There are a lot of varieties of beading wire available in the market, and they usually depend on what type of jewelry it would be used for. One of the longest threading options available is beading wire; it consists of intertwined strands of steel, coated in nylon. If you are interested in a new hobby or you want to pursue a career in jewelry making, then you should gather a spool of beading wire and start stringing those gems and stones now.

Beading wire plays an important part in jewelry making projects. The wire, made up of flexible nylon-coated multi-strand steel, have to be chosen wisely depending on the project you will undertake. The larger the beads, the thicker the wire, the smaller the holes, the thinner the beading wire. When you’re using beading wire for your jewelry projects, you are guaranteed that the product will be durable. There are basic guidelines when it comes to beading wireÕs shape, hardness and size that would greatly affect the success of your project.
The dead soft wire, half hard wire and hard wire are the three classification of beading wire’s hardness.

Dead soft wire can be described as soft and flexible. Sterling silver is an example of this, especially many feel it is not up to the standards of beading projects.  Pendant dangles and earring charms are made up of dead soft wire.

A characteristic of half-hard wire is it is stiffer than dead soft wire. It is also good for loops and for wrapping around itself, since it maintains it shape despite being under stress.

Hard wire is stiff, can hold its shape and excellent for clasps.

There are various beading wire shapes that can be found in the market, from round, half round, twisted square and even to triangles. The wire that you choose will depend on what type of jewelry you would be making.

When selecting for the beading wire size, pick the biggest that would fit in the hole of the beads you want to string.

Always use wire cutters when you are cutting beading wire. Take into consideration of adding a few inches of space when cutting beading wire so you will have an allowance for clasps and knots.

There are various different forms of beading that you can choose from, one in particular being tapestry beading. Tapestry beading is one of the more decorative forms of beading, but it is also the most difficult. Basically it is just like any other type of beading only with the use of tapestries.

What are Tapestries?

Tapestries are forms of textile art, and they are typically woven by hand on a vertical loom. Colorful patterns and images are created by the weft-face weaving technique that is used, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work. This is much different from cloth work, in which both the warp and weft threads are usually visible.

There are numerous famous tapestries in the world which can be used as examples, such as the Apocalypse Tapestry, which is the longest tapestry in the world at 140m long. Then there is also the Sampul tapestry, the Hestia tapestry, the Bayeux tapestry, and the Hunt of the Unicorn, which is a seven piece tapestry from 1495 to 1505, and which is currently being displayed at the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Tapestry Beading

Tapestry beading occurs when beads are placed over top of these bright and beautiful types of designs, and although tapestry beading can be quite a demanding project in terms of time and effort, it creates stunning results in the end.

There are certain materials that you need to use for this particular sort of beading, and in particular you need very sharp needles. Tightly woven tapestries will require an especially sharp needle in order to be able to penetrate the weave, while looser fabrics require a blunt tipped needle. This is because the blunt needles basically just push aside the fabric threads that you are beading on and go in between them.

Determining the proper thread size is also very important when working on tapestries, and the thread that you are using will decide how large an eye you are going to need. Typically your pattern will let you know what type of thread you need, or you can do your own research and learn about the particular type of tapestry that you are working on if it is pre-made.

You also always want to be sure of what it is that you want to accomplish, before you get started. After all you do not want to ruin a tapestry by making a mistake, especially if it is a more expensive one, and so taking the time and putting in the effort beforehand to plan carefully is critical.

When it comes to beading wire, there are a few different types that you have available to you. Copper is one of the most popular types of beading wire, and although it tends to work well with most designs and looks especially nice with earth tone colors, there is the issue of how it tends to darken and discolor with age.

Then there is galvanized beading wire, which is a dull silver color and which is harder than the more commonly used silver wire. Sterling silver beading wire is another of the fan favorites, namely because it is so universal. Sterling will tarnish however, and so it is best to keep it in zip lock bags or sealed containers when you are not using it.

Fine silver is the highest quality silver beading wire that you can get, and is made of 99.9% pure silver. It has fewer alloys and so it does not tarnish as quickly as sterling silver does.

As well there is gold-filled beading wire that you can use, which, although it has many layers of gold, is not actually made of pure gold, and this is important to remember because gold-filled jewelry is not nearly as expensive as jewelry that is made from real gold. The real gold beading wire is available in various karats, from 10-24 for example, and even different colors, but this wire tends to be the most expensive.

Soft Flex Beading Wire

Soft flex beading wire is a type of beading wire that is manufactured by the Soft Flex Company, and soft flex beading wire is one of the most commonly used beading wires in the world.

When it comes to buying soft flex beading wire, there are a few factors that you are going to have to take into consideration before you can make a final decision. One is determining what diameter wire you are going to need for your project, and the options are: .010”, .014”, .019”, and .024”. The larger diameter you go with, the larger and heavier beads you will be able to use.

You also need to understand the difference between soft flex beading wire and soft touch beading wire. Basically soft flex is the original line, and it was actually the first stainless steel wire to be knotted and it truly revolutionized the bead stringing industry. It is definitely one of your best options of all when it comes to beading wire.