I need some pearl beads

[Enfys]

But...............

I need 3mm (preferable) or 4mm with a hole about 1mm. I want them to make a crotat bridal set and this involves putting a crochet hook through the middle and pulling the thread through. I bought some lovely ones but had to send them back because the hole was too small.

I have some Toho size 8 beads which are perfect for the job but I though pearls would look nicer.

Any suggestions?

[Westcountry Lass]

Did you want genuine pearls or glass pearls? Beads Direct have a selection of both but unfortunately they don't say what the hole sizes are. I know genuine pearls tend to have quite small holes you could possibly make the hole bigger with a bead reamer.

[MornieG Jewellery]

I'm not aware of any pearls with that large a hole. Even Swarovski glass ones are nowhere near that. You could redrill natural pearls as the nacre is relatively soft but you would probably have to do it in stages to gradually enlarge the hole and I wouldn't have thought it was worth the effort.

Hope someone can help you.

Mo.XX

[pinkita]

as suggested above , i would recommend beads direct as well. they are reasonably priced and deliver the next day as standard if you are in the middle of an important project this is very handy

[bojanglebeads]

3mm/4mm Pearl Beads | Crocheting with Beads

Hi Enfys,

you've landed yourself a difficult little task here, haven't you?! You will find it difficult to find a glass pearl that small with a hole that large. The larger the hole in the bead, the weaker it makes it, so putting it into perspective, a 4mm bead with a 1mm hole has 1/4 of it's entire diameter removed. The only real exception to this rule are seed beads, as you mentioned.
We do sell 4mm glass pearls, but the hole would not accommodate a 1mm thread. We personally would tend to use them with KO beading thread, monofilament or tigertail beading thread, all of which are considerably finer than 1mm.
Freshwater pearls have even smaller holes, and redrilling them is very risky business. Drilling a larger hole through a solid bead is actually less risky than widening a smaller hole, due to drill-bits snagging and ripping the bead apart from the inside.
If a 1mm hole is a must, and you've found that your Toho Size 8 Seed Beads accommodate this adequately, we recommend you stick to this. Swarovski pearls have a VERY fine hole in them too (although they are very beautiful!).

I hope this helps, make sure you post us an update to let us know what you decided to do!

[C.ynthia]

Pearls by Snowfall or Sayila

Maybe it's usefull that you look at snowfall or sayila. These website have a lot of pearls with a hole ±1mm.

Good Luck.

[Enfys]

Thanks for this answer, although it tells me that I haven't a hope! Unfortunately, drilling bigger holes is out. As I design these items to write and sell the patterns, I need to use materials which are easily accessable and widely available.

I ended up sticking with the clear AB Toho beads. They did the job perfectly. It was just that I thought pearls would give a more "classy" look.

[Incognito 2]

Cultured pearls do not have a 1mm hole normally. If you only wanted a few the 0.7mm hole could be enlarged

[Quartz]

Why not use a size 8 bead with a pearl-like finish, there will be some lush creamy ones out there that will give you the aesthetic you're after.

[AnnieAnna]

Can I change your thinking? Instead of making the hole bigger make the crocheting hook smaller. Make yourself a mini tool. My first thought would be a bit of fuse wire bent in half, my second was a needle threader. Either way you push a loop of wire through the hole in the bead, thread the wool through the loop, pull it back through and your bead is threaded. I have to add I have a tiny pair of jewellery pliers at hand at all times when I'm threading beads.

[mizgeorge]

Since this is a thread from over two years ago, started by a member who hasn't visited the forum for a year, I'm not sure how useful adding advertising posts really is (not Nicola and Annie obviously...)

[Incognito 2]

The normal 0.7mm drill hole in real pearls can be enlarged, I've been doing it a lot this summer with the pearls on leather thing, but it is a right old faff and needs proper kit to do

[AnnieAnna]

Arggghhh! I am a dopey drawers too. Well spotted Mizgeorge. I usually check the date of the first post and missed that one