Ask the Experts Beading Q&A

A friend asked me to fix a beaded necklace that had two strands, twisted around each other, with a large pendant in the center. One strand broke, leaving one side still twisted. Some beads had fallen off and were missing, so I basically had to start from scratch using new beads. Before cutting the remaining strands, I photographed the twisted strand, and the ends attached to the clasp. I then inspected the twisted strands to see how they stayed twisted. I saw nothing special that made the twists stay twisted. Next, I made two strands of beads to test what looked like “too easy”.  As I feared, the strands untwisted. I searched the internet looking for the magic trick that I was missing. I found one post, words only, no pictures, and it talked about twisting 3 strands, which I could not relate to my issue. I am hoping one of the experts at Fire Mountain Gems could make a tutorial for twisting two strands. Can you help?

Absolutely. Here are the instructions on how to create a two-strand beaded twist:

1. String and finish two strands of beads separately, making them identical in finished length.
2. Gather the strands together and securely fasten them with a multi-strand clasp or a single jump ring on a single strand clasp. Anchor the clasp to a weight or clipboard. 
• Adding both strands to an anchored clasp is important so you can make and maintain the twist. 
3. Twist both strands in the same direction, uniformly. 
4. As the strands twist, maintain the tension. 
5. Add the loose ends to the opposite side of the clasp. 

- Patti