Crimps are an essential part of jewellery making, but they aren’t very pretty. Let’s look at ways to disguise them.
We use crimp beads to stop beads falling off when we string a necklace, bracelet or any other piece of jewellery that uses a flexible wire. In some designs, we can actually use crimps as part of the design. Back in the early 2000s it was all the rage to have a piece of wire with only a few beads spaced along it and held in place by a crimp bead.
Most of the time, we just want them to disappear. Covering your crimp beads will give you a much more professional finish.
Make sure you read until the end of this post (or watch the video to the end) because I have really vital information for you that could just be a game changer.
Let’s first talk a little bit about the difference between crimp tubes and crimp beads.
Crimp tubes are just that – a cylindrical tube.
Crimp beads are round, more like a bead.
As you can see from the picture above, crimp beads are prettier than crimp tubes, so use these when you crimp bead will show.
Crimp tubes have more contact with the wire so use these when you need a really sturdy hold, so use these when you need a stronger grip.
I’ve been a bit over enthusiastic here – I’ve made five bracelets so that I can show you the different ways to cover the crimp bead.
If you want to make any of these bracelets, let me know in the comments section below if you would like me to create a tutorial for each of them.
In my opinion this is the easiest way for you to hide your crimps. They aren’t too fiddly to apply, and they give you that added advantage of adding a loop so you can attach your findings. This is what they look like.
Carlotte Clamps have a tiny hole in the bottom of the clam shell part (by the way they are also called clam shells as well), which you thread your stringing material through before you place your crimp on.
Once you have threaded your stringing material through the hole, thread on your crimp tube and push it right down inside the clamp.
Using your chain nose or crimping pliers, squash the crimp tube. In my opinion, it’s OK just to squash it flat. You don’t need to fold it over but if you want to you can. I’ve never had a crimp tube that was squashed flat fail. I have only once had a folded over crimp fail. Do whichever makes you comfortable.
Test your crimp is holding tight by trying to move it on the wire. If it does move, just squeeze it again.
Trim off the excess wire nice and close to the crimp. Don’t worry, it will hold firm.
Using your fingers and then the chain nose pliers, squeeze the clamp closed over the crimp.
Now it just looks like another bead.
Thread on the loop of the clasp and close the loop with either your chain nose or round nose pliers. Repeat the same steps for the other end.
For this bracelet I used a hook and eye clasp.
Here’s a look at the finished bracelet. Leave me a comment and let me know if you would like me to do a tutorial for this one.
Using a crimp cover gives you that lovely professional finish because your crimp cover, when closed, looks just like you’ve added another bead before your clasp.
Crimp covers are my kryptonite because I personally find them fiddly and difficult to get in the right place. I avoid them like the plague, but you might have better luck.
A crimp cover, once you squeeze it, looks like a metal bead. They come in a variety of sizes and materials to match your project.
In the images below I have already added the clasp and crimped the other end of the bracelet.
These images show you how to crimp the second end, with the jump ring.
If you’ve never used crimps before, or strung a piece of jewellery, I suggest you watch this video about how to restring a vintage necklace, that will give you all the details you need to make your own pieces.
Place the crimp tube onto the wire after the last bead.
Thread on the (well closed) jump ring and then thread the tiger tail back through the crimp, capturing the jump ring in the loop. Pull everything up. You want it to be loose enough that your bracelet is still fluid but tight enough to not show any gaps between the beads. You also need to leave a little bit of space for the crimp cover. I always like to go down through a couple of the beads if I can but that’s your choice.
Squeeze the crimp flat using your chain nose or crimping pliers. If you wish to, you can fold the crimp over using a pair of crimping pliers, however I don’t find it necessary if I’m going to be covering it.
Trim off the excess tiger tail.
Take the crimp cover in your pliers and place it over the crimp.
Squeeze it shut, moving the work around and squeezing again until the crimp cover looks like a bead.
As you can see, my copper crimp covers look like copper beads next to the clasp and jump ring.
Leave me a comment and let me know if you would like me to do a tutorial for this one.
While best suited to necklaces, using a bead bandit is a very tidy, and easy way to complete your piece of jewellery and hide your crimp.
These are great little screw on findings. You thread on one end before you put your crimp bead on, then you crimp and cover with the top.
