Stringing Homemade Jewelry Using Beading Wire

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I regard stringing to be the backbone of jewellery making. It uses easily obtained supplies, and will teach a fundamental sense of coordinating colors along with shapes into an attractive design.

Stringing homemade jewelry using beading wire is also perfect for practicing how to manipulate small items with your hands, using pressure and angle to obtain different results.

stringing homemade Jewelry using beading wire
Stringing Homemade Jewelry Using Beading Wire

Methods for most tasks are interchangeable, so if you discover that you’d preferably use a needle and thread for a project calling for beading wire, then go for it.

Deciding On The Length

  1. If you are using jewelry beads of the same dimension, you can work out how many you’ll need once you’ve decided on the length. Use a tape-measure around your neck to get a good idea.
  2. Next, divide that measurement by the length of a bead (hole to hole). Thus, for a choker of 40cm you will require about 50, 8mm round beads.

Stringing Your beads

Stringing with flexible beading wire is definitely an economical way to string beads of all shapes and sizes plus you don’t even require a needle to do it.

Step1 Start by working out the length and pattern of the necklace, a beading board is useful for this, but if you don’t have one using a piece of felt to work on will stop your beads rolling about too much whilst you arrange them.

Step2 Cut the desired length of beading wire. While holding the wire in one hand about 1 1/2 inch (4cm) from the end, slide on a crimp bead. Push the short end of the stringing wire back through the bead, creating a loop.

Slide on a crimp bead

Step3 Adjust the size of the loop by pulling the crimp bead towards it, making it smaller, but large enough to let a jump ring move freely then squeeze the crimp bead closed with the crimp pliers. (See notes on crimp beads).

Push wire back through crimp bead creating a loop

Step4 Slide your first bead onto the strand of stringing wire. Let the tail of the wire from the crimped loop pass through the hole of the bead if the bead hole is big enough. Trim the excess wire and then string on all the beads for the project.

String on beads for the project

Step5 When you have strung on the last bead, slip on another crimp bead as you did in step 2 followed by a clasp, and pull the tail end of the wire back through the hole of the crimp bead, and the bead next to it. Pull the end of the wire, to create a loop as you did in step 3 and secure the crimp bead with the pliers. Finish by trimming any surplus wire.

If you think your crimp bead looks a little untidy; Using a crimp cover will give it a more professional look. Just place it over your crimp bead and squeeze it closed.

Stringing With Flexible Beading Wire

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