Do you have a piece of beaded jewelry that is broken and needs to be restrung? There
are many techniques for stringing or restringing a necklace or bracelet, and here we have put
together one simple method for you.
In just a few minutes, with this helpful video from Esslinger-dot-com, you will be able to
create beautiful beaded jewelry on your own.
These are the tools you'll need to string or restring beaded jewelry:
Beads Bead cord or thread
A bead board Two crimp beads
Two crimp bead covers A clasp
And crimping pliers
The first thing you need to do once you have an idea for a new piece of beaded jewelry,
or you have a piece you need to restring, is take the beads you have and lay them out.
You can lay them out on a soft piece of fabric, or bead board to keep the beads from rolling
away and getting out of order.
Next, you'll need to cut a piece of bead cord long enough to string your necklace or bracelet.
To figure out how much bead cord you need, add about six inches to the length of thread
that you need and cut the cord. This will ensure that you have enough cord to finish
the project.
Now that you have all the parts you need to begin your beading project, the first thing
you want to do is string one crimp bead on one end of your bead cord.
Then, thread one end of your desired clasp onto the same side of your bead cord as the
crimp bead.
Next, loop the same end of the cord back through the crimp bead, creating a loop that holds
your clasp securely on the thread behind the crimp bead.
Pull the crimp bead close to the clasp so it rests snugly below the clasp and there
is no play of thread between the bead and clasp. This will keep the clasp from being
too loose and moving around.
Once the crimp bead is in place, take your crimping pliers, and position the crimp bead
in the back portion of the crimping pliers. This is the portion of the pliers with on
side as a half moon, and the other side shaped like an M.
Carefully squeeze the pliers closed around the crimp bead. This will push the bead in
on itself, holding the bead cord securely in the crimp bead.
Take the flattened the crimp bead and move it to the front portion of the crimping pliers
jaws. Position the crimp bead so that the side with the indent is perpendicular to the
jaws of the pliers.
Squeeze the crimp pliers closed, folding the crimp bead in half again, making it small
and inconspicuous to fit under a crimp bead cover.
Place the bead cord and closed crimp bead inside the crimp bead cover, making sure that
the bead cord and crimp bead are aligned inside the cover.
With your crimping pliers, align the crimp bead cover and the closed crimp bead in the
front portion of your crimp pliers. Be sure that the opening in the crimp cover is facing
out.
Slowly squeeze the crimping pliers closed, forcing the ends of crimp bead cover together
over the crimp bead. Be sure that both ends of the crimp bead cover meet and no gaps can
be seen.
Now that the clasp is in place, and the thread is securely tied off with a crimp bead and
cover, you can begin to string your bead design onto the cord.
Once all the beads have been strung, thread your second crimp bead onto the thread, leaving
space between the end of your design and the crimp bead.
Thread the other end of the jewelry clasp onto the bead cord and, like you did at the
beginning, pull the bead cord back through the crimp bead again, creating a loop.
Pull the thread tight so that the crimp bead rests snugly between the beads and the clasp,
without extra thread between.
Next, take your crimping pliers, and position the crimp bead in the back portion of the
crimping pliers like you did before.
Squeeze the pliers closed around the crimp bead, pushing the bead together around the
thread to hold it securely in place on the bead cord and keep your design together.
Move the flattened crimp bead to the front portion of the crimping pliers. Position the
crimp bead so that the side with the indent in it is perpendicular to the jaws of the
pliers, like you did with the first crimp bead.
Again, carefully squeeze the crimp pliers closed, folding the crimp bead in half, making
it small enough to fit inside a crimp bead cover.
Take your second crimp bead cover like before, and place the bead cord and closed crimp bead
inside it, making sure that the crimp bead and bead cord are aligned inside.
Then, place the crimp bead cover in the front portion of your crimping pliers, making sure
the opening in the bead is facing out.
After ensuring that everything is still aligned inside the crimp bead cover, slowly squeeze
the crimping pliers closed, until both ends of the crimp bead cover meet with no gaps
in between.
Now, cut off any excess bead cord and enjoy your completed jewelry design. We want to
hear about your jewelry design successes, feel free to share a photo of your beaded
jewelry on our Facebook page: Esslinger Watch and Jewelry Supplies.