Which String Should You Use in Jewelry Making? | Discover The Art of Lapidary

Stringing Choices For Beading And Jewelry Making

Ethan O. Tanner Posted in Jewelry Making | No Comments »

One very important lesson I learned is that there is no one, all-purpose (Universal) stringing material. Here are the major stringing materials along with how and when to use each of them. After you work with the various types of jewelry threads and lines you will find favorites for your work.

Silk has a marvelous "hand" (a soft, flexible feel). This thread gets in many sizes and colors. It arrives in packaged on spools, and "carded" with an attached needle. This is a standard stringing material and forms fine-looking knots between pearls and beads. But, silk tends to be relatively delicate. It can stretch, be cut by abrasive beads, rot when wet, and pearls strung on silk should be re strung every few years. It's best to use silk when stringing pearls and lightweight, smooth-holed beads, only. A needle is necessary.

Nylon thread also comes in many sizes and colors. It comes packaged on spools, on bobbins, and "carded" with a needle attached. Nylon can be used where-ever silk can and is not as fragile. This material knots beautifully and can be used for pearl stringing, in some strung jewelry, seed bead-work, loom weaving, for Peyote and other specialty stitches, and heishi. Nylon stretches much less than silk, and it won't rot when wet. Like silk, you shouldn't use beads with sharp edged holes or that are heavy. When you use nylon thread, I would recommend you coat your thread with bee's wax or "Thread HeavenTM " before use to prevent it from fraying. A needle is necessary.

Bonded Nylon is a much more effective form of nylon thread. The chains are physically bonded together for additional durability and abrasion protection. While it knots well, it does not have the "hand" of silk. Secured nylon gets in a assortment of colors and smaller spools. Because of its abrasion resistance, you are able to use it with "hard", more abrasive jewel beads; as a matter of fact these approximates to being a "Universal Thread". A needle is necessary, although you can put "Super Glue" on the end to form a "Self-needle". This is a favored beading material of mine.

Fishing Line is a hard, semi-rigid, single strand of plastic. It doesn't knot well, and in time sunlight or ultraviolet light can cause it to weaken and fall apart. Fishing line is purchased on small spools and is sold in sporting goods stores. Personally, I use fishing line for two purposes. I use it to do my preliminary stringing while I am designing a necklace (I transfer the beads to a better material for the final product), and to string together "raw" strands of beads. There is no needle necessary. I would never use this material for a final beaded piece.