The best beading wire is made of a inner core of steel of differing strengths and thicknesses with intertwined threads of nylon, it is the strongest option for threading and of course the thickest is the strongest but it does have its weak point which is knotting. The thicker the beading wire as well and the more expensive it will be, the trick is to budget your expenses and costs to produce. Because of its steel structure beading wire tends to be inflexible therefore crimp beads are a necessity here. otherwise you will simply end up with kinks which will in time shred the nylon from within and set you off on a jolly race all over the floor to collect your beads, or even worse still your customers will have this job to do. Since they are very strong though you will have to put in considerable effort to break them under normal conditions. 


Long ago the wire to use for beading was called tiger tail; it was usually made with three strands of steel but was prone to kinking but was very popular even though it tended to kink since it was easy to use. Learning the knots needed to fasten beads was unnecessary and it was very strong for it size. The more modern beading wires are much improved and make your work much easier and more fun, as well as making them stay in the place they are supposed to stay, letting you become more creative.

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The three measurements in best beading wires are diameter, length and number of strands. Each has its own particular strength and use. Knowing which type of wire is best used with which material or purpose will pay great dividends in the future as there will be less wastage.

DIAMETER

The scale for diameter is measured in thousands of an inch from 0.010 to 0.24, the smaller of the diameters being for tiny gems and pearls and the larger for heavy duty rocks. Smaller beads tend to have smaller holes as well so it is usually just a case of practicality. Also as you get higher up in the scale of diameter the break strength goes up too, from about 7lbs to 40lbs.

It is better to use not the strongest wire you can get for your project but the most appropriate, the stronger wires will stand up to a lot of punishment but they will not be as flexible therefore will not hang correctly in the case of necklaces and bracelets.

The break strength of your wire is determined by how much it will hold up before it snaps and is a measure of the tensile strength of the underlying strands; the smallest wires will carry about 3kg which is equivalent to about 5 pints of water, right up to 40lb which is about 18kg, about a third of the weight of a fully grown man. Though testing this over a cliff is not recommended.

STRANDS

The number fo strands you get in bead wire ranges from 7 which is the most inflexible to 49, more tightly wound yet the strands tend to be thinner. The easiest way to grade it is to think higher equals better and you cannot go far wrong.


The 7 strand wire is flexible enough for most home projects but when you find professionals selling their wares then they will mainly be from the higher ranges since more flexibility means that there will be less kinking in the bead wire and the customer will get the best drape effect.

LENGTH


Buying the best bead wire in bulk is far more economical than buying it just when you need it, the typical lengths are 30' ranging up to 1000'. Buy the cord you use daily in bulk and buy shorter spools in your specialty wires to give yourself a selection. Bigger spools are cheaper by the foot.

The best wire to use when you are unsure .015 or .018 in either 49 strand or 19 strand wire. This is the best value and they are the best sellers no matter what season you are in. After that choose a smaller size like .012 and then get the other cords for variety.