Basic Bead Stringing Information & Tips
Written by Janet Shaffer | | This page is a general guideline for beaders new to the craft. I wrote this out of frustration with basic beading books that are out of date with the materials that are available to beaders. I have been beading for four years and am currently the artistic director for MoonStone Beads and Crafts, Inc. I have been teaching Basics of Bead Stringing for two and a half years and feel that beading is a great way to express yourself. Beaders beautifiy the world! | Jewelry lengths
Lengths vary per person, so the best way to design a well fitting piece is to hold it onto the person before finishing the ends. The following lengths are based an average sized adult woman.
| Style | Length | Fit | | Choker | 15-16 inches | Sits snuggly at base of neck | | Princess | 18-20 inches | Drapes loosely at the base of neck | | Mid-length | 22-24 inches | Falls below a collar | | Matinee | 24-28 inches | Falls onto middle of chest | | Opera | 35-38 inches | Falls to abdomen | | Bracelet | 7 inches | On Wrist | | Anklet | 10 inches | On Ankle | | How Many Beads?
How many beads do you need?
Most beads are described in one of two ways: in millimeters and in a bead scale 22/0, 15/0,13/0, 11/0,10/0, 8/0, 6/0 and 5/0. The bead scale is a little backwards in that the bigger the bead the smaller the number (8/0 is larger than 15/0).
For bead stringing use the following formula:
# of inches X 25.4 ÷ size of beads = # of beads needed.
Example: A 16-inch necklace made of 4 mm beads that has a 1-inch clasp:
15 inches X 25.4 ÷ 4 mm = 95 beads
To determine the number of seed beads and other tiny beads that use the bead scale, use the following tables. Please understand that beads all vary slightly in size and weight and from manufacturer to manufacturer, so the tables are estimates. How Many Beads Strung per Inch or by Weight? | Type of Bead | # per inch | # per cm. | # per gram | | 15/0 seed bead | 24 | 9 | 280 | | 11/0 seed bead | 18 | 7 | 110 | | 8/0 seed bead | 13 | 5 | 38 | | 6/0 seed bead | 10 | 4 | 15 | | 11/0 cylinder (Delica) | 20 | 7 | 200 | | 8/0 cylinder (Delica) | 9 | 5 | 33 | | 11/0 Triangle | 12 | 5 | 74 | | 10/0 Triangle | 13 | 5 | 61 | | 5/0 Triangle | 8 | 3 | 11 | | 10/0 Twisted | 11 | 4 | 70 | | 4 mm cube | 6 | 2 | 11 | | Tools
There are only a few *Must Haves* for beading. The types of tools depend on the type of beading materials that you use. There are also a lot of specialty tools that are very useful for those people who bead regularly. They aren’t necessary, but they make some tedious tasks (such as split rings) much easier to accomplish.
| Tool | Use | | *Side Cutters* | Cut through jewelry wire, head-pins, metal wire | | *Scissors* | Cutting thread and other fibers – NOT for jewelry wire | | *Chain-nose Pliers*(non-serrated) | Grasp jewelry wire and findings (split rings, head-pins, etc.) | | *Crimp Pliers* | Properly closes crimp beads (available in several sizes) | | Round Nose Pliers | Bending wire into loops | | Split Ring Pliers | Opening split rings | | Bent nose Pliers | Grasp jewelry wire in tight spaces | | Flat nose Pliers | Nice for working with metal wire | | Plastic nose Pliers | Straightening and hardening metal wire without marring it | | Bead Reamer | Smoothing edges of beads or enlarging bead holes | | Bead Awl | Moving knots along the thread to their desired position | | Bent Nose Pliers | Gripping cord in hard-to-reach spaces | | Tweezers | Picking up and holding small beads | | Bead Stoppers | Springs w/ handles to hold beads on wire or thread | | Beading Needles | Thin needles with narrow eyes that fit through small beads | | Twisted Wire Needles | Flexible wires with collapsible eye | | “Wide or Big Eye” Needles | Needle with an eye along entire length. Great for elastics | | Thread Heaven | Synthetic wax to condition beading thread | | Bees Wax | Conditions beading thread
| | | Stringing Materials
This section discusses the various materials used in jewelry making. I have not tried all of the products on the market, so if a material is not listed, it is because I don’t have any experience with it. The materials best suited to a project are based on the following criteria: style of beading (bead weaving, stringing, multiple strand, etc.), type of beads, durability (necklace vs. bracelet), personal preference and cost.
