Stringing diamond beads

Jewelry Discussion
1

Has any one strung these tiny Any advice on materials or
process. Thank you.

Donna Leventhal

2

.010 or.012 beadalon will do the trick. When you buy them, make sure
the drill holes are big enough. Strands should be shown on a wire,
not a thin strand of cotton. That way you’ll know you can string
them. Beacab gems in New york always has a great selection.

3

Hi Donna,

Has any one strung these tiny Any advice on materials
or process. Thank you.

I can’t offer any suggestions for stringing diamond beads. However,
if you haven’t purchased the diamonds yet check them out carefully
before buying.

I bought a string of diamond beads a few years ago without checking
them closely. When I went to use them, the hole didn’t go straight
through the bead. It went in at an angle from each side. My guess is
that the holes were made using a laser. The bead was held between 2
lasers. They had to be set at an angle so they wouldn’t shoot each
other when the hole got to the center.

You can’t get a very good look at the inside of the hole, but
because of the angle, there’d be a sharp ridge where the 2 holes
meet. This would undoubtedly put additional wear on any thread or
wire that was used to string the beads.

Check the hole in the diamond bead by pushing a wire through it. If
it goes through unobstructed the beads should be useable. If there is
an obstruction about half through from each side you may want to
reconsider.

Dave

4

Hi, Dave!

I bought a string of diamond beads a few years ago without
checking them closely. When I went to use them, the hole didn't go
straight through the bead. It went in at an angle from each side.
My guess is that the holes were made using a laser. The bead was
held between 2 lasers. They had to be set at an angle so they
wouldn't shoot each other when the hole got to the center.

What you are describing above is not laser drilling but
hand-drilling. The beads are hand-drilled from each side. Their
meeting can be less than smooth, snagging any stringing material.
Using a diamond-tipped bead reamer will smooth out the rough drill
holes. While it is time-consuming, all beads will be usable. In a
perfect world the drill hole is through the center of the bead, so
there is no wobble when the strand is rolled on a flat surface.
Wobble cannot be righted; the bead is just badly drilled. Look for
ultrasonically drilled beads, which will have smooth, straight
holes.

With precious bead strands, the holes will always be smaller because
they are sold by weight. The harder stones allow less movement of the
ultrasonic drill, also resulting in smaller holes. The goal is
getting stringing material thin enough to hold the beads while
maintaining sercurity for the necklace.

Kind regards,

Mary Stachura
www.StachuraWholesale.com

5

Hi Mary,

What you are describing above is not laser drilling but
hand-drilling.......[snip] Look for ultrasonically drilled beads, which
will have smooth, straight holes.

Thanks for the info!

I’ll try enlarging the holes.

Dave