How do you finish bead necklaces so they look pretty and are strong and lasting?
This was my biggest question when I first took up making jewelry. Over the course of the year, I have found many hints but no one tutorial that included them all. And, no one tutorial addressed all of my most common mistakes - those such as stringing too tightly, ruining a crimp or not being able to properly close a crimp bead.
So, here is my try at Perfect Finishing 101.
When you are ready to finish your necklace and attach the clasp, string - in this order:
1. one seed bead in a color that matches your bead strand;
2. one - or two - crimp beads;
3. one small spacer bead;
4. one wire guard;
5. one half of the clasp.
If you tend to string your strands too tightly,as I do, you cause the beads to pinch against one another. In that case, one of your best strategies is to add a seed bead to one end of the necklace or another; if you always string really tightly, add a seed bead at each end. Then, if you do indeed string in your usual way - too tightly - you can break the seed beads when the necklace is finished and end up with the perfect tension for the finished necklace.
I know that a single crimp bead is supposed to hold any strand. However, when I make a heavy necklace, I use two. I sometimes use two just because the necklace would be too complicated or time-consuming to start over in the event that I flub the crimp....and I do, more often than I should. By having two crimp beads, you have insurance against crimp failure as well. The great thing is that crimp covers will make everything pretty in the end.
The spacer bead is really helpful when using wire guards, which naturally separate the wire strands as they enter and leave the wire guard. This can make crimping them well a bit more difficult. To that end, putting a single small bead - such as a seed bead or a 2 to 3mm gold bead - between your crimp bead(s) and the wire guard solves this problem. In addition, since the ends of wire guards can be a bit sharp, adding this bead makes the necklace lie more comfortably on the skin.
When you have put one of the clasp pieces onto the wire guard (don't forget to do this - I have and it is maddening to end up with a perfect finish but no clasp!), run the wire back through the spacer bead and the crimp bead(s) but not the seed bead.
Crimp the crimp bead(s), then pull the end of the wire back over the crimp and cut it as close to the crimped bead as possible.
Spacing is important here; as small as they are, crimp covers do take up additional space. If you are using crimp covers, be sure to leave a bit of room for them. If you use two crimp beads, be sure to leave a tiny bit of space between them so that you can easily put on a crimp cover. If they are too close together, your crimp cover will clamp onto the adjacent crimped bead and never close properly. This is also true if you have placed the crimp too close to the beads of your necklace, which is another reason that it is nice to have the potential that the seed bead gives you for that necessary bit of free space.
Place a crimp cover on the crimped bead, making sure to cover the cut end of the wire. Doing this ensures that nothing is going to stick you when you wear the necklace. If you want to do so, place an additional crimp cover over the second crimped bead if you used one. If your second crimp is beautifully done, you don't need the second crimp cover as the first will raise the necklace far enough off your skin to prevent the second crimped bead from scratching you.
The final steps to a perfect finish are to press the ends of the wire guard together, gently, and to break the seed bead if you need to do so. If you need to leave it, don't worry - they are so small as to be unnoticeable if you chose a close match to your beads.
Other tips I have learned from experience:
If I really messed up and I end up not with a too tight necklace but one which is too loose, there is one possible "cure". It is sometimes possible - rarely, but often enough that you can consider it - you can add a crimp cover to each end of the necklace near the crimped beads, or covering your seed bead. Sometimes, this just wouldn't look right and you must start over, but on a few occasions it looked just fine and was the perfect solution.
And, finally, don't even try to finish items on days when your hands are shaky, the light is bad or you are tired. It just isn't worth messing up a lot of work just to say you've finished the necklace. Often, waiting until the next morning ensures a perfect finish the first time.
I hope these hints help you complete a beautiful necklace every time. If you have other hints to share, please do! I am always looking for that one tip that will make my life simpler and my jewelry prettier.
