I bought hot pink dyed moonstone beads. I have found that if you soak "bleeding" beads in plain water, changing the water every other day for about 6 days,- the dye ends up in the water and the beads are still quite pretty.

I had color fade with some turquoise I bought that went from a beautiful blue to an ugly greenish grey as soon as some water splashed on it. I was very upset by this and will not be buying from this vendor again. The only thing you can do is use a fixative on the beads, a clear coat of fingernail polish will do, however, I felt like I was cheating my customers, so I threw them out. I was very dissapointed in this vendor and let them know they lost my business forever. I refunded the $ to one customer and replaced the bead with a much higher quality piece at my own expense just to save my reputation. I prefer natural stones but heat treated stones are great too. It just depends on the vendor, you have to develop a trust with them, and if you are not happy with what you bought they should be willing to stand behind whatever they are selling, if they won't do that move on to another vendor, it's not worth it to have someone trash-talk your jewelry.

Something that has not been mentioned yet, dyed gemstones will fade in the sun if it's exposed to it for too long. I was doing a gem and mineral show last year and I noticed a few days later that the dye had completely come off some earrings where some blue quartz hearts had been used.

I first started my business in 02 and opted for dyed and plated because of cost.I offer a lifetime guarantee and quickly learned it was not wise to skimp.Only the best for my customers and way less expense dealing with redo's and my reputation.

I've had some dyed beads that the color wore off on my skin as I was wearing them! Now, if I suspect they are dyed I coat them with clear nail polish first, which seals in the color. It does make them shiny which you may or may not want.
Mitzi - Boston

It depends on the type of color change. If the process is diffusion then yes because that means it is just a coating. I had some large semi precious stones that had cost $100 or more per stone where I was not told that there was color enhancement and even putting it in alcohol changed the color. One stone melted into a glob when it was introduced to a steamer. But if the stones are heated to cause color change, then the change is permanent. check to see if you can see a difference on the edges. Use a loupe and ask the seller what the story is. Coral is almost always dyed but again it depends on the type of dye. Other stones are tanzanite (it gets blue when it is heated otherwise it is a muddy brown, topaz are almost all heated but a few are diffused, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, spinels, garnets (especially the tsavorite and other unusual ones) are heated. You can use the heated stones just like a natural stone. It should be a lot cheaper however. It depends on what kind of piece I am making whether I use these. If I am doing beading with seed beads and crystals, I probably won't use natural stones, the same way I don't use oriental pearls and 14Kt findings. I am experimenting with stuff to paint a gold design on beads or silver. Anything the keeps the jewelry classy and hi line but not so expensive it is hard to sell.

Well, I do a lot of metal work and tumble polish my pieces. I purchased some rose quartz beads, not knowing it was dyed (from another company, not artbeads). I tumble polished the bracelet I made with them and the color faded completely, went from a pretty pink to an opaque whitish color...I definitely do NOT recommend tumbling dyed gemstones. I've not used those beads again, but I notice they do seem faded a bit compared to when I first purchased them. I don't actually know why anyone would buy dyed gemstones.

This is my first experience with dyed beads and I noticed as I was stringing them the dye was coming off on my fingers. I will not be buying anymore dyed beads. (Hope it doesn't rub of on my neck line when I wear the beads.)

I have had Coral that was dyed come off onto my skin. Other dyed stones have faded. I am now not buying anything that I know is dyed. My customers mostly want to see the real colour and know that it isn't dyed. I appreciate that Artbeads does say if something is dyed. I hope that they will do this in every case as long as they know.

I also had this problem. Although split rings can be used, it makes your product look cheap. I solder my jump rings and have no problems. The product still has a quality look to it.

You can also make a wrapped loop around the wire and they cannot come off unless cut. This is more difficult, but looks good and is secure.

I tried split rings, but they really were hard to handle on a charm bracelet. I found that if I used a slightly heavier gauge(18-20ga) OVAL jump ring it worked great. The weight of the charm was NOT at the opening of the jump ring, like a round would be. Instead the seam hangs at the side of the ring, so the charm doesn't slip through a stressed seam of a round ring. Also, if you "work" the ring closed by bypassing the seam a few times, the ring becomes "work hardened" and it won't pull the seam apart as easily.

Try the new "Jump Lock" jump rings. Once you get them in place they can only be cut open. They take a second to master... but well worth it.

Make sure your jump rings are fairly strong and don't pull open when tugged gently--the lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire from which the jump ring is made, and the stronger the hold.
Using a split ring is pretty safe, but you can also do this--instead of closing a jump ring so that the ends butt up against each other, close it so that the ends pass each other, adjusting with your tool to keep the round (or oval) shape. This is sort of how the split ring functions. I used this method to keep chains in place on a multi strand leather cuff bracelet.

use a split ring not jump ring

If you are having difficulty getting the ends of your open jump rings to align, we recommend taking a look at our Jump Ring Handy Tip video in our Learning Center. The video will take you step by step through the process of opening and closing jump rings and may assist you in perfecting the technique.

http://www.artbeads.com/jump-ring-ht-video.html

I would suggest if you have to ask what to restring your pearls on you probably shouldn't be doing it yourself especially if they are very old.

