I always cringe when I read about or hear about needle-nose pliers used to flatten and secure crimp beads. That works in an emergency, but if you want your jewelry to look as professional and polished as possible, try using crimping pliers. They give the crimp beads a smoother look by rounding them out, and the wearer won’t be poked and scratched by any sharp edges. Crimp beads are excellent when you want to make beads look like they’re floating.

I adore my crimping pliers. Before you use them, get to know them first. Hold them up with the handles together and look at the nose. There’ll be two holes there. The first is an oval shape and the other hole is bean shaped. Some will say it’s an oval with a dip; it’s a bean shape to me. Go ahead, check it out.

To use your pliers, slip the crimp bead onto your wire or thread. Put on a clasp or end piece, and then loop the end of the wire back into the crimp bead. Position the bead and wires/thread in the bean shaped hole and close the pliers around the bead. You’ll see that your crimp bead is now indented or curled. To secure the bead onto the wire, position it sideways in the first oval hole, and gently flatten the curled ends together so they meet. Be careful not to squeeze too hard or you’ll end up breaking your crimp and then you’ll have to start all over. Also make sure you don’t crimp too closely to other beads or they’ll break if the pliers close around them.

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