Make pretty finishes with crush beads

Everything You Need to Know About Crimp Beads

Crimp beads come in various shapes (round, tube, or 2-in-1). They are mainly used to secure a clasp, hold a spacer in place, or prevent beads from sliding off a wire.

• Crimp beads are small, flexible, round metal components that are flattened with pliers to secure a wire.
• The tube-shaped crimp bead serves exactly the same purpose, but its length makes it difficult to hide under a crimp bead cover; it is therefore reserved for designs where it remains visible or is not aesthetically objectionable.
• The 2-in-1 bead is a practical alternative: once flattened, it immediately takes on the appearance of a classic bead, without the need to add a separate crimp bead on top. This saves a lot of time when making jewelry in batches.

These three findings are available in brass (gold-plated, silver-plated, copper-plated, bronze), Gold Filled, 925 Sterling Silver, and stainless steel.

When should you use crimp beads?

Crimp beads are mainly used to secure a clasp or spacer to a wire. This wire can be cable wire, nylon thread, silk thread, or synthetic thread. It is strongly recommended to avoid using them on elastic cord, as this may weaken it. They are also sometimes used to hold beads in place on a necklace or bracelet by flattening a crimp bead on either side of the beads.

What is a crimp bead cover?

Not to be confused with crimp beads, crimp bead covers are used to cover crimp beads for a neater finish. They look like hollow beads that have been almost completely cut in half. Place the crimp bead inside the crimp bead cover, then close it using special crimp bead pliers. Once closed, the crimp bead cover looks just like any other metal bead.

If you’re using 2-in-1 crimp beads, you won’t need to use covers because these beads already take the shape of a standard bead once they’re crimped.

What kind of pliers should you use to flatten a crimp bead?

While many people use simple flat-nose pliers to flatten beads, it’s actually better to use special crimping pliers designed for the size of the crimp beads.
Flat-nose pliers will simply flatten the bead, whereas crimp beads work in two steps: first flattening the bead and creating a notch in the center to separate the two ends of the thread, then folding the bead in half and clamping the two halves of the bead and the two threads together. Here’s why it’s better to use special crimp beads:

• Flat-nose pliers will flatten the bead, but they’ll also flatten the wire, which can weaken it.
• The bead is simply flattened and not folded in half, so it will take up more space and it will be harder to find a suitable bead cap.
• Crimping pliers have a round notch that makes it easy to close the crimp beads. This is more difficult with flat-nose pliers, which may deform the bead.

How to Choose Crimp Beads and Crimp Covers?

If your goal is to attach a clasp or a spacer, you should choose a crimp bead with a hole large enough for the wire to pass through twice.
For example, if you’re using 0.40 mm wire, you’ll need a bead with a 1 mm hole. It’s best if the hole is slightly larger than twice the size of the wire. Next, the bead cap must be larger than the crimp bead, as it needs to cover it completely.
If you use a 2 mm bead, you’ll need a 3 mm bead cap. The choice of material for the crimp beads is up to you. For example, you could use a brass crimp bead and a 925 Sterling Silver bead cap.