Helpful Hints for Stringing

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When you first start out with stringing and beading, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the choices that you have for finishing, stringing, findings, beads, charms, etc.  While it’s all a matter of personal preference, here are a few of the things that I feel really help to make your strung pieces look and feel professional and really put your creations on a par with other heirloom quality fine jewelry.

• Soft Touch – while there are lots of companies making really good beading wire, I really just prefer Soft Touch by Soft Flex/  It’s got a 10 lb. test strength and I find that the .014 diameter accommodates all but the heaviest of stones.  I use it for pearls, crystals, gemstones, metal.  All kinds of beads and I’m always happy with the results.  It’s nice and flexible while still maintaining strength.
• Sterling crimp tubes and a crimping tool – I can’t imagine using beautiful gemstones and crystals, sterling and other fine materials and then finishing the piece with an inferior crimp.  It just doesn’t make sense to me. And learning how to crimp properly and neatly really makes a difference; not only in the look, but in the longevity of the piece.
• Sterling crimp covers – Again, this is about giving your piece a really finished look.  The crimp cover looks like an open shell, like a bead whose seam was never finished.  You carefully put the cover around the crimp and gently close it.  You can use pliers, but I’ve found it’s much easier to just use the crimping tool as it will never leave a dent in your cover as you close.  You can see an example in the photo below.
• French wire, or wire guard, or gimp, or bullion – whatever you call it, this little tube of sterling is fabulous.  It comes as a long tube of fine sterling mesh and in the close up shot below you can see that, but when you look at the piece with the naked eye, it’s a smooth, lovely, sterling finish. Run your beading wire carefully through it, put your clasp over that, feed back through and crimp and you’ve got a fabulous finish on the piece.  The package says to use 3/8 in. – 7/8 in. or something like that, but I have found that 1/2 is always the right amount for the clasps I use.  Maybe I’d use less if I had a very delicate clasp, but I don’t think so.
• Extender chain – I find that using a chain at the end of the bracelet with links large enough for the wearer to use as the receiving end of the clasp, really help to make your jewelry more accessible to people with different sized wrists.  Sometimes I use pre-made chain and sometimes I use smallish jump rings.  We’re not all a perfect 6.5 inch wrist, and there have been so many times when I’ve fallen in love with a bracelet only to find that it was too small for me.

I hope these hints help you if you’re a beginning stringer, or if you are looking to start your beading journey!

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