How to Use Tiger Tail in Necklace Making

Maybe many people start their jewelry making by making stringed jewelry, such as stringed necklaces, stringed bracelets and so on. But along with the growing of their jewelry making skills, they must want to create some complicated designs, and want to use jewelry wires which including tiger tail, stainless steel, memory wire, aluminum wire and etc.

Tiger tail is widely used in jewelry making. It is very strong and comes in an array of colors and sizes. While, please keep in mind that tiger tails are not suitable for wire wrapping designs. This kind of jewelry wire is strong enough so that it is very suitable for create heavy jewelry. Here I would like to share two jewelry making ideas about how to use tiger tails in necklace making.

Fashion Necklaces

The first idea is a simple but classic acrylic beads necklace. The materials you need are tiger tail, about 32pcs opaque acrylic beads (about 16mm in diameter), brass magnetic clasp and crimp beads. About the color of opaque acrylic beads, I will use one color only. Let’s use red beads to create a simple. First, cut off a length of tiger tail, string a crimp bead and a part of magnetic clasp from one end, and turn the wire back from crimp bead. Use your crimp jewelry plier to press the crimp bead to hold jump ring in the loop created by tiger tail. Second, string all red opaque acrylic beads on. Third, string a crimp bead and the other part of alloy magnetic clasp to make a loop at the other end of this necklace as the first step. Necklace is finished and only need three steps. About the acrylic beads, you can also choose them in different sizes to put the largest one in the middle place and smaller to two sides.

Handmade Polymer Clay Necklaces

The second necklace is created with polymer clay and glass beads. Please prepare the following materials: 7pcs purple handmade polymer clay beads with flowers (about 16mm in diameter), purple and clear bicone glass beads (about 4mm in diameter), crimp beads, Tibetan style bead caps, brass lobster claw clasp and tiger tail. We will use more different materials for this design, but it is very easy to create too. First, cut off a length of tiger tail, string crimp bead and a jump ring on to make a loop for this necklace. Second, string several purple and clear glass beads on wire, and use crimp beads to fix their places. Third, string clay beads on wire with two Tibetan style bead caps at two sides, and use purple glass bead to separate each two adjacent bead caps. Fourth, string the rest purple and clear glass beads on, and use crimp beads to fix their places too. The last step is use crimp bead to make a loop to attach lobster claw clasp and stop beads to fall off.

From the above two designs, you will find that using tiger tail to create necklaces is very easy, even if you are just a beginner of jewelry making.

Steel Tiger Tail Is Versatile in Making Beaded Jewelry

If you want to create beaded jewelry, you cannot miss steel tiger tails. Tiger tail is available in a wide range of colors and can be used to create durable but comfortable jewelry pieces. That is why so many jewelry makers like to use Tiger tail to create jewelry designs, such as necklaces and bracelets.

Tiger Tail

As a traditional beading wire with a small number of strands, steel tiger tail is economical and typically very strong, but it can kink easily when you bend it. Well, depending on the brand, Tiger tail may or may not be coated with nylon; even most of them are coated with nylon. About the size of this wire, it is measured in inches or millimeters as well as in gauges. Gauges range from 0 to around 50; the smaller the number, the thicker the wire.

Steel tiger tail is a commonly used jewelry wires in jewelry making. It is very strong and a good choice for beading heavy necklaces, bracelets and earrings. This wire is stiff, and cannot be bent into wire wrapped loops at its ends like other types of beading wire as it will form kinks. Instead, tiger tail is attached to jump rings and clasps with crimp beads. Even though it cannot be used for wire wrapping, it can be used to give the look of an “invisible” setting, where the beads look like they are floating.

Tiger Tail

To the beginners of jewelry making, they may not clear about how to use crimp beads on tiger tail. Here is instruction. String one or two jewelry beads, a crimp bead and a jump ring on the wire first, and turn the wire back to string the crimp bead and jewelry beads again. Leave a length of wire to make it as loop to hold the jump ring. Use your crimp tools to close crimp bead. Now, you have attached a jump ring and crimp bead on the wire successfully. You can string your rest jewelry beads to finish your design now. Use the same method to make a loop to hold a clasp. A handmade necklace or bracelet is created.

Apart from having a wide range of selection with colors, steel tiger tail is good for most beads, for the nylon coating protects the steel wire inside it from rough bead edges and giving your jewelry design a longer life. What is more, you can get a range of selection and cheap prices if you purchase tiger tail from jewelry beads wholesale online stores. 

Steel Tiger Tail Is Best for Heavy Jewelry Designs

Steel tiger tail is a stiffer wire that consists of many thin strands of steel wires. It is a nylon coated wire cable which is used for heavier beads and jewelry making. This kind of wire comes in a variety of sizes and colors. It is usually used for necklaces making, bracelets making or anklets making.

Tiger Tail, Silver Gray

Tiger tail, also sometimes spelt Tigertail, is really a kind of beading wire. They are resilient and durable. They are available in different sizes (from 0.3mm to 1mm) and various colors; you can choose what you like or suitable for your designs. Using this kind of wire to string beads is very easy, as this wire is not soft and won’t knot itself. And just because they are not soft as some other cords which can be knotted easily, you need to use crimp beads to make ends with this wire to stop jewelry beads fall off. You can make a loop with this wire to hold your clasp before you press crimp beads, and then you don’t need to use jump rings to attach the clasps onto your necklace or bracelet.

Tiger Tail, Red, 0.38mm

A jewelry designer said:”Steel tiger tail wire is actually my favorite kind of jewelry making wire to use for creating beaded necklaces. It is flexible like string, but with the strength of wire. It is actually a braided stainless steel wire coated with nylon. This makes it a perfect substitute for string with sharper beads like glass and stone. The rough edges of the beads will not wear out this wire as they would string. You can use this as wire completely covered up with beads, or for that “floating” bead look. This wire requires the use of crimp beads to secure clasps to it, and to get that floating effect. However, tiger tail is not a wire wrapping wire.”

Tiger Tail, Mixed Color

Steel tiger tails can be purchased easily from online stores. You will get a wide range of selection about their sizes, colors and prices from them, as there are tens of thousands of jewelry online stores all over the world. Well, in order to avoid meeting problems after you receive your wires, please make sure to do more research or homework to find a reliable supplier. PandaHall.com, as a leading China beads, findings and gems online market, is recommended by several friends. If you also want to save money and get quality items in one-stop shopping, you can have a try.