Ribbons and wires for jewellery

To ensure that everything runs smoothly with your homemade jewellery, it is important to choose the right ribbon material for jewellery. The choice is huge and may seem a little confusing at first glance. But the basics about ribbons and wires are quickly explained.

What types of jewellery ribbons are there?
Decisive for the selection of the ribbon material are the properties and the intended use. There are elastic ribbons that you can stretch easily. For example, if you want to make a bracelet that you can easily pull over your wrist, an elastic band is best. However, there are also particularly sturdy bands that do not give when you work with them. Depending on the type of material, jewellery ribbons are sold by the metre or on rolls.

What materials are ribbon materials for jewellery made of?
Jewellery ribbons are offered in different materials. There are elastic tapes. These are made of silicone tape, rubber cord or Lycra tape, for example. A large part is also jewellery wire. These are particularly thin and at the same time very supple wires that are especially suitable for necklaces. For those who like to thread beads and knot necklaces, bead silk and wildfire ribbons are the right choice. But numerous natural materials are also suitable as jewellery ribbons. Leather ribbons or cotton ribbons are particularly popular.

Which ribbon do I use for which piece of jewellery?
Depending on whether you want to make a bracelet, a short necklace or a long necklace with a simple pendant, you should use a different ribbon. In our basic instructions for jewellery and our DIY with one click jewellery pieces we always show you which ribbon or wire is best to use for the piece of jewellery. Below we explain the most important things about the most popular jewellery ribbons.

What is jewellery wire?
Jewellery wire is wire made of stainless steel that has a nylon sheath. The wires consist of several strands or strands that are twisted together. This creates a very high stability and flexibility. The more individual strands a wire has, the more stable and flexible the wire becomes. Unfortunately, the price also increases with the number of strands. The jewellery wire is then also given a sturdy nylon sheath for protection. Jewellery wire is available in different thicknesses. The most common diameters for jewellery wire are 0.38 and 0.45 mm. These diameters are very suitable for homemade necklaces. Especially well known is the jewellery wire from the company Beadalon, because of its very good quality, flexibility and durability.

What is Memory Wire?
With Memory Wire, the name is actually self-explanatory. The wire is delivered in ready wound bundles. Depending on the diameter, Memory Wireis suitable for finger rings, bangles or necklaces. To work with it, simply cut off the desired number of turns with pliers. You can fill the wire with many small beads. When you bend or pull the wire, it will always spring back to its original shape. You can find detailed instructions for Memory Wire in our basic instructions.

What is modelling wire?
Modelling wire is a very flexible copper wire or aluminium wire that can be bent into any shape you want and stays that way. You can find modelling wire in our shop in many different colours and diameters. Modelling wire is particularly suitable for bending finger rings or jewellery pendants. Numerous bending forms or other auxiliary tools help you to make extraordinary pieces of jewellery yourself. The best known modelling wire is the Artistic Wire from the company Beadalon.

What is silicone ribbon?
Silicone ribbon is an elastic rubber band. It can be stretched very well and then returns to its original length. This jewellery ribbon is ideal for making your own bracelets. You simply string the beads onto the elastic band. Then knot the ribbon and you're done. You don't need a clasp or any tools other than scissors to make elastic bracelets. Since there are many different beads with different sizes and hole diameters, you can of course order the elastic band in different diameters. You can also find step-by-step instructions for making your own bracelets in our shop. The silicone band from Griffin is very popular. It is very durable and does not wear out even after wearing the bracelets for a long time.

What is beading silk or thread?
If you want to try your hand at more elaborate jewellery projects, you can't go past beading silk or threading yarn. Beading silk is available in natural silk or durable nylon. If you want to knot a pearl necklace, pearl silk is the right jewellery ribbon. This way you can make elegant and special pearl necklaces yourself. You can find detailed instructions for knotted bead necklaces in our basic instructions. Very well known is the beading cord from Griffin. These are also available on practical cards with integrated threading needle!
Threading thread is available in many different qualities and colours. For threaded jewellery made of Miyuki beads or Matubo beads, threading yarns like Beadalon Wildfire are very suitable.

What is sail rope?
When you hear the term sail rope, you probably don't think of jewellery first, but rather of sea, wind and ships. But sail rope is also the ideal jewellery ribbon for martime jewellery and accessories. Sail rope is durable and hard-wearing. Moreover, the ribbon is available in a huge range of colours and diameters. Bracelets made of sail rope are very popular. For this, thinner canvas with a diameter of between 2 mm and 6 mm is used. If you don't want to make a piece of jewellery, you can also make very beautiful key rings from sail rope. For this you should use thicker rope with a diameter of 10 mm.

What is leather strap?
Leather strap for jewellery is one of the absolute classics in the jewellery sector. Leather cord can be used in many different ways. Jewellery pendants can be worn wonderfully on a thin leather strap. Mostly leathercord is delivered in 1 metre pieces. If you want to wear the necklace long, simply tie a knot in the leather strap and your necklace with pendant is ready. If you want to wear the necklace in a flexible length, you can easily make a slip knot. We will of course show you how to do this. In our shop you will also find a large selection of different fasteners and end caps. You can use them for beautiful necklaces and bracelets with leather straps.

What is macramé ribbon?
Do you feel like making elaborate knots? Then macramé is the right technique for you. Here, bracelets or necklaces are knotted into beautiful patterns. For this you need strong and at the same time flexible ribbons. Macramé ribbon is usually made of cotton or nylon. You can find the ribbon in many colours, diameters and packaging sizes in our shop. You are sure to find the right macramé ribbon for your project.

What is cotton ribbon for jewellery?
Cotton ribbon is jewellery ribbon made of cotton threads. Cotton is easy to dye. That's why you can find it in many different colours in our assortment. Cotton ribbon is light and flexible. It is therefore easy to knot. Cotton ribbon is suitable for both necklaces and bracelets. Depending on your personal needs, cotton ribbon is available in large rolls or in small packages.

What are link chains?
Link chains are also jewellery ribbons. Link chains are made of different metals. Individual chain links are joined together to form a chain. The links can vary in size from small and delicate to large and coarse. Link chains are the ideal combination partner for jewellery pendants. Of course, link chains are also available in different metal colours.

That was an overview of the most important jewellery ribbons and wires. For a large part of your jewellery projects you will need a suitable piece of ribbon or wire. If you are not sure, you can also use our basic instructions and our DIY with one click jewellery pieces as a guide. Here you can see which ribbon or wire we used for which piece of jewellery.