Beadalon® is the only company in the industry that actually manufactures all of its own wire, strand, and cable products. You can choose from a large selection of wire types, colors, diameters, and spool lengths available to suit your every design need. Plus, they offer a complete range of bead stringing and wire craft tools and supplies. High quality products, competitive prices, friendly customer service, and prompt shipping are why "designers that Bead a lot choose Beadalon®"!

Add longevity to your designs Stringing beads takes time and can be costly. After all, of your hard work, you want your designs to last for years of wear and pleasure. We do too, so we developed these guidelines to help you extend the longevity of your bracelets, necklaces, watchbands, and other designs. Carefully select the proper diameter, strength and suppleness of wire that you use for your design based on the type of beads you are stringing, the weight of the beads, and the amount of spacing between them. Abrasion is the number one enemy of all bead stringing material. Sharp-edged beads, beads with burrs, heavy beads and tightly strung designs can cut through wire. Following these simple rules, you will reduce the effect of abrasion and prolong the life of your designs:

Rule One - Use the largest diameter wire you can. Larger diameter wires are more abrasion resistant than smaller ones and stand up to more wear. Use the largest diameter wire that will comfortably pass through the smallest bead hole in your design. This rule is especially true for designs that are subject to increased wear and abuse such as bracelets and watchbands. Use the largest diameter wire when stringing glass, metal, semi-precious stone, and other abrasive beads.

Rule Two - When stringing allow enough space in between beads so that they can move freely and unrestricted. You can increase the longevity of your designs simply by increasing spacing. When beads are able to move side-to-side slightly, the contact with the wire is spread out over a greater area reducing the effects of abrasion.

Rule Three - Chose a wire with a breaking strength consistent with the weight and type of beads you are using. Heavy the beads require a stronger of wire. If you are stringing heavy glass, metal, and semi-precious stone beads, be sure to use a wire with a strong enough break strength to support the total weight of the design, plus additional strength to handle occasional snags or pulls.

Rule Four - Select a grade of wire best suited for your designs; the greater the number of strands, the more flexible the wire. In other words, Beadalon 49 is the most Flexible, Beadalon 19 is more flexible and Beadalon 7 Flexible. After you have considered rules 1 through 3, choose the grade of wire that will allow your design to look and feel the way you want.

Rule Five - Use a Bead Reamer to gently smooth and round out the holes of each bead. Be sure to use the reamer on both sides of the bead hole until they are smooth and free of sharp edges and burrs. The beads should slide on the wire. Beads that slide along the wire cause less abrasion.

Labelled with ICRA