I would suggest that you use silk thread of the correct diameter (you'll have to experiment, unless you know the size of the holes in the pearls), and be sure to knot between each pearl. That way if the thread breaks you'll lose only one pearl and the rest will remain strung. If worst comes to worst, have a professional restring them. Is the clasp actually sterling silver? If not, you can buy one here on Artbeads. Good luck!!

beadalon or silk

You need to ask yourself if these are very high quality pearls, or pearls of great sentimental value. If the answer is "yes" to either, or both of these questions, then they should be on a knotted strand of silk or synthetic which will drape nicely. The purpose of knotting pearls is not just to prevent them from wearing off the nacre layer by rubbing against the next pearl, but also to prevent undue loss if the strand should break.
If, however, the pearls are not of great value to you, then you might do the following:
1. Choose a nylon coated stringing material, like Beadalon.
2.Use the diameter that will fit through the pearls. I cannot usually get a .018 diameter through pearls. I've had fair luck w/ .015 or less. Use the strongest strand that will fit your pearls.
3.Use very small beads, like delicas- size 10 or smaller, between the pearls in place of knots. This will help prevent the pearl's outer finish layer, the nacre, from wearing so much. It also looks nice and gives the appearance of knotting.
4.At each end of the strand, be sure to use a bead between the last pearl and the crimp. You do not want the pearls rubbing against metal elements.
Hope this helps.

Given that the pearls are very old, I'd be inclined to be traditional and string them on silk, knotted in between each pearl. Silk will deteriorate over time, but it is very strong, looks elegant, and drapes beautifully. It may require restringing every two years or so, depending on how often you wear your pearls. However, I've worn mine for ten years without incident.

If you don't want to use silk, I'd use a good quality nylon beading thread, and knot between each pearl. Use a bead tip to hide the knot at the end and attach the strand to the clasp.

I would investigate what the original stringing material was made of. Since it is a very old material that is in tact (aside from the mildew) I would try to find similar but better quality material. If they are real pearls I would be careful not to restring with any type of silk as silk will decay over time as well. I would use a fabric stringing material versus wire. If wire is a must I would use Beadalon.

Definitely MEDIUM

First you need to determine if you are stringing (stranded wire products like SoftFlex) or stitching (thread products like Fireline).

If you are stringing, use a wire type product like Zamba Pro, Softflex, SoftTouch, Beadalon, etc. You need to pay attention to 2 things.
1. Size (diameter) and
2. Number of strands.

The two measurements are fairly independent of each other but choosing the incorrect size or strength can lead to disaster.

Size: The size (.010, .012, .014....024 or superfine, fine, medium, and heavy) refer to the thickness or diameter of the wire bundle. The diameter determines the size of the bead, crystal, etc that will fit.

.014/.015 and ..018/019 are fairly generic sizes and can be used for most materials. Use the size appropriate for the bead, crystal or gemstone. With a 4 mm bicone, you can use just about any thickness except maybe .024.

Just as important and and the frequent cause of breakage is the number of strands. This determines strength and also how drapeable a the wire will be.

The more strands, the more drapeable (less likely to permanently kink).

With crystals, you want strong as everything is subject to fraying. I"d use 49 strands, but you could drop and use the 19 or 21 strands (depending on brand) if it's a piece that isn't designed to last forever. 7 strands will break.

It's important to note that you can use a medium wire (.019) has 7, 21 or 49 strands.

Pay attention to both measurements.

Note: It's the number of strands that determines price, not the diameter. 49 strand jewelry wire will be more expensive than 7 or 21 strand wire.

If you are stitching, then use a Fireline. Fireline is like Nymo, C or S Lon, etc except it is far less likely to fray when using crystals.

With the fishing line based products (FIreline, PowerPro, Micro Ice, etc) , you need to pay attention to both
1) the diameter (like .009) and
2) the strength (like 8 lb test).

The diameter will determine what size bead will fit. The strength or test will determine how much tension can be put on the product before it snaps or frays.

For Crystals, use at least 8 lb test (.009 diameter). If you use 4lb (.006) or 6 lb test (.008) , the line can still break as the sharp edges of the crystals cause the line to fray. (Trust me, I had the line snap when I first started because nobody explained the two measurements to me or the various uses of the products).

The Fireline 8 lb test can be used with both a 10 and 12 needle. Above that and it's difficult to get it through a size 12 needle.

Use the smoke for medium or dark crystals and the clear or frost for light. I have heard you can color the clear with a sharpie.

