Balancing a Big-holed Bead
One of the things I find appealing about making jewelry is it allows the perfectionist in me to obsess over details. As a lampworker and a silversmith I find it particularly distressing when a lampwork bead rattles around on a too-thin head pin or stringing material.
Of course the "cheat" has always been to center the bead by "trapping" it on each end with a round bead or by stringing a series of seed beads through the hole of the larger lampwork bead. However, the obsessive will be compelled to ask "but what if the design won't work with round beads?" or "what if the bead hole is too small for seed beads?"
A simple and effective solution is to wrap the headpin or stringing material with a coil of fine gauge sterling silver or copper wire. I use 24 or 26 gauge sterling wire, but fine copper wire such as found in electrical cords is much cheaper and works equally well.
Start by cutting a 1-2 foot section of fine wire (depending on the length of the bead hole). Place the wire perpendicularly against the headpin and carefully begin coiling the wire around the headpin. Try to lay a neat single coil around the headpin.
When you have wound the entire length of wire, test the bead by sliding it over both the headpin and the wire. The coil will probably be too long but you can shorten it by separating coils and snipping the coil at the correct length. Be sure to slide the coil off of the headpin or stringing material before you cut. If the bead has a really big hole it might be necessary to lay a second coil of wire over the first to secure the bead.
— Jane Clark
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