Often, the difference between fair looking jewelry and professional looking jewelry is how the piece is finished. The use of clam shell bead tips, also known as calottes, is especially important to the look of hand-knotted jewelry projects. Clam shell bead tips can increase the value of a jewelry piece because they hide the knot at the end of the strand beautifully and reflect the attention to detail that buyers look for. There are several different styles of clam shell bead tips. The style you want to use depends on your application. A single open-loop bead tip is great to use for a necklace design, but may not be strong enough to use in a bracelet design. A double closed-loop bead tip, however, is durable enough for both. Here we will show how to use a double closed-loop bead tip. To see instructions on how to use a single open loop bead tip, click here.
To begin your design, you will want to tie a knot in your stringing material. Pull the string through the hole in the bead tip so that the knot rests in the tip. You want to make sure that the loops on the bead tip are pointing towards the ends of your design, where you will be attaching a clasp. Make sure the knot is big enough to ensure that you cannot pull it through. You may need to tie multiple knots to achieve this.
Nice choice! All or most of the products needed for this project are shown below with quantities. Sometimes we sell out of components and aren’t able to order more from the manufacturer (we know, it is very disappointing to us, too). Use the opportunity to mix up the design and make it yours by substituting similar products or altering the entire color scheme—it’s up to you!
Often, the difference between fair looking jewelry and professional looking jewelry is how the piece is finished. The use of clam shell bead tips, also known as calottes, is especially important to the look of hand-knotted jewelry projects. Clam shell bead tips can increase the value of a jewelry piece because they hide the knot at the end of the strand beautifully and reflect the attention to detail that buyers look for. There are several different styles of clam shell bead tips. The style you want to use depends on your application. A single open-loop bead tip is great to use for a necklace design, but may not be strong enough to use in a bracelet design. A double closed-loop bead tip, however, is durable enough for both. Here we will show how to use a double closed-loop bead tip. To see instructions on how to use a single open loop bead tip, click here.
To begin your design, you will want to tie a knot in your stringing material. Pull the string through the hole in the bead tip so that the knot rests in the tip. You want to make sure that the loops on the bead tip are pointing towards the ends of your design, where you will be attaching a clasp. Make sure the knot is big enough to ensure that you cannot pull it through. You may need to tie multiple knots to achieve this.