I hate making sets. Hate it! I force myself to make 2 of everything (and even then I only do it half the time) so that I can sell them as earring pairs.

[MrsD]

Thanks everyone, it does seem that (apart from pairs for earrings) odd numbers are the most popular which is what I was thinking might be the trend.

AG, I'm with you, I hate making sets too!

[BarbaraD]

I make sets of 9 plus 8 in the same base colour for bracelets.

[blong2001]

I love making sets! Guess I am kinda weird. I make 9-13 beads then separate them into small, larger or mixed sets.

[silverlilly1]

Two to 16. Though one of the 16 sets I'm thinking about breaking up into two sets of eight. Odd numbers mainly for necklaces, even numbers for bracelets. I think my average for necklaces is 5 or 7.

[Jane P]

I put 4, 5 or 6, but it does vary. I may start out making a set of 6, but one doesn't work out, so that makes 5; or I may have a set of 4 and add two spacers, so that is 6 - you get the drift.