Question:
I need to restring 2 long strands of what I think are old Venetian
glass. They are about 9mm, and are baroque rounds with silver foil. The
strands are probably 36 inches or more long. They were originally
knotted. The holes seem a bit rough and are about 1.5mm. Would knotting
again be the best choice? If so, with silk or nylon? What size would
give me a knot big enough? Should I use a doubled strand?
Sorry for so many questions. I considered Softflex but I think I like
the 'safety' of a knotted strand with these beads. Is knotting a bad
idea though?
Answer:
-I'm really interested in the answers you receive to this question,
because I've been thinking about making a necklace of lampwork on
knotted silk, but I'm not sure how to go about it... especially
finishing the ends. I'd like to use an 18kt gold safety clasp of the
variety you usually find on pearls.
-I had been told by Barry at Caravan Beads that their C-Lon might work
for heavy beads if knotted. He did say though that with any abrasive
beads ANY cording will eventually fray. I know that the nylon coated
steel wires (like Soft Flex) are stronger, but even they have their
breaking points. I've had a customer that has come in several times to
restring a heavy strand of magnetic hematite that keeps breaking, and
we've even tried a double strand of .024. I like the fact that
expensive or special beads, when knotted, won't all come apart if one
section breaks.
I think the best way, for longevity, would be to wire wrap the whole
strand, but this isn't always the look we want.
-If it were me, and the holes of the beads were big enough, I'd line
each bead with size 15 or smaller seed beads so the Venetian beads
wouldn't touch the silk.
