Beading with Beadalon

Beadworks is proud to carry Beadalon because we believe it is the best beading wire in the industry. It is the only company that manufactures its own beading wire and micro cable. Choosing the right Beadalon spool can be a tricky task, but we have some tips and tricks that will help you make the right decision.

First, you’ll need to choose your Strand number. The Strand digits indicate the number of tiny wires within the core and determine the flexibility of the wire. Here at Beadworks, we carry 49 Strand spools and 19 Strand spools. The larger the number, the better the drape. A 49 Strand Beadolon wire will have the maximum flexibility and better kink resistance. A 19 Strand Beadalon wire is a middle, standard grade. While it is not as flexible as the 49 Strand, it is still great for semi-precious beads.

Next, you’ll need to choose your diameter size. We recommend always using the largest diameter size possible that will still pass through the smallest bead hole in your design. A .018 is a great standard size to start with since it can fit through mostly all semi-precious beads, as well as glass beads. A .015 is typically a great standard size for gemstone beads and 6/0 or 11/0 seed beads since they tend to have smaller holes. However, not all gemstone beads and are drilled the same, so you may need to go down (or up) a size. A size 2mm crimp bead is perfect for a .015 and .018 Beadalon wire. Anything smaller than this will usually require a 1mm crimp bead.

We hope you learned something from this post! For more tips and tricks on Beadalon and other stringing materials, we recommend taking our Introductory Bead Stringing Class. Click here to sign up. Happy beading!