Beads can prolong your life!

October 11, 2010

Well…not actually…but we learned the coolest thing the other day:

You can pick beads that extend the life of coated stringing cables (like BeadalonBeadalon, Soft Touch, TigerTail and Soft Flex
Soft Flex). How’s that?

  • Certain beads help the beading wire’s coating to “wear” more slowly.
  • Other beads can wear the coating off faster, sometimes within a couple of weeks of making jewelry – even when the beads themselves look smooth and aren’t too heavy.

Stringing cable

Of course, we all know to use the heaviest possible cable (thickest and as many strands as possible) for our projects, and not string too tightly. Why? Using thin stringing cable and stringing it tightly can weaken and cut into the cable.

But what we just learned from an industry source is that sometimes a smooth-looking bead has chemical residue that can eat away at the coating!

The three types of beads mentioned to us as often being rough on stringing cable were these:

  1. vermeil (the worst with chemical residue)
  2. Bali beads (also responsible for cutting the cord with sharp edges)
  3. brass beads (like certain trade beads)

These are still all great beads, of course! But the takeaway is that you can choose the best possible combination of stringing material and beads when you make jewelry.

You learn something every day!

With this knowledge, you can plan for maximum long life in your jewelry…

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