Hope this helps.

I've always had good luck with 7 strand 15# (Beadalon) wire. I was recently told by a jeweler that whenever Swar. crystals are used, it is best to use a Fireline made for crystals due to the sharpness of the glass. I've switched, using a Berkley product.

I always use medium soft flex wire

You have good answers to your question, the only thing is when using glue on knots make sure you use a glue which when it dries it remains flexible. Do not use nail polish as it is brittle. Good Luck

You could use some nail polish or clear glue to stick the ends of the strands together, then, while still tacky, stick the ends together in a leather crimp, one for each side, before attaching to a clasp. Or, you could knot each end on both sides (6 altogether), use glue or polish again to hold the knots. Put each into a callotte and attach the three callottes to a jump ring and/or clasp on both ends. And there's always the triple strand end pieces to attach the callottes to if you want the strands to hang separately/at different lengths

You will end each strand with a bead tip, as you normally would with a single strand necklace on silk cord. (http://www.artbeads.com/how-to-use-a-bead-tip.html) From there, you have two options that you can choose from.

First, you can attach the bead tips to a multi strand end piece at each end of the necklace, and attach your clasp to the single loop on the other side of the end piece.

Multi strand end pieces:
http://www.artbeads.com/muen.html

Second, you can attach the bead tips to a multi strand clasp.

Multi strand clasps:
http://www.artbeads.com/multistrand-clasps.html

I find Fireline to be the best, and I use both Crystal and Smoke, depending on the Swarovski color. Have you tried the 2.5 mm 5301 bicones? They are tiny little sparkly wonders! Anyway, I digress. Fireline for bead weaving; beadalon for stringing.

Unless you are working with opaque crystals, you want to use something clear or reflective. For weaving projects I use Crystal Fireline. For heavier stringing projects I use silver or gold plated Beadalon multi-strand jewelry wire. Grey Fireline and brass or steel colored wire shows through light colored crystals and darkens or muddies medium to dark colors. When working with Swarovski crystals, you really want to show them off to their best advantage.

I feel that the only stringing material to use for crystal is Fireline. Others may fray or break in time . I find most of the experts agree with this also. You certainly don't want your project to fall apart after you took the time to make it.

i use a crimp and crimp cover

I find this method to be a more secure way of finishing elastic bracelets than knots. I finish off my elastic bracelets with a 2x2 crimp tube, covered with a 4mm crimp cover. I incorporate 4mm beads of the same metal into the design so that the crimp cover is part of the design. To do this, string onto the elastic while it's still on the roll, beginning with the crimp tube. When all your beads are on, cut the free end of the elastic at a slant with scissors and dip the end in baby powder. Wrap the elastic around your left index finger tightly so that the crimp tube is on top. Push the free end into the crimp tube until it goes through enough to grab it, and pull out the slack. Flat-crimp, trim the excess elastic, and cover with the crimp cover. Depending on the size of your elastic, it may be easier to use a 3x2 crimp tube.

The more beads in the bowl the easier it is to spin the beads. Also, tinkering with the curve of the needle makes a huge difference. This is something that is done continuously throughout the spinning process as the beads banging against it changes the curve frequently. Mine spinner is hand powered and I find the faster I spin it the more beads I am able to thread. Beads size effects the number threaded and how quickly. Size 6 beads take longer to spin than size 11s. Other than these three suggestions, practice is the only way to perfect it. I use a spinner frequently to spin my beads in preparation for bead crocheting and can't imagine doing without it!

I cheated. I bought a battery operated beading bowl. It still takes time and if you don't hold the needle just right, you still won't get many beads on it. But it keeps spinning at a steady speed, which gives you time to adust the angle of your needle. When my coordination was working, it only took 10-15 minutes to string a 24" single strand. 45 minutes or more when I couldn't manage to get the angle right. Good luck!

with a dremil and a small drill bit very slowly not to crack it. Get to hot stop and do it again when dremil cools down.

Niki, You can purchase a manual hand drill at a hardware store along with an assortment of small drill bits. Practice on broken shells until you get the hang of it. Don't do what I did back in the early '70's and hold the shell down with my toes on a chair seat when I had no one around to help me! lol as it could slip and injure you. Have someone help you hold the shell or put it in a small vise or wedge the shell up against something to drill the holes. Good luck!

diluted glue. should be watery enough that the cord absorbs the glue a bit. pinch/twist the end of the cord so that its kind of crimped together and let it dry. the end result is similar to the end of a shoe-lace, only without the plastic coating.

Hi Beth - I use a small strip of scotch tape to hold the ends together, then after stringing, gently pull the tape off to put on the end cap. I've also used a bit of 409 super glue on the ends. You have to be quick to keep your fingers from sticking to it, but since it dries rapidly, you can get enough of the ends to hold together to allow you to string your beads.