Marcy,
Hand knotting your beads has several advantages: The beads are
cushioned by the knots, protecting them from mutual abrasion, the
strands ‘drape’ gracefully when worn, have a visual “rhythm”, and,
should the strand break, your customer won’t have to frantically
grope after a cascade of beads spilling to the floor while cursng
your parentage… If you want your piece to look, act, and be
’classy’, then the classic, traditional method of knotting is the way
to go. Of course, it is much more time-consuming, which makes the
piece more expensive to produce, but the finished product will look
and behave like jewelry, rather than a craft project.
There are exceptions, of course, mainly based on the size, and
sometimes the shape, of the beads. Liquid silver tubes, heishi, and
seedbeads do not benefit from knotting in between, obviously. Another
exception, or rather, alternative, is stylistic; I sometimes will
link beads together with silver or gold wire, e.g. Even metal chain,
such as foxtail, is preferable in some cases.
However, if your goal is to produce a quick, inexpensive “fun” or
fashion product, using beads of lower-end material , then a product
like beadalon will do the job. Everything has its place.
It’s my feeling that quality components deserve the respect of
quality construction. Cheap methods cheapen the product.
I have one question: I am very familiar with azurite/malachite, but
have not heard of azurite/chalcedony. Is this something new on the
market?
Good luck with your project,
Margery