New C-Lon Bead Cord Colors - July 2015

C-Lon July 2015 Colors: Aurum, Medium Brown, Green Olive, and Venetian Red.

Compare C-Lon Bead Cord Aurum to other Gold Tones

Aurum, the Latin name for gold, is the new gold tone. It is a great addition to the gold tones and yellow range. Here it is, surrounded by Lemon and Golden Yellow (at bottom), Light Maize & Marigold (on left), Gold (on right), Tan & Antique Gold (on top).  

Medium Brown, in the midst of the other brown tones, with at top: Latte, Sable and Brown, then continuing in a clockwise fashion, Chocolate, Sepia, Antique Brown, then Cocoa, more of a grayish taupe… and finally Mahogany, a reddish brown. 

Here is Medium Brown, next to Sable. It shows the tone and value difference between the two. 

Green Olive, the newest olive green addition, is greener than Olive and darker than Olivine… Compare it to Myrtle Green (at top), Chartreuse (left), Peridot, Fern, and Green (above) and Forest Green (on right), and Olivine and Olive (below).

Venetian Red, a perfect lower saturated red that reminds us of natural earth clay tinted by iron oxide, the interior of palaces in Venice, or the murals of Pompeii… is surrounded clockwise starting on left with Black Current, Sienna, Copper Rose, Chinese Coral, Shanghai Red, Red-Hot and Red.

I am truly amazed to have so many colors to work with!

> Shop for C-Lon Bead Cord

> See the New C-Lon Bead Cord June Colors

C-Lon Bead Cord - How to Identify Colors

As the collection grows, it is getting more and more difficult to keep track of some of the colors without some kind of reference. Here are some suggestions that might help to keep track of your colors.

At first, here is how you will receive your order if you place it with marion jewels in fiber online store:

… in plastic bags with a label with cord type and name tags

… in a cardboard box

When ordering 5 spools or more, you will get them in a box. The back row of the box is packed first from left to right, then the front row also from left to right. If the colors are obvious no label will be included. You will need to figure out which color is which based on your packing slip.

… in a cardboard box with a label

If the colors are too close to be easily identified, a label is affixed with color names codes. These codes are listed on your packing slip or invoice, the website, and the color chart.

So now, you know what colors you just got, but the challenge is how to keep track of these colors especially with a group such as the one above once you start playing around with them…

Get an Official Color Card Set

C-Lon Bead Cord Color Sample Cards

104 cards have actual samples of each color of the C-Lon Bead Cord. Plus 4 cards are size comparison cards with Micro Cord, Tex 135 Fine Weight, standard or regular Bead Cord and the heavyweight Tex 400. Each card has about a yard of cord.

They are organized in alphabetical order by codes and bound in 4 sets. Each group is attached by a plastic tie.

Actual cards are 2 1/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches (5.7 cm x 6.3 cm). $45.00 a Set > Get one

These color sample cards represent a tremendous amount of work by C-Lon and minimal mark-up all around, well a labor of love at the $45.00 price for 108 cards. New colors get added, but with a bit of a delay... The Neons are in. The New Colors as of June 2015 have not been added in yet.

Print a Color Chart and Add Actual Samples

Printed C-Lon Color Charts

Photographed with customer right at the show. Thank you!

A customer came to a show armed with these color charts. This way she had a record for the colors already had, plus she had marked the one that needed to be re-purchased…  Actual samples of the cord stapled in a butterfly fashion is a brilliant idea!

Spools can be compared to the chart and the actual cord sample for identification. All the C-Lon Bead Cord sizes have now a printable version of the color chart. Just look for the 'Print Color Chart' link, then print them and overtime as you add more colors to your collection fill in the squares. Haha, that sounds like lotto.

These were printed on photo paper and placed into clear sheet protectors. If you do not have a printer, the color charts could be printed at a copy place from the PDFs online. Most copy/printers nowadays can access a file online.

Add Tags to the Spools

Tags for C-Lon Bead Cord

Another customer sent me this picture a few weeks back… She described how she did it and I duplicated the mini-tags below. Thank you for the fabulous idea!

Code on one side

Take an address label. Cut it in 1/2 length-wise, leaving it attached to the back of the label paper. Write the color name in the top quarter facing the top edge. Write the code on the next quarter facing the long side. Remove it from the backing, fold the top quarter back onto itself. Fold the label into a small tube and insert inside the center hole of the spool. Once in, flatten the label with a knitting needle, crochet hook handle or whatever you have on hand with a thin long cylinder. Hey it sounds way more complicated than it actually is. It really is very easy to do. Just wait for the ink to dry before folding the label. I smeared mine… 

Full name on the other side

The spools can be stored with their little tags sideways in the boxes, on wood rack, or in plastic boxes, I tried them on my wood rack, and yes it works. The actual length of the tags could be fine tuned to minimize their heights.

The large bobbin box I carry for C-Lon Bead Thread Size D & AA,  plus KO or Miyuki Beading Thread will hold 12 spools of C-Lon Bead Cord in ant for the 4 sizes with enough extra space for the name tags on the spools. I will add a picture of the box filled with C-Lon Spools as soon as I can.

In addition to these solutions,  I have also encountered customers with notebooks with snippet of cord attached with names and date of purchase. I am very fond of all these homegrown solutions. 

Let me know if you have any other suggestions. The professionals thus far early on thought of complicated and expensive solutions such as plastic canisters for each spools. Or a longer plastic tube for several spools, so each time you needed a color, you had to dump everything out to get the color you needed…. I found all of these attempts to be a waste of time and money, plus they were not environmentally friendly. 

Please reuse or recycle plastic bags, and/or cardboard boxes sent with your order. Grocery stores have recycling for plastic bags. Most places nowadays have curb recycling for cardboard. Thanks ;)

Other post you might be interested in...

> C-Lon Bead Cord - Comparing Sizes

> Storing C-Lon Bead Cord

> C-Lon versus S-Lon (SuperLon)

New C-Lon Bead Cord Colors - June 2015

C-Lon just released 4 new colors. How do they compare with existing colors? What's their values, their hues, and their saturation levels? 

I will try to answers these questions by comparing them with existing colors in a picture form. 

Copper Rose is an amazing color and the perfect answer if you are looking for a soft copper tone with a Southwest feel. On my computer this jpeg rendition looks pretty good when compared with the real spool, but keep in mind that browsers and screens all have their own rendition of colors...

As to the real cord color, it is a fine addition and I can't wait to work with it!

Copper Rose is right in between Sea Shell, Ginger, Sienna & Black Currant

Here is Copper Rose (CPR, yes it is ready to come and help, haha) in the center surrounded by the colors listed in the picture above, plus on top: Peach Glow, Pink Lemonade, Chinese Coral.
Below: Wine, the a bit lower, Rose, Cerise, and Eggplant.