Clamshell beads are a great way to finish off a strung necklace, we’ll walk you through it and there’s a video below for you to check out!
To make things a little easier I’ve put a bit of glue on the tip of the string to create a needle-like tapered end which I’ll string through the middle hole of the clamshell. Then I’m going to thread through a crimp bead, you don’t have to do this but I like to because I feel it makes things more secure.
Next, you want to knot the string, put it through the bead and then knot it. Shift the bead over to where you want it and crimp it down with a pair of flat nosed pliers, then trim off the excess string.
The reason why it’s called a clam shell is because it’s shaped like the two sides of a clam, if you don’t want to use a crimp bead on the end of your string then you can use a dab of glue or, if it’s nylon string, you can melt it.
The clamshell section is closed so if you’re going to use an extension chain you can add that now. I’ve opened up the curled loop with my pliers so it’s ready to add a spring ring clasp, in this case, I’ve used a lobster clasp. I’m going to close it, if both hands are free then it’s usually better to use two pair of pliers to close it as this makes it more secure.
When you’re done you’ll have the string, the clamshell, the loop and then the clasp in that order. With the other side of the necklace, I’m going to use a pin to help me make the knot. I’m going tie the knot over the pin and then push the knot all the way to end. I’m doing this because I don’t want to have a loose bit with the clamshell in one spot and the knot in another spot with empty space in between. However, you do want to leave enough slack so that the necklace flows nicely. I suggest that you move/arrange your beads so that they’re not bunched up. You can do this by curling up your necklace and then smooth it out so the beads are in position and won’t be too stiff or have spaces and then finish off your piece!
Watch the video below:
