Discover which types of necklace wire, cording, beading thread and other stringing materials will work best for your bead stringing creations. Beadalon®, SoftFlex™ and memory wire are just the tip of the beading supplies iceberg! Learn about various stringing cords, cables, and ribbons below, or ...
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Wire Cable | Bead Cord | Leather & Cotton | Rubber, Plastic & Elastic
Fabric Cord, Ribbon & Mesh | Chokers & Pendant Cords | Chain & Wire
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Wire Cable
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Tigertail is one of the easiest stringing materials to use. It doesn't need a needle, and the ends are easy to finish with crimp beads. However, tigertail kinks easily and is weakened where it has kinked.
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Crimp Beads
Crimp Pliers
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Beadalon®, Soft Flex® & Soft Touch™ Beading Wires are similar to tigertail, but are stronger (often made of more strands) and have a soft-feeling plastic coating. These stringing cables do not kink unless extremely abused. The more strands they have, and the thicker the diameter, the more durable they are. Use crimp beads to finish the ends.
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Crimp Beads
Crimp Pliers
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Beadalon Jewelry Cable is similar to standard Beadalon, but is thicker and has no plastic coating. Cable can be separated, giving three to six wavy strands. Finish ends with
crimp tubes w/ loops or
sterling crimp-on ends.
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Crimp Ends w/ Loop
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Bead Cord
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Related Supplies
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Nylon and Silk Needle-End Cord is easy to use because a very fine needle is built onto the cord's end. Make the first necklace at the far end of the cord so the needle remains with the cord for the next necklace.Size #4 needle-end cord is popular for stringing Czech glass beads. Both the silk and nylon varieties knot well. Silk needle-end cord is a favorite for stringing larger gemstones and pearls. Bullion (French wire) is an elegant finishing method.
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Bullion (French Wire)
Bead Tips
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Nymo® Bead Thread requires a needle and is commonly used with English beading needles for Native American-style bead work. Size 'O' is very thin, so can go through most beads multiples times, or be doubled to make it thicker. Most beaders use beeswax to coat the cord. This keeps it from fraying and tangling as much when it repeatedly goes through tiny sharp beads.
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Bullion (French Wire)
Beeswax
Needles
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SuperLon Bead Thread is thicker than Nymo, and available in a wide variety of colors. It works well for bead weaving with Japanese seed beads, and for beading on cloth or soft leather. It is commonly used with English beading needles. Most beaders coat the cord with beeswax to keep it from fraying and tangling when it repeatedly goes through small sharp bead holes.
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Bullion (French Wire)
Beeswax
Needles
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Power Pro Cord is a smooth waxed nylon braided bead thread. It's just stiff enough, so that for general bead stringing, you don't need a needle! It also knots very nicely.
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Bullion (French Wire)
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WildFire™ cord by Beadalon® is a bead-weaving and stringing thread that is super strong, knottable, 100% waterproof and no fray with near zero stretch. It cannot be pierced with a needle.
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Bullion (French Wire)
Needles
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Leather & Cotton Cord
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Genuine Leather Cord is very easy to work with — string an interesting pendant with a few large-hole side beads, tie knots to hold the beads in place, and add a clasp. Or, make necklaces long enough to go over the head. Black, dark brown and natural colors are the most popular. Types of round leather cord include economical "goat-skin" leather cord and superior-quality Greek leather cord. Pre-made leather chokers (necklaces) are also available; just attach a pendant and you're done!
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Coil Ends
Adjuster Beads
Sterling End Caps
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Imitation Leather Cord (a.k.a. faux leather) is more regular in size and color than genuine leather cord. It is not affected by water; however, it does not like to be frozen. Available by the spool, plus in pre-formed chokers/necklaces and bracelets.
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Coil Ends
Adjuster Beads
Sterling End Caps
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Suede Cord & "Suede" Lace are both flat, straight-cut cords. Choose from 3mm genuine leather suede or a strong, thin (1.5mm) manmade suede-like laces. Supple genuine deer hide lace is a similar style of flat cord. Finish single strands of these types of cording with fold-over crimp ends. Finish multiple strands with bullet ends or clamp ends.
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Fold-Over Crimp Ends
Bullet Ends
Clamp Ends
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Leather Cuff Bracelets are made colored with lead-free vegetable dyes. Available in a variety of widths, lengths and colors, and complete with snap clasps, these bracelets are ready for your custom decoration. Leather strips are also available, if you want to make your leather bracelets from scratch!
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Leather-Working Tools
Rivets & Eyelets
TierraCast Leather Accessories
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Bolo Cord is typically a braided round cord offered in vinyl, rayon and leather. For bolo ties, finish with
bolo tips and bolo slides. For chokers or bracelets, the four-strand leather cord can be finished with
sterling hook & eye end caps, and the vinyl cord can be finished with
bullet ends.
