Jewelry Lessons: How To Use Crimp Beads


Learn How to Crimp

This jewelry lesson is by far the easiest and most important to learn when starting to make jewelry. After you learn how to crimp you can make endless different kinds of necklaces, bracelets, and ankle bracelets. Once you learn how to crimp you can experiment with different patterns and types of beads and make all kinds of jewelry just in your style!

To demonstrate how to crimp I whipped up this simple but elegant strung necklace this afternoon:
(If your not into making jewelry, this necklace is also for sale in my etsy shop!)

Here's how to make it!

Supplies Needed
 Beading wire, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, crimp beads, clasp, and beads of your choosing. I choose to use rose quartz beads and metal spacers.

I'm using tiger tail as my beading wire, which you can get at Michael's or Joann's. It's strong and cheap, but kinks easy so beware of that. Beadalon or Softflex are higher quality beading wire, but also a little more expensive.

Steps
Step 1: Cut a piece of beading wire using wire cutters a few inches longer than your finished product will be. My finished necklace is about 19 inches, so I cut my wire to 22 inches. It's ALWAYS better to have to more to work with!!

Step 2: String on a crimp bead and one end of the clasp of your choosing.

I choose to use a pretty heart toggle clasp.

Step 3: Loop the beading wire back over the clasp and through the crimp bead.

Step 4: Squeeze the crimp bead shut using needle nose pliers. There are also tools out there called crimpers that allow you to crimp the bead twice, but in my experience when I use a crimper my crimps tend to break. Once and done with pliers will just just as good, if not better.


Step 5: Trim the excess wire off using wire cutters.

Step 6: String on beads.

Step 7: Crimp the other end of the necklace the same way shown above, just use the other end of the clasp. Be sure to leave a little extra wire before the crimp bead so the beads have a little room to move around and don't grind on each other so much.

Trim off the excess wire, and you are done!

A beautiful necklace in only 15 minutes.



Now that you can crimp, the possibilities of different kinds of necklaces and bracelets are endless! I love sitting down with a specific color pallet of beads and playing around until I find a pattern I like and then I string them.

Missed a jewelry lesson post? Learn about different types of beads here and learn about the jewelry supplies I use here!
Up next week: how to make earrings! Be sure to come back and check!






I'll be linking up to these parties:

21 comments

  1. Now THAT kind of crimping is much better than when I used to crimp my hair!

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  2. I also break about half my crimping beads. Pretty necklace.

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  3. I LOVE THIS NECKLACE! The best part is that clasp is pretty enough to wear in the FRONT!!!

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  4. Very pretty! Love the clasp. I have a bunch of beading supplies just collecting dust. Thanks for the reminder that I need to pull these out :)

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  5. Ooh, thanks! I've been dying to learn to make jewelry and I don't even know where to start.

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  6. Very pretty! I've made a few pieces and always get compliments on them. It just takes a little patience and the right tools... -Jill

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  7. Thanks for this tute! I'm really crafty, but jewelry scares me. This is very helpful!

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  8. Wow -- thanks so much for this great tutorial! I have beads and even the wire -- and no idea how to start. Off to buy crimp beads. ..

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  9. What a pretty necklace! I've been collecting jewelry making supplies for a while and made a few things, but I need to get back into it. I'm excited that you're doing a jewelry series. Maybe I can get some fresh ideas. I'm a new follower.
    Rachel
    adventuresofadiymom.blogspot.com

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  10. Beautiful necklace. You did a nice job with the tutorial. Thanks!

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  11. This is a fantastic tutorial. If you could please add a link back to my party as well, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

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  12. Really lovely--and you make it look so easy! :)

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  13. Crimping is definitely the most imp thing to learn in jewelry making. But from my experience it is better to leave off some wire and tuck it into the beads rather than cutting them straight out. This adds stability to the piece and even if the crimp gets broken due to wear and tear the piece immediately will not come apart..giving you time to restring it

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  14. I enjoyed your tutorial, and can't wait to see what else you post! Love your necklace!

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  15. Ooh, thanks! I've kind of been thinking about making some jewelry, so I'm building my arsenal of tutorials.;)This is very helpful.

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  16. Hi Rebecca,
    Glad I popped over from Rebecca's YTTM! New subscriber here. So pretty and 15 min.?! Incredible.
    Janet
    craftythriftydecoratingwifemom.wordpress.com

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  17. I make jewelry from time to time, but crimping is something I just can't get. Thanks so much for your tutorial. I bookmarked it for future reference.

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  18. This is beautiful Rebecca. Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate the tutorial on crimping. It has been one of those things I haven't gotten fully comfortable with yet.

    http://www.reginaatthelake.com

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