How to String Gemstone & Pearl Jewelry

Basic bead stringing is one of the best ways to start making your own jewelry, and with the wide availability of gemstones and pearls, you can make jewelry to match every outfit in your wardrobe. Here are a few basics to help you get started stringing up your own natural gemstone jewelry designs.

Let’s start with pearls
Most pearl necklaces that you may purchase at a fine jewelry store are strung on silk cord, are finished off with a bead tip (see more on this below) and hand-knotted, one knot between each bead. Pearls are porous and a little on the delicate side compared to other beads, so the knots keep them from rubbing up against each other. Also, if a knotted necklace breaks, the knots keep the beads from flying all over the place. The average jewelry store charges about $1 per knot, and if you wear your pearl necklace on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to get it restrung about once a year. However, you can learn to knot your own pearl necklaces, and I’ve a few tutorials to help you out.

Traditional Knotting: Learn the traditional way to know between beads.

Knotting for Cheaters: A simply way to knot between pearls or any kind of gemstone bead.

Now let’s talk about other gemstones.
I say “other” because even though pearls are not stones, they are usually categorized with gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Just as with pearls, you can knot between gemstones beads, but if you prefer to do straight stringing, which of course is much easier and faster then knotting, there are two approaches you’ll probably want to take. They include:

Beads Tips or Clam Shells: These look like little clams with an attached hook. They come either with 2 shells that close together, or they have one shell that stays open. Some jewelry makers call them clam shells and some call them bead tips. The basic way these work is that you have a knot on the end of your stringing medium, such as nylon or silk cord. Then you put the knot inside the shell of the bead tip, and if your bead tip has 2 shells, you close it around the knot to secure it there. If it has one shell, the knot just rests inside the one shell. I prefer using the 2 shell type because it feels more secure, and I like the way it look better, but this is a personal preference. Here are a few tutorials to show you what I’m talking about:

How to Use Bead Tips: A textual “how-to” article

Bead Tip Pictorial: For those who just want to “see” how it’s done

Crimp Beads: These are tiny metal beads that you smash onto the end of your threading medium; usually beading wire (a thin coated metal wire) is best for this such as Soft-Flex, Beadalon, or Accuflex. The basic technique requires that you slide the crimp bead onto the end of the wire, loop the wire back through the crimp, and then secure the crimp. Some jewelry makers use flat-nosed pliers and just flatten the crimp bead, but I recommend using a special tool called crimping pliers to get a more finished and secure piece. Again, I have some tutorials to help with this, and I will caution that most jewelry folks find crimping takes a little more practice than using bead tips.

Using Crimping Pliers: Some tips and basic information about using crimping pliers.

Correct Crimping: Learn the do’s and don’ts for using crimp beads to start and finish off a piece of jewelry.

Crimping Pictorial: “See” how to use crimping pliers in this easy to follow pictorial.

Here are a few other articles that beginning bead stringers will probably find helpful:

Getting Started: Bead Stringing
Bead stringing is an excellent way to get started making jewelry for the first time. This article discusses the tools, supplies, and related information you need to start making beaded jewelry.

Struggling With String:
Nylon, nymo, tiger-tail? What kind of string should you use to bead with? Find some answers to your stringing questions here.