How to Bezel a Cabochon – Part Two: Edging, Cutting, and Backing
Welcome back to part two of our beaded cabochon bezel tutorial! In this segment, we take your beautiful, beaded cabochon one step closer to a professional finish. If you’ve already created your initial bezel and secured your cabochon in place, today we’ll focus on creating an outer edge, trimming your foundation, and preparing for backing — all the techniques you need to finish your piece neatly and securely.
Step 1: Add the Outer Beaded Edge
We begin by adding a decorative border around the outside of the bezel. For this example, I selected Duracoat Dark Lilac seed beads — a beautiful, opaque metallic tone — and paired them with Czech Silky Silver for a harmonious edge. Feel free to use whatever matches your project!
To create the outer row:
- Thread your needle and come up close to the edge of the existing beadwork.
- Pick up four seed beads, snug them against the edge, and stitch down through the foundation.
- Come back up through the last two beads you added and continue this pattern around the entire cabochon.
- You can adjust the number of beads depending on your spacing — four worked perfectly in my case, but three or five would also work if needed.
Once you've completed the row, go back through all the new edge beads to reinforce the structure and bring them gently toward the centre of the cabochon.
Step 2: Trim the Foundation
With the beading complete, it’s time to trim away the excess foundation.
Tips for cutting:
- Use small, sharp scissors and keep them at a right angle to your work to avoid snipping any threads.
- Trim as close as possible to the beads without cutting beneath them.
- For better control, move your work rather than the scissors.
- If the piece has a large border of unused foundation, do a rough cut first to remove bulk, then trim more precisely around the edge.
Step 3: Colour the Edges (Optional but Highly Recommended!)
If you're using white Lacy's Stiff Stuff, the edges may show slightly — but here's a great tip: use a Sharpie or permanent marker in a matching colour to blend the edge seamlessly with your beads. Just test the colour on scrap material first and apply carefully to avoid marking the beads themselves.
This small detail really elevates the finished look, especially if your beadwork includes transparent or AB finishes, which often look better with light backgrounds rather than black ones.
Step 4: Add Template Plastic for Structure
To give your piece a smooth and professional backing, we use a small circle of template plastic cut slightly smaller than your beaded piece. You can recycle packaging like:
- Clear plastic from toy boxes or document folders
- The base insert from reusable shopping bags
- Any flexible yet sturdy plastic
Trace around your cabochon on the plastic, then draw a smaller circle inside and cut out that inner shape. This gives your finished piece a smooth surface without having to sew through stiff material during the final edging.
Next Steps
In the next part of the tutorial, we’ll add the ultra-suede (or your preferred backing) and complete the edging stitch to finish your beaded cabochon completely. But for now, your piece should already be looking much more polished with a reinforced outer edge and neat trimming.
Watch the full video tutorial here:
👉CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE VIDEO
Let me know in the comments — do you use white or black foundation for your bezels? And do you have any favourite tips for trimming or finishing edges? I’d love to hear from you!
Happy beading,
Catriona Starpins