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Bolo Tips & Slides
Sterling End Caps
Bullet Ends
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Waxed Cotton Cord is very similar to leather cord, but since it is machine-made, it is much more regular in size and color than leather cord. Water does not seem to adversely affect waxed, flat or braided cotton cord.
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Coil Ends
Adjuster Beads
Sterling End Caps
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Rubber, Plastic & Elastic
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Rubber Cording is round, flexible cording, great for showing off specialty beads and pendants. Finish the ends with sterling silver rubber cord ends and adhesive.
Premade rubber chokers/necklaces are also available; just attach a pendant and you're done!
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Sterling End Caps
Loctite Ultra Gel Control
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Hollow Rubber Tubing can be used in continuous lengths to cover an entire piece of memory wire. Or, cut the tubing into sections and string smaller-hole beads directly onto memory wire or Beadalon, between sections of black tubing. Finish with rubber-tubing end caps and glue.
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End Caps for Tubing
Loctite Ulgra Gel Control
Memory Wire
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SuppleMax™ is a soft, supple — but not stretchy — plastic cord. The clear style is designed for "illusion"(floating bead) necklaces, and looks good with pearls, translucent glass and gemstone beads. It is also available in black. Finish ends with crimp beads, super glue or square knots.
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Super Glue
Crimps
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Stretch Magic™ is a strong, flexible elastic cord. It is often used for "endless" crystal bead bracelets, or for nearly invisible stretchy hair bands and necklaces. Comes in clear and black. Ends may be seared (fused together), square knotted or crimped.
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Crimps
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Gossamer Floss™ is a strong, extremely stretchy five-ply semitranslucent cord. It knots very well, doesn't crimp, and the resultant tiny square knots can often be hidden inside beads. A dot of glue helps secure knots. We suggest size-10 beading needles, or a big-eye needle such as the Igolochkoy needle/threader.
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Needles
Hypo Cement
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Elastic Cord is normally used for inexpensive jewelry, especially where coordination might be a problem (great for kids' jewelry!). For durability, use the heaviest cord that will work for your beads. Finish with square knots.
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Fabric Cord, Ribbon & Mesh Tubing
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Rattail is a round, satin-like cord often used to show off one large centerpiece. Rough or thin edges fray this cord, so use necklace tubes instead of jump rings for backs of pendants. Single strands are usually finished with fold-over crimps, and multiple strands with bullet ends.
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Bullet Ends
Fold-Over Crimp Ends
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Braided Nylon Cord is popular for Chinese knotting. It's normally finished with a loop and knot.
Cut the cord with a Perfect-End Thread Burner to keep ends from fraying.
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Thread Burners
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Hand-dyed Silk Ribbon & Cord comes in color blends with lovely ombre. Handmade ribbons come in 32"-36" lengths with finished edges and are 1/2" wide with tapered ends. They work great for necklaces and wrapped bracelets. Handmade cords / strings are 2mm wide and 40-42" long.
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Chokers & Pendant Cords
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Magnetic Chokers are coated-steel neck rings with a strong magnetic barrel clasp. Beads with 2.7mm and larger holes can be strung over the smaller clasp end, and of course bails and jump rings can be used to hang anything else. Highly versatile — can be worn with a different bead or pendant every day!
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Split Rings
Pendant Plates
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Wire Chokers are convenient pre-made necklace forms. Some large-hole beads may be slipped over the ends. Pendants are generally attached with jump rings or split rings, or handmade wire-wrapped attachments.
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Jump Rings
Split Rings
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Nylon Necklace Cords are nice looking, unusual, and inexpensive options for displaying handmade pendants. |
Thread Burners
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Flocked Necklace Cords are sleek and inexpensive with a"velveteen" outer coating. Use a large jump ring or wire-wrap a bail to attach a pendant.
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Jump Rings
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Chain & Wire
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Related Supplies
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Metal Chain is available
bulk by the spool, meter, and foot. It's also available as
finished necklaces and bracelets with a clasp already attached!
Use chain for everything from stringing heavy statement necklaces, to making free-form multistrand beaded chain necklaces, to linking delicate
filigree findings and crystal beads.
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Jump Rings
Split Rings
Clasps
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Memory Wire is very strong coiled wire that retains its coiled shape. Use for chokers, bracelets, wine-glass charms and rings. Finish ends with memory-wire end caps, or use durable round-nose pliers to twist ends into loops, then dangle charms or beads from the end loops.
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Heavy-Duty Cutters
Memory Wire Looping Pliers
Memory Wire Ends
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