Leather Bead Tips

If you can preform a crimp, you can easily fix a bead tip to a leather necklace, bracelet, or anklet. Our example uses a thin round Leather Strand and two different kinds of Sterling Silver Leather Bead Tips, but it doesn’t really matter as long as the leather fits snugly into the opening of the bead tip. You will also need some chain nose pliers.

Attaching a Round Leather Bead Tip

In the first example below, the leather is inserted into the bead tip as far as it will go. Since the bead tip is round all you need to do is perform a crimp to flatten it out. Use the midsection of the pliers’ teeth to get more leverage in crushing the metal around the leather

Watch the video!

Attaching a Square Leather Bead Tip

In the second example, the bead tip is slightly more challenging to attach as it’s neither round nor closed. Slide the leather into the slot of the bead tip, and hold it there with your free hand. Crimp the bead tip slightly with the nose of your pliers to make it grip the leather, this allows you to remove your supporting hand. Then, crimp both sides of the bead tip so they meet in the centre.  Do this slowly and in stages, alternating from one side to the other, eventually what started as a square turns into something totally round. Finished!

Watch the video!

Creating a Leather Knot End

Last, we’ll finish a leather necklace or bracelet with a knotted end. It’s quite simple and produces a rustic and natural aesthetic that can be just what your design needs. Our example uses a Thin Round Leather Strand and a 5mm Soldered Ring.

Slide the leather strand through the ring, and then fold a length of it back with the rest of the leather. Don’t be afraid to give yourself a generous amount of slack to work with because you’ll always be able to trim the excess.  Now, making sure to keep the two side-by-side strands of leather close, form a loop and slide the ring through it.  Don’t finish the knot immediately; take your time and edge the knot as close to the ring as possible. If you do this when the knot is loose then you’ll still have room for adjustments, once you cinch the knot adjustments are difficult to make. Finally, when you’re satisfied that the knot is neat and looks good, pull it taught to secure the ring. Finished!

Watch the video!