Greg,
How are your wife’s eyes? Bead weaving is done with tiny beads for
the most part. Think Native american Loom Work.
Bead stringing can go from the tiniest to rather large. Best to have
an idea of which would give her the most pleasure. There are several
good bead sites online and Google will head you there. Consider a
subscription to a Bead specific magazine. I include some among my
jewelry interest subscriptions.
Some purists online consider beads the bottom of the pit, don’t even
get involved in defending your gift to your wife. A good Bead Shop
in your neighborhood may be the best place to start. They usually
offer free lessons, and can recommend necessary equipment, and
demystify cord size vs. bead hole size.
Beading can also be done on fine wire or even fine chain. the hole
size of the selected beads will determine the feasibility.
There is a book Big Book of Beautiful Beads, Krause Publications. I
bought mine at Costco, item #738709, price $12.69. It offers over
100 beading projects, well presented with excellent instructions. It
is rather comprehensive, with wonderful color photographs of each
project.
HTH
Terrie