If you're stringing a bracelet, the cord decides how it goes on, which beads it can carry and how long it lasts. This page compares elastic cord, beading wire and thread, with the sizes to buy and three checks that settle which one a design needs.
Use elastic cord for a slip-on bracelet of smooth, round beads from about 6 to 14 mm. Use nylon-coated beading wire, finished with crimps and a clasp, for heavy or sharp-holed beads, pendants, seed beads and any piece that must keep an exact length. Elastic is quicker to finish and easier to wear; wire lasts longer between repairs but needs a clasp.
How do elastic cord, beading wire and thread compare?
Elastic stretches and springs back, beading wire barely stretches at all, and thread sits in between. That one property decides the closure, the sizing and the finishing:
| Elastic cord | Beading wire | Nylon or silk thread | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Clear round elastic or multi-strand fiber elastic | Fine stainless steel strands twisted into a cable and coated in nylon | Twisted or braided fiber |
| Stretch | Yes, rolls over the hand | Almost none | A little |
| Closure | None; a knot | Clasp, with crimp beads | Clasp, with knots or bead tips |
| Tools | Scissors and glue | Crimping pliers and wire cutters | Needle, scissors, glue |
| Best beads | Smooth round beads, 6 to 14 mm | Heavy, sharp-holed, faceted or tiny beads; pendants | Light beads; knotted strands |
| How it wears out | Slackens; beads begin to gap | Kinks if strung too tight; crimps can slip | Stretches and soils |
Which elastic cord works for gemstone beads?
For natural gemstone rounds, use clear round elastic in the thickest size that passes through every bead. That is often 0.8 mm for 8 and 10 mm beads and 0.5 to 0.7 mm for 6 mm beads or beads with small holes. Cord that nearly fills the hole keeps the beads sitting straight.
Multi-strand fiber elastic is softer and lies flatter, which some people find more comfortable, though its loose fibers can be harder to thread through small holes. Whichever you use, pre-stretch it before stringing, so it doesn't keep stretching after the knot is tied. The surgeon's knot guide shows the finish step by step.
What beading wire should you use for a bracelet?
For a beaded bracelet with a clasp, use nylon-coated beading wire of about 0.015 to 0.019 inch in diameter, with 19 or 49 strands. More strands make a softer, more flexible wire that drapes like a chain; 7-strand wire is cheaper but stiffer and kinks more easily. Go thinner for small or light beads, and thicker for heavy stones.
Finishing is where wire takes practice. Each end passes through a crimp bead and a loop of the clasp, then back through the crimp and a few beads, and the crimp is squeezed shut with crimping pliers. A wire guard at each loop stops the clasp rubbing through the coating. Leave a little slack when you crimp: a wire strand pulled tight won't curve around the wrist and tends to kink. The length is fixed once it's crimped, so measure first and allow for the clasp. The clasp guide compares the closures that go on the end.
Which beads cut through elastic?
Beads with sharp or rough edges inside the drill hole wear through elastic from the inside. The usual culprits are many faceted beads, raw or chip stones, some metal beads, and glass with a rough hole. Polished gemstone rounds are usually smooth inside, which is why they're the standard stretch bracelet bead.
Three checks settle almost every case:
- Hole edges. Pull a short piece of elastic back and forth through a bead ten times. If it frays or turns white, use wire for that bead.
- Weight. Very heavy beads, dense stones such as hematite in the largest sizes, and anything hanging from the strand keep elastic under strain. Wire handles weight better.
- Shape. Round beads sit evenly on elastic. Long, flat or irregular beads leave gaps and pull the cord at an angle, and they look tidier on wire.
How long does each material last?
Beading wire usually lasts longer between repairs than elastic, because it doesn't relax with use. Elastic slackens gradually, faster when the bracelet is pulled wide, worn too tight, or exposed to heat and chlorine. When the beads start to gap, restring it on new cord rather than knotting the old one again.
Wire fails differently. It kinks if strung too tight or bent sharply, the coating can wear where it rubs the clasp, and a poorly closed crimp can slide open. Thread stretches and soils with wear, which is why knotted silk strands are restrung from time to time. In each case the beads outlast the stringing, so a tired bracelet gets new cord, not new stones.
What does a BVDIY studio bracelet use?
Every bracelet from the BVDIY studio is a stretch bracelet on elastic, with no clasp. All 35 beads in the library are natural gemstone in sizes from 6 to 14 mm, inside the range elastic handles well. There's no wire option.
Large beads are fine on elastic at these sizes. For a 17 cm wrist at 10 mm, the studio gives 19 positions. Put three Tiger's Eye together at the front and fill the other 16 with Bronzite: the two browns read as one warm color, with the Tiger's Eye catching the light as the wrist turns. The total is $56.00 with the $12.99 stretch base. For how stretch and clasp bracelets compare in daily wear, see stretch vs clasp bracelets.