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Every beader has a piece that kinked. One sharp bend in cheap beading wire leaves a permanent bright crimp that no amount of straightening removes, and the necklace never hangs right again. That failure is designed into the cheapest wire on the market. This article compares ordinary tigertail with GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire and explains why the lower sticker price of tigertail usually costs more over the life of a piece. GRIFFIN has made bead stringing materials in Germany since 1866.
What is Tigertail wire?
Tigertail is the generic name for the cheapest category of beading wire: a few strands of stainless steel twisted together and dipped in a plastic coating. It is stiff, it holds a bright metallic look, and it is inexpensive, which is why it fills the bottom shelf of most bead shops.
The problems come from that construction. A few strands mean the wire is stiff and prone to kinking. The plastic coating is soft and can peel, split, or drag at a bead hole. And because the steel underneath carries internal tension from the way it is made, tigertail tends to spring and coil rather than hang straight. It is fine for a one-off practice piece. It is a poor choice for anything you want to keep.
What is GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire?
GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire is specially developed twisted miniature stainless-steel wires under a transparent GRIFFIN HiFlex nylon coating. Think of it as real steel cable in miniature. It is made in Germany and comes in two constructions: 19 strands and 49 strands.
The 19-strand wire is the ideal all-round wire, combining good tensile strength with softness and flexibility, and it comes in six diameters. The 49 strand wire is the softest, and most flexible of all, the one professional jewellers reach for first, and it comes in four diameters. The 19 strand is available clear, silver-plated, and 24K gold-plated; the plated finishes use 7-micron 925 sterling silver or 7-micron 24K gold over the steel strands. The 49-strand is clear only. It is not solid silver or solid gold; the plating sits over stainless steel, which is what gives the wire its strength.
The Coating Test: How GRIFFIN HiFlex outperforms plastic-coated Tigertail
Run both wires between finger and thumb and the difference is immediate. Tigertail's plastic coating feels waxy and stiff: under a bead hole it can catch and abrade. The GRIFFIN HiFlex nylon coating is smoother and more supple, and it lets the wire drape rather than stand away from the neck.
The coating is not just a finish, it protects the steel and keeps the wire running cleanly through beads. Because the HiFlex coating is transparent, it shows the wire honestly instead of masking a cheaper core under thick opaque plastic. That suppleness is why GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire retains its flexibility and drapes more gracefully around the neck, where the Tigertail sits rigid.
Kinking and the corkscrew effect: Why Tigertail fails and GRIFFIN does not
The corkscrew effect is the giveaway of cheap wire. Lay a length of Tigertail down and it coils back on itself, because the steel holds internal tension from manufacture. String beads on it and the piece twists rather than hanging in a clean arc.
GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire has no internal tension, so no unsightly corkscrew effect is produced. It lies flat off the spool and hangs straight once beaded. Kinking is the related failure: low-strand wire bent sharply takes a permanent crimp. More strands of finer steel flex instead of creasing, which is why the multi-strand GRIFFIN wire resists the single sharp kink that ruins a Tigertail piece.
Strand count matters: tigertail's low-strand count vs GRIFFIN's 49-strand flexibility
Strand count is the number that predicts how a wire behaves. Each strand is a fine steel wire; the more of them twisted together, the more the cable flexes rather than bends, and the softer it drapes.
Tigertail's low-strand count is the root of its stiffness and its tendency to kink. GRIFFIN's 49- strand wire is at the other end of the scale: made from 49 twisted miniature stainless-steel wires, it is the softest and most flexible option, recommended for professional jewellery production and ideal for the smallest pearls and exclusive pieces. The 19-strand jewelry wire sits in between, the sensible all-rounder that is very tear resistant and well suited to large gemstones. Both are knottable and neither is a corkscrew.
Long-term cost: cheap wire that breaks vs GRIFFIN that lasts
Here is where the sticker price misleads. Tigertail is cheap per metre, but a kinked wire means restringing the whole piece, and a coating that splits at a bead hole means the wire fails without warning. Every failure costs the beads, the findings, the time to rebuild, and sometimes the piece itself if beads are lost.
GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire costs more per metre and comes in practical lengths of roughly 9.15 m, 30.5 m, and 305 m, so the cost per piece on a larger spool is modest. A wire that does not kink, does not corkscrew, and does not abrade at the bead hole is a wire you string once. For anything sold, gifted, or meant to last, the wire that survives the first sharp bend is the cheaper wire in the end.
Professional jewellers' verdict
Professional jewellery designers tend to choose the 49-strand wire for its flexibility, softness, and tensile strength, and the fact that it produces no corkscrew effect. For all-round work with larger gemstones, the 19-strand wire gives excellent tear resistance with good value. Neither carries the internal tension that makes tigertail spring and coil.
The verdict is straightforward. Tigertail has a place for disposable practice pieces. For work meant to be worn and kept, a multi-strand, nylon-coated wire made to specification is the tool that holds up, which is why the reference beaders return to once they have restrung one tigertail failure too many.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire real silver or gold?
No. The silver-plated and gold-plated 19-strand wires use 7-micron plating over stainless-steel strands. The strength is in the steel; the plating is the finish.
Which diameter should I choose?
Match diameter to bead weight and hole size: finer wire for small pearls and glass beads, heavier wire for large or heavy stones. The 19-strand comes in six diameters, the 49-strand in four.
Can I use crimps and clasps on GRIFFIN Jewelry Wire?
Yes. It finishes with crimp beads or crimp tubes and Tube Ends. GRIFFIN clasps and findings are made of 925 sterling silver, nickel-free, with 7-micron 24K gold plating (where applicable).
Does GRIFFIN wire need special care?
Wipe metal findings with a GRIFFIN cleaning cloth and never use cleaning agents. The wire itself needs no special treatment.
