French wire

With French Wire, you give your jewellery a luxurious, neat finish while protecting the beading wire at the clasp from wear and tear. In this DIY, I'll show you step by step how I finish my necklaces for a durable, professional result. 

What you’ll need

- French Wire
- Ring clasp
- Beading wire
- Crimp bead

Step 1
Cut a piece of French Wire approximately 1 cm long.

Step 2
Thread a crimp bead, the piece of French Wire and one loop of the bolt ring clasp onto your beading wire. Then thread the wire back through the crimp bead, leaving about 2 cm of wire extending.

Step 3
Slide the bolt ring clasp into position so the French Wire sits neatly around the loop. Then pull the crimp bead tightly against the French Wire.

Step 4
Keep tension on the beading wire so there is no gap between the French Wire and the crimp bead. Then firmly crimp the bead using crimping pliers.

Step 5
Now thread the beads for your necklace.

Step 6
Repeat steps 2 to 4 on the other side of the necklace: thread a crimp bead, a piece of French Wire and the second loop of the bolt ring clasp. Thread the wire back through the crimp bead, keep tension on the wire and firmly crimp the bead.

That's it! Your necklace now has a neat, luxurious finish, and the French Wire protects the beading wire from wear and tear. This helps your jewellery stay beautiful for longer and gives it a professional finish.