December 30th, 2009 by Ethan O. Tanner

One very significant lesson I discovered is that there is no one, all-purpose (Universal) stringing material. Here are the major stringing materials along with how and when to apply each of them. After you work with the various types of jewelry threads and lines you’ll find favorites for your work.

Silk has a marvelous “hand” (a soft, flexible feel). This thread gets in many sizes and colors. It arrives in packaged on spools, and “carded” with an attached needle. This is a standard stringing material and forms fine-looking knots between pearls and beads. But, silk tends to be relatively delicate. It can stretch, be cut by abrasive beads, rot when wet, and pearls strung on silk should be re strung every few years. It’s best to use silk when stringing pearls and lightweight, smooth-holed beads, only. A needle is necessary.

Nylon thread also comes stylish in many sizes and colors. It arrives in pre-packed on spools, on bobbins, and “carded” with a needle attached. Nylon can be used where-ever silk can and isn’t as fragile. This material knots attractively and can be used for pearl stringing, in some threaded seed beadwork, jewelry, loom weaving, for Peyote and other specialty stitches, and heishi. Nylon stretches much fewer than silk, and it will not rot when wet. Like silk, you should not use beads with sharp edged holes or that are grievous. When you use nylon thread, I’d advocate you coat your thread with bee’s wax or “Thread HeavenTM ” before use to prevent it from fraying. A needle is all important.

Bonded Nylon is a much stronger form of nylon thread. The strands are physically bonded together for extra strength and abrasion protection. Although it knots well, it doesn’t have the “hand” of silk. Bonded nylon comes in a variety of colors and smaller spools. Because of its abrasion resistance, you can use it with “hard”, more abrasive gem beads; in fact this comes close to being a “Universal Thread”. A needle is necessary, although you can put “Super Glue” on the end to form a “Self-needle”. This is a favorite beading material of mine.

Fishing Line is a hard, semi-rigid, single strand of plastic. It does not knot well, and eventually sunlight or ultraviolet light can cause it to weaken and break. Fishing line is bought on small spools and is sold in sports equipment stores. Personally, I use fishing line for two purposes. I use it to act as my preliminary stringing while I am planning a necklace (I transfer the beads to a more skillful material for the final product), and to string together “raw” strands of beads. There’s no needle necessary. I would never use this material for a final beaded piece.

Leather craftsman and Author Ethan O. Tanner explains the different types of Leathercraft the process forprecious jewelry making for your project.