Jewelry making tip

-Jewelry making tip: Crimping for strength-

A question I am often asked during beginner beading class is if thick beading wire is needed for a heavy or chunky piece of jewelry.

In my opinion, using medium, heavy or extra heavy beading wire isn't as important as how you attach the clasp to the wire. That's where the most tension lies and that's also where most breakage happens.



To securely attach the clasp to the wire, use 2 strong crimps (crimped with a properly sized crimping tool). The second crimp acts as a kind of fail-safe if the other one breaks.
You can also pass an inch or so of the beading wire back through the beads in the piece once it's been crimped, if possible.
If your piece should break or the crimps slip, you'll have a bit of wire to hopefully save all your beads!

This technique does put a bit more space where the clasp attaches, but if you're worried about security it is a good thing to do!