Stringing Materials

Beading stainless steel wire – tiger tail – illusion cord

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Stainless steel wire which is coated with nylon or plastic is often referred to as tiger tail because of its strength.  It’s really a miniature steel cable and is great because no beading needle is needed to thread it. Several strands of wire are twisted together to create the strength and some of the newer brands also offer a greater degree of flexibility that wasn’t one associated with steel wire. The flexibility of the wire is usually determined by the number of strands of cable contained within the product.

A basic tiger tails or nylon coated wire, is usually a 7 strand product. It offers a degree of flexibility at an economical price.

A Medium range steel wire would be a 19 strand product. This is a good all-rounder offering strength with a greater degree of flexibility and is less prone to mis-shaping.

The professional grade jewellery wire is the 49 strand steel wire. It is preferred by the professional jewellery making because it is strong,  has a high degree of flexibility, and is less prone to producing a corkscrew effect.

Brands you may like to consider are Griffin, Softflex, Beadalon, and Accuflex. Other products are also available in lesser known or more economy ranges, ask your bead supplier to make a suggestion about what is right for your project.

Illusion Cord

Illusion cord is so cord because it is near transparent and is suited to creating necklaces which are designed to have a “floating” look. Illusion cord is usually nylon, reasonably strong and easy to thread.

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