In the images below I have already added the clasp and crimped the other end of the bracelet. These images show you how to crimp the second end, with the jump ring, but the process is exactly the same.
Unscrew the bead bandit and thread the tiger tail through the hole at the bottom of the piece with the screw visible. Thread on your crimp. Note that the crimp doesn’t go down into the screw part.
Squeeze the crimp flat using your chain nose or crimping pliers. If you wish to, you can fold the crimp over using a pair of crimping pliers, however I don’t find it necessary if I’m going to be covering it. Trim off the excess wire nice and close.
Screw the top cap of the bead bandit over the lower screw part.
All that’s left to do is open the jump ring and thread on the loop of the bead bandit. I did the same thing for the clasp end.
As this way of covering your crimp takes up a little bit more space, it’s best suited to a necklace, rather than a bracelet, in my opinion. It does give a lovely professional finish though.
Leave me a comment and let me know if you would like me to do a tutorial for this one.
I have just discovered this method and I think it might just be my new favourite way to cover a crimp. I feel that you can let your imagination go wild here – all you need is a bead with a hole large enough to cover the squashed crimp. In this example, I used a 6mm metal ball to cover the crimp. The technique for each end is a little different so let’s take a look.
Note: I used a toggle clasp so my instructions are for attaching that. If you are not using a toggle clasp omit the first step.
Open a 6mm jump ring and thread on the loop of the bar part of the toggle clasp. Close the jump ring really well so that the tiger tail doesn’t slip out.
Thread on your crimp tube, then the 6mm jump ring with the clasp attached.
Thread the tiger tail back through the crimp.
Pull everything up so that your jump ring is nice and close to the crimp bead.
Squeeze the crimp.
Thread on the cover bead, making sure both ends of the tiger tail go through the cover bead. Push the cover bead up over the crimp. Trim off the end of the tiger tail below the cover bead.
Thread on the rest of the beads, leaving off the end cover bead.
Run all of the beads up to the end, making sure that the end of the tiger tail and the crimp are tucked well inside the cover bead.
Thread on the crimp, then loop the tiger tail back down and thread it through the crimp bead and the first bead. The result should be a loop large enough to go through your cover bead and with a small loop sticking out to thread on your jump ring. For example, my bead measured 6mm so an 10mm loop would work.
Squeeze the crimp tube. Trim the end of the tiger tail.
Squeeze the tiger tail at the tip of the loop with your pliers so that it will go through your cover bead. If this doesn’t work, thread another piece of tiger tail through the loop and put the two ends together. Thread that through the cover bead and pull everything up so that the cover bead covers the crimp.
Remove the extra piece of tiger tail if you used it. You can see that the loop of the tiger tail is sticking out of the cover bead but the crimp has disappeared.
Open the 6mm jump ring and thread on the loop of the toggle clasp (or other clasp that you are using). Thread the jump ring through the loop that is popping out of the cover bead. Close the jump ring.
Leave me a comment and let me know if you would like me to do a tutorial for this one.
I promised you a vital tip – if you’ve been reading for a while this will come as no surprise to you. In my opinion, the best way to cover a crimp bead is to not have to. I love to use my Magical Crimping Tool. This makes your crimp bead look like a tiny bead, so you don’t have to cover it all.
Once you’ve strung your beads, thread on the Magical Crimp Tube, then the jump ring or loop of the clasp, and thread the tiger tail back through the tube. You may wish to go through one or two of your beads. It’s personal preference.
You will notice that there is a divot in the Magical Crimping Tool.
Place your crimp tube inside that divot and squeeze. Turn the work a half turn and squeeze again. Trim off the excess tiger tail.
This makes your Magical Crimp Tube look like a small metal bead.
Leave me a comment and let me know if you would like me to do a tutorial for this one.
There you have it. Five ways to disguise a crimp bead. Let me know below which one is your favourite.
In this week’s tutorial I’m wearing my heart necklace – I made it in the tutorial about using shape and texture.
I’m also wearing my Upside Down Earrings.
The bracelet that I’m wearing I made with magnetic beads and memory wire.
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October 15, 2023
Hi, my name is Carol Karl. I live in little old New Zealand. My family and I strive to live the most ‘real’ life we can – by that I mean that we eat real food, we live real lives and just generally be our most authentic selves.
