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Whether you want to make a necklace yourself or simply want to understand what jewellery makers use to make their products, the conversion will often start with beading wire. This is simple wire for beading that is flexible and strong, is available in different colours and has a nylon coating to make the beads slide easily along it. But how do you know what is the right beading wire for your necklace?
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Beading wire basics
There are a number of brands for beading wire currently available with Soft Flex beading wire and Beadalon being two of the ones I have used the most. You can still get copper beading wire and other styles of traditional wire, which are ideal for wire wrapping and similar projects. But for simple bead stringing or even weaving, then flexible beading wire with that nylon coating is definitely the way to go.
We will use Beadalon for an example here as it is the one I have at home. I’ve used Soft Flex before and found it just as good with perhaps a slightly bigger range of colours. But at the moment we are using Beadalon so I’ll illustrate what I’m saying with their products.
Beading wire sizes
The first step to getting the right beading wire is to understand beading wire sizes. All beading wire should tell you what size or width it is in order for you to choose the right product for the job at hand.
Beadalon use the following sizes and recommend them for the following types of projects:
| MM | Inches | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 | .010 | Seed beads, freshwater pearls, smaller gemstones |
| 0.30 | .012 | Crystal beads, seed beads, freshwater pearls, beads with small holes |
| 0.33 | .013 | |
| 0.38 | .015 | Medium to heavy gemstones, crystals, seed beads, glass & metal beads (the size we use most often) |
| 0.46 | .018 | |
| 0.51 | .020 | Large or heavy gemstones with uneven drilled holes |
| 0.53 | .021 | |
| 0.61 | .024 | Large or heavy beads with large drilled holes |
| 0.66 | .026 | |
| 0.76 | .030 | Large glass beads, medium to large crystals, chunky metal beads, heavy stones |
| 0.91 | .036 |
The other factor in beading wire sizes is the number of strands in each length. Beadalon offer three options – 7, 19 and 49. The very fine sizes are only available in 7 and 19 while the thickest variations are only available in the 49 strand.
Different sizes of beading wire also have corresponding crimp beads that work with them. You can read about crimp beads and their sizing on the article on the topic.
How to choose the right beading wire
Beadalon offer a wide range of beading wire colours including ‘bright’ which is a simple silver shade and the one that we use the most.
There are also clear colours including red, blue, green, pink and purple and satin shades such as gold and copper. You can use whatever colour you like but remember also clear beads will show the colour of the wire through them so if in doubt, go for a bright or silver wire, even white.
Always choose the wire by the smallest bead in your design to ensure that everything will fit through the holes. Seed beads, for example, might not fit through some of the thicker 49 strand wires while a large hole bead will wobble around on a thin 7 strand variation.
While all of these beading wires are relatively flexible, the most strands there are, the less flexibility they are. So consider how much flexibility you need to help guide how thick a wire you want. If the necklace is a relatively rigid style, then a lack of flexibility won’t matter but if you want to have the beads spaced out, then it will.
Other types of beading wire
Lastly, there’s a quick mention for the other types of stringing material available to make a piece of jewellery.
Stretch or elastic beading thread is the stuff used for stretch bracelets. It has far more stretch than other styles of beading wire and is usually nearly clear so that you don’t notice it much when the bracelet is stretched.
Invisible or illusion cord is a virtually invisible cord that allows you to create the illusion that beads are scattered around the neck without any wire joining them. You can also get stretch wire that is clear in the same way but has stretch for stretch bracelets.
Nymo thread is a waxed nylon thread that comes on small bobbins and in assorted colours. It is finer than beading wire and is ideal for bead weaving and other similar delicate jobs. It is often recommended when working with seed beads.
Leather cord is a wide variety of thickness of leather than can have beads threaded onto it or can be used to hang pendants. It comes in a wide range of colours and sometimes can be braided or studded with metal or crystals. You can also get suede cord in much the same format.
Rattail is a satin cord that is used for styles such as kumihimo braided as well as knotting techniques and also, like leather cord, to hang large hole beads or pendants.
Getting the right product
Getting the right product for the type of necklace or other beading project you plan is a really important step. Not only does it mean the beads will thread as they should but also that it is strong enough to withstand normal use. So having a few different styles and products in your kit box is never a bad idea!
