Testing The New Beadalon Products
Spring 2005
Twisting and pulling and prying and tying, Beading Help Web tested five new Beadalon products for you. Here is what we found.
Beadalon Wire Guardians are gold- or silver-plated U shaped guards that are supposed to reduce wear on stringing wire. Exclusive to Beadalon, Wire Guardians have small covered tubes at either end which hold the wire in place and are open across the bottom of the U shape. Thread a crimp bead on the wire next to the last bead, thread the tail of the wire through the Wire Guardian and slip it through the ring on a clasp. Finish by crimping close to the ends of the Wire Guardian. I like the look and functionality of this product, it's easy to use and adds a really nice finished look to jewelry. I haven't had an issue with fraying or wear on my beading wire, but I can see how the metal Wire Guardian would add years of life to bracelets or necklaces! ***
Beadalon Crimp Covers are gold- or silver-plated half open beads that fit over a crimp bead, making the crimp look like a round bead. The Crimp Covers come open, looking like a letter C that is placed over a closed crimp bead or tube and then gently closed using a pliers. Beadalon depicts using the rounding end on a crimp pliers to close the Crimp Cover, but I was unable to fit it inside the crimping pliers. Using a flat nosed pliers does work, but I wasn't thrilled with the final results - the "bead" looks large and plain, and doesn't always close perfectly. Being something of a klutz, I found it difficult to maneuver the pliers holding the crimp bead onto the wire (fingers just didn't work.the Crimp Cover repeatedly fell off while I reached for my pliers). I do know many jewelers who love and use Crimp Covers with great success, I'm just not one of them. **
Beadalon Ear Posts in new styles! I tried out the Heart with 3 Loops and Flower with 1 Loop styles and absolutely loved them. Both styles have attached loops for hanging dangles from, use your imagination and go wild! The Ear Posts are made of lead free pewter with nickel-free silver plate; there are so many stories in the news about jewelry causing problems because of lead that I was thrilled to see no lead! Additionally, I have more and more clients asking for nickel-free earrings, so these really fit the bill. They look great, are fun to get creative with, and won't cause health problems. Perfect! ***
Beadalon Ball/Star Head Pins have gold- or silver-plated finishes and are 2" long. At the end of the head pin is a decorative star with a ball centered on the end. My first impression of the head pins was not positive, they were bent up in the package and resembled something that had been through a small tornado. After straightening with a nylon-jawed pliers, I used them to create some dangles for earrings. While the pins themselves are really thin and appear flimsy, they are great for pearls and small-drilled stones and I was quite pleased with the final results. Using a wrapped loop technique, the Ball/Star Head Pins did create a nicely finished, attractive (and strong) dangle. One caution: the ends of the stars are pointy and sharp - be sure your design allows for skin and material space to prevent injury or snagging. ** 1/2
Beadalon Cell Phone Straps, also known as cell phone charms, come in your choice of plain or woven styles. Super hot for teens or anyone with a cell phone or PDA, the straps have white plated metal ends with an O ring for hanging personalized dangles or charms. The ultra thin but strong plain strap that I tested fits easily under the tiny loop at the top of my cell phone (use a needle to pull through if you have difficulty) and the sparkly Swarovski crystal dangles I added to the end make my phone unique. I love this product and it's incredibly easy to customize. Expect Cell Phone Straps to be a hot seller! ***
Ratings:
*** Go find this now and start using it!
** Pick it up if you see it, but I'm not all that excited about it
* Don't bother
