Building a miniature ship inside a bottle is impressive, but not as impressive as forging a giant glass shell around the outside of an aircraft carrier. One-up ordinary hobbyists with today's Groupon: to Beads & Beyond in Eustis. Choose from the following options:

• For $22, you get a basic beading class, in which students make a single-strand necklace with their choice of color (a $50 value).
• For $29, you get a chain-bracelet-making class (a $60 value).
• For $39, you get an advanced two-strand necklace-making class with pearls and crystals (a $75 value).

The 2,000-square-foot bead emporium at Beads & Beyond equips aspiring accessory artisans with gems, jewelry-making supplies, and an array of educational classes. Under the trinket tutelage of experienced instructors, students learn specific jewelry-making skills and use provided supplies and tools to handcraft precious baubles to take home or bestow as friendship tokens upon beloved hot-dog vendors. Basic beading classes guide students through the process of necklace construction using natural gemstones, focal beads, lobster clasps, and crimping methods. The resulting collarbone accouterments shimmer with professional-looking sheen and adjust in length to accommodate a range of neck sizes. In chain-bracelet-making classes, bead charmers make fashionable wrist-coverings from byzantine and box links with 2x2 techniques; two-strand-necklace classes outfit attendees with crystal and pearls to make into two-strand masterpieces. Each two- to four-hour class maintains a cap of 10 students, enabling participants to ask questions or craft ornate student-teacher secret handshakes.