Jewelry wire is the mainstay of strung jewelry. It can be used with all types of beads. It is the sturdiest material available and is attached to clasps using crimp beads. Jewelry wire is actually a cable of braided wire strands that is coated with a plastic layer. It comes in various diameters and number of strands. The diameter of the wire gives it strength. The number of wire strands (7 to 49 strands) determines how the jewelry wire will resist kinks. 49-strand jewelry wire is the highest quality, but the 19-21-strand wire will suit most purposes. It also comes in gold and other colors. | Size | Diameter | Best Usage | | Fine | 0.010” – 0.012” | Delicate necklaces, use with pearls or beads that have tiny holes. | | Medium | 0.014” – 0.016” | Good for most projects. Avoid very heavy beads. | | Heavy | 0.018” – 0.21” | All-around favorite. May not fit through all pearls or tiny holes. | | Ex-Heavy | 0.024” – 0.026” | Good for very heavy beads. Doesn’t work with small hole beads. | Beading Thread is used for bead weaving and bead stringing. It is great for making multi-strand necklaces of tiny beads and seed beads. It is attached to clasps using french wire, clam-shells, bead caps, or knotted and hidden in end cones. Thread has great draping qualities, but its weakness is in strength and rough edges. There are great new products now that greatly reduce the risks of breakage, and can even be used safely in bracelets. Surgeon’s knot (a square knot with an extra loop) is my favorite knot for bead stringing. Try to avoid glue if you can. The chemicals in the glue can destroy the thread over time.
Fishing Line comes in two types: plastic string and wax-infused braided thread . The plastic string is an inexpensive but weak material because it stretches, kinks and is breakable. The wax-infused braided fishing thread is great for bead stringing and weaving. It is my favorite. Power-Pro and Fire-Line are both great products. Wax-infused braided fishing thread is the only type of thread that I would recommend for bead stringing on bracelets.
The wax-infused braided thread has a very high tensile strength and is fray resistant. Bugle beads and rough edged beads won’t cut through the line. The braided thread is ideal for bead weaving projects that require tight tension. It is already conditioned and has very minimal stretch. You can get this thread in the fishing department in standard fishing colors, but bead stores carry it in white and gray/green. It comes in several thicknesses. This thread is hard to cut: use the part of the scissor blades that is close to the handles. A thread zapper also works great.
Nymo is a flat upholstery thread that is popular for bead weaving. Nymo comes in a wide selection of colors and thicknesses. Thickness size D is my favorite because you don’t need to double the thread and it will pass through a 15/0 Japanese seed bead four times with a #12 beading needle. It needs to be stretched and conditioned before use. See the section on conditioning thread. Nymo will fray when used in high tension or with rough edged beads, so it is important to start a new length of thread when the thread starts to show fraying.
Silamide is another beading thread that is widely used. However, I have never tried it so I can only say that some people prefer it to Nymo.
Elastic products are another option. Stretchy material is good for designs that don’t look good with a clasp. It is also a user-friendly material for kids and senior citizens.
Stretch Magic is a product that is inexpensive. It comes in two thicknesses and is strung through the beads by hand. I find that a glued overhand knot is the best way to tie off Stretch Magic. I don’t recommend this product with expensive beads because it can break from over-stretching and poor knotting.
Gossamer Floss is a specialty elastic that will stretch up to 6 times its resting length. It has great stretch recovery. It can be threaded through beads on a twisted wire needle or with a big-eye needle. I like to use it to make loop closures on bead-weaved items and with watch faces. I find that a glued overhand knot is the best way to tie off Gossamer Floss.
Miscellaneous Fibers such as leather, hemp, waxed cotton, rat tail and other fibers are also options for stringing jewelry. These materials add character to the jewelry and are popular with men and teenagers. They can be attached to the clasp in a variety of ways: knotting, crimping and wire wrapping. I usually use a small dab of glue when using knots or fold-over crimps.
Memory Wire is a specially hardened wire that holds a circular form. Beads are strung on the wire, and it is finished by either gluing on half-drilled endcaps or bending over the wire ends. The wire is stretched open to wear and springs shut so that a clasp is not necessary. It is extremely difficult to cut or bend, so don’t use ordinary cutters. Industrial size cutters or memory wire cutters are needed. A tip to make bending over ends easier: hold the end over a match flame for 2-3 seconds. Allow it to cool and then bend the wire. The heat softens the wire and makes it lose its “memory”.
| Proper Crimps and Loops
Crimps should be closed with crimp pliers. A properly closed crimp will not pull free and spill the contents of your jewelry. It is a minor investment: crimp pliers only cost about $12-13. One broken piece of jewelry will cover the cost of buying the right tool. | | When crimping to a finding such as a clasp or a split ring it is important to make the loop the right size. The loop should be just big enough that the finding will move freely within the loop. If the loop is tight against the finding it becomes a point of stress that will weaken and eventually break. If the loop is too big the piece will look sloppy. Additionally, the large loop is more likely to catch on something and break. To Crimp: Position the crimp bead in the notch closest to the handles. Separate the wires & firmly but slowly squeeze the crimp. This puts a dimple in the crimp bead. Now rotate the crimp 90 degrees and position in the notch furthest from the handles. Squeeze the crimper firmly but slowly. This folds the dimple down into a rounded shape. If the crimp is too flat rotate the crimp about 45 degrees and squeeze again. | 
| Sizing
When designing jewelry it is important to remember that the finding and clasps used to finish the jewelry add length to the piece. It is easy to forget and find that the necklace that was supposed to be a choker is now a princess necklace. A jewelry design board and a ruler are nice for laying out projects and making sure that all of the components fit into the desired length. Place the clasp ends and any connected split or jump rings at the correct size marker and string your beads accordingly. Each crimp and associated loop will add about 3/16” depending on the size of crimp used. When you have strung the piece, try it on before doing the crimping to make sure that the piece is the right length and lays correctly. | Drape
The way that jewelry lies while worn is called drape. If jewelry is strung too tight is doesn’t “drape well.” It will feel uncomfortable and is much more likely to break from the stress of the beads pushing against each other and the crimps.
To create the correct drape, I use what I call the “one and a half loop” rule before I crimp the final crimp bead. Place the jewelry in a loop that overlaps to form one and a half loops, then crimp the bead. When the jewelry is lying flat there is a small gap between the beads, but when the jewelry is worn the gap disappears. | Multi-strand Necklaces
End cones for multi-strand necklaces are easy to use with a technique that was shown to me by Dawn Dalto. This technique uses only jewelry wire instead of a metal wire loop. It is also more flexible.
String your beads and end the strands with crimps and small loops. Now take a 5” length of jewelry wire and go through all of the strand loops for one side of the necklace. Crimp the loop and trim off the excess wire of the crimp loops. Now pull the end cone over the short length of jewelry wire. Put on a stopper bead that is slightly larger than the hole of the cone. String your clasp or add a few beads before stringing the clasp and finish as usual. | | 
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Conditioning Thread
When a project calls for conditioned beading thread it means thread that has been stretched and coated with a wax. This greatly reduces tangling and makes sure that gaps don’t appear in the beadwork after it has been worn. Bees wax and Thread Heaven are the most common products used. Bees wax is heavy and great for projects that call for very stiff tension. It is too sticky for some people, but I use it whenever I work in brick stitch or free-form vessels. Thread Heaven is a synthetic wax that is less sticky and hypo-allergenic.
Condition Nymo or other beading thread by placing the thread between your thumb and the wax and pulling the thread through. I usually repeat this step. Then press the thread firmly between your thumb and forefinger and pull the thread through quickly. The tension created between your thumb and forefinger does two things: it stretches the thread, and it creates heat and helps work the wax into the thread.
TIP: Always condition your thread in one direction starting from the end of the thread as it comes off the spool. I generally leave my thread on the spool as I condition it so that I don’t mix up which end is which. This is because thread has a directional grain from the spinning process. If the thread is conditioned against the grain, it tends to plump-up and catches the needle when doing multiple passes through a bead.
TIP: You can also use a large tube curling iron or hair straighten to condition your thread instead of using your fingers. |
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