Threads to Use For Beading

Lots of people make bead bracelets, or use thread as the basis to hang charms on to make up a charm bracelet.  I don’t think there is one definitive type of thread to use on your bead or charm bracelet, it really depends on what you are using it for, how much you are wanting to spend on it, how long it is meant to last etc…

Silk is an expensive thread to use, and sometimes its more tricky to get hold of, but you can normally buy silk thread by the spool in most craft shops or online.  It is commonly used for pearls, although I’m not altogether sure why other than that its a luxury thread and pearls are clearly an expensive and luxurious type of jewellery.  In my experience silk can fray quite easily, making it less reliable than some other types of beading thread, although on the positive side, it does look good which is important if you have large sections of a bracelet in which the thread is on show, and if you are looking for jewellery thread for a necklace then silk is soft on the skin.

For seed beads, and probably for bugle beads and other small beads, nymo or silamide come very highly recommended.  Nymo needs to be waxed, either using bees wax, or you can sometimes buy specialist jewellery wax (watch out you don’t pay too much for this, as bees wax is cheap and works perfectly) for example Thread Heaven.  Silamide comes ready waxes, and comes as a few strands which have been pleated together to form a thread.  This means it is less ideal for beads with a really tiny hole, and it can be difficult to thread through a threading needle.  Both threads come in a whole range of colours and are relatively easy to get hold of from craft shops and online.

Monofilament is probably the first type of thread I used when I started to make my own bead jewellery and charm bracelets.  It is, however, far from ideal.  One of the biggest problems I have with it, is its quite stubborn to shape, and if its stored badly in a jewellery or craft box it can quite often misshapen, and then its almost impossible to get the kinks out.  It is also almost always clear and colourless, which is great if that’s what you want for a bead or charm bracelet, but its not very versatile.

Nylon is a synthetic material (its man made and doesn’t occur naturally like wool for example!).  The big advantage of this of course is it is one of the most resilient forms of jewellery thread, and shouldn’t fray or stretch.  One of the other reasons why I sometimes use Nylon thread when making jewellery is it is readily available in a whole pile of different sizes meaning you can use it with small beads, but if you want something a little more substantial, if say you’re wanting a bead bracelet you can hang some charms off, then you can use a larger thread size no probs!

I think one of the most attractive threads to use when making your own jewellery is leather.  Leather can be weaved and thus can form part of the design of the bracelet itself.  One of the coolest charm bracelets I have seen have a thick leather thread which was pleated, with small charms imbedded in the middle pleat every inch or so, all the way around the bracelet, genius!  Some people are funny about using leather products, which I can kind of understand, but if you want the look then faux leather is the same price, and just as easy to get hold of.  Most craft shops will sell leather thread in different sizes by the metre, but you have to look online if you want a really big selection of colours.

Hemp is another old classic for making bracelets from.  It has a slightly rough potato-sack type texture which is actually quite pleasant, and an “organic” look to it.  I wouldn’t really use hemp alongside modern charms, but it looks great with wooden beads or charms.

Lastly, if you are looking for a really sturdy thread to make a bracelet from, for example if you have big stones or large heavy charms which you want to hang on it, or if you want the bracelet to take on a fixed shape for example, then tiger-tale or coated wire are ideal.  Tiger-tale is essentially coated wire made from a series of tiny wires which are woven together before being covered with wire, sometimes the individual strands are prone to breaking, so its not something I would use for a bracelet.  Coated wire, however, is exactly that, a piece of wire which has been coated in a material.  Depending on the suppleness and thickness of the wire, it may be possible to bend or contort this, and build your bead or charm bracelet design around a wacky shaped bracelet.

So, there is a brief outline, if you are looking to make your own bead or charm bracelet, and not sure what materials will work best as a thread.  There are of course, hundreds of designs of plain bracelets designed specifically for charms, beads, crystals, rhinestones and the like to be hung on them, and hopefully in another post I’ll get a chance to discuss the various merits of them too…