Make a Strand was launched in October 2008 by Amanda Webb, who had recently discovered the delights of beading. Introduced by a girlfriend, Amanda found she had a real eye for combining metals, gemstones and non-precious beads, creating much-loved pieces for family and friends. As her knowledge of beading grew, what started as a hobby quickly became a passion.

Kristine Scanlan joined Make a Strand in April 2009. She brings a wealth of retail, wholesale and expo experience to the business, not to forget the fact she's personally launched and owned a variety of very successful jewellery businesses and art galleries. Kristine also designs stunning jewellery, so she and Amanda are delighted to be working together.

"Creating sets of jewellery - matching necklaces, bracelets and earrings - is my forte," says Amanda. "This is because when I first became interested in beading, I looked at my own jewellery collection to find that nothing matched - all of the pieces were disparate and it was hard to find something lovely to go with a particular outfit ... but now I have a range to choose from."