Swarovski

I'm making a pair of earings with size 11 beads, Japanese and Czech, 4mm fire-polished beads, and Swarovski crystals. The earnings are kind of flimsy and collapse in on themselves. I've heard that soaking in floor polsh can help stiffen the design, but would polish damage the Swarovski crystals? What could stiffen the strands? I've tried both Nymo and Fireline, but neither work. Any advice? Thanks.
- asked by Autumn2005

Answer #1
Test the floor polish on a spare bead, then you'llknow for certain.Me, I'd make a wire frame for thebeadwork to help support it, but I do tend to overanalyze things.
- answered by spunk113

Answer #2
Not knowing what type of pattern you're using, I'mgoing to make a few assumptions.Are you using anappropriate size of Nymo or Fireline? If so, itcould be a tension issue. If you're not holdingyour tension tightly enough it may prevent thepattern stabilizing. Conversely, if your tensionis too tight, your work will curl on itself...thetension follows the thread despite the beads.Iftension is not the issue, are you usingconditioned thread? The use of either beeswax orBead Heaven on your thread before you work couldsolve your problem as it would give a little morestability to your thread.Otherwise, yes, floorpolish, such as Future, will work. Dip the piece,wipe off as much of the excess as possible andshape to dry.
- answered by CelticDragon

Answer #3
What about using headpins or wire to make them. They would hold their shape.
- answered by Deborah L