Hi! And thanks for clicking....

 I am trying to make a couple of simple (very simple!) beaded necklaces. I bought beads, Tiger Tail wire, and clasps. Then I discovered that I needed crimps for a nice finished look and that you don't tie knots in Tiger Tail. (hey, how could I know?) Fair enough...so I dug for info and then bought crimps. Now I have discovered that I should have matched the size of the crimps to the wire and that I also need crimping pliers that match the size of the crimps (or is it the wire, or both?). I bought a book - it's useless in that it teaches a fancy advanced peyote project but doesn't cover any of the basics. Meanwhile, I have NO idea what sizes of anything I have bought, but even if I knew (I can check at home) I can't find anything online that says to use this size wire with this size of crimp and then which pliers to buy.

 Help! 

 I like beaded things, but getting started is feeling pretty frustrating at this point.

 Does anyone have a link to a page that could be titled "Wire and Findings - Choosing Sizes and Tools 101"?

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Here are some links so you can get some crimping basics under your belt before actually tackling your necklace:

 This first link is the chart you wish you had, but read through the text, its very useful!

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art31643.asp

  http://www.firemountaingems.com/encyclobeadia/beading_resources.asp?docid=652R

 http://www.manabeads.com/finishing.htm

 http://beadymcbeads.co.nz/pages-page_3/index.html

Now you're ready to crimp away - have fun and show us what you've made when you've made it! :)

Thanks so much Original Sin.  It looks like this should be easier than I thought to match up what I have to what I need. I really appreciate you taking the time and I am off to see what I have at home.  JB.

You're welcome! I hope you have a happy beading experience....and I'm sure you will! Starting out can be a bit scary, it seems like there's so much information to absorb but you'll see that as you go along you'll pick up tricks and techniques almost without realizing it.

:)

I am already wearing my first finished project!  It's a super simple string of 3 (4?) mm Czechoslovakian glass beads strung without anything else with a sterling lobster clasp. the beads are scarlet red glass (they look like garnets), gold-lined I think, where that is "gold" not gold, I think.   Anyway, it's exactly what I wanted since I saw one on a coworker about seven years ago, and now I've finally got it!  I told you it was simple....but now I have queued up my next project already, for a wedding in September, and it's this bracelet except I will be making it white plain white pearls and clear crystals for a sparklier, more neutral look. What do you think, am I getting ahead of myself? Lol.  Well, it looks pretty simple, I guess we'll see.

 Thanks again,

Jacquiebean

Good for you Jaquiebean! And nothing matches the pleasure of making it yourself :)

One note about the crimps....I'm a beadweaver and don't have much use for cimps, but I know that many if not the majority of those who do stringing work like to use two crimps instead of just one for extra security. You do it the same way, just thread two crimps on your wire instead of one, position them close to each other, but crimp each one closed separately.

The bracelet you linked is absolutely approachable to you, even though it looks more complicated - just a question of blingy components and a double strand instead of just one. One thing you should take note of - if you're planning on using those big double hole silver spacers that are pictured on the bracelet, buy your supplies from Artbeads....I haven't seen those around on other online shops and you might have difficulty finding them the same elsewhere. You'll find other types with double holes...but it'll be hard to find them the same. 

Have a nice day!

Andréa