Product Department

This article will teach you how to give a professional look to your bead stringing projects, and ensure that they do not fall apart. One of the bead artists biggest nightmares is a project being sold or given as a gift, and then it coming apart.

Rule #1 - do not do the finishing on a project when you are tired, hungry, angry or in a rush. This is the most likely time to make a mistake.

Rule #2 - use the proper finishing tools and equiptment. Using improper findings can cause a piece of jewelry to either look unprofessional or can cause your piece to come apart. 

Use good quality stringing wire. In our humble opinion the best is the SoftTouch line put out by Softflex, Beadalon is also good. For more on beading wire see the article "Choosing the Right Type of Bead Stringing Wire".

It is very important to select the right type of crimp bead for the job. The crimp bead hold the wire together at the clasp. There are three types of crimp beads - round, tube and twisted tube. We perfer the round crimp bead because it holds better and it is less expensive. The tube and twisted tube crimp beads are a softer metal, sterling silver and gold-filled, which don't hold as well in our experience, and are substantially more expensive.

Crimp Beads (left to right) - round, tube, twisted tube

We also recommend using a wire guardian and crimp cover to create the professional look to your jewelry. It also prevent wear of the wire where it goes through the clasp. When done stringing your project add the crimp bead and then put on the wire guardian. The wire guardian looks like a horseshoe, with the wire going up one and and back down through the other. Place one end of the clasp so it is setting on the wire guardian, then the wire goes back through the crimp bead.

Below is a photo of a wire crimped with no guardian or crimp cover

The photos below show how to attach a wire guardian on wire

The final part of making your piece look professional is to add a crimp cover over the crimp bead. When closed, the crimp bead looks like a bead and protects the crimp bead from snagging on things.

Below is clasp, wire guardian and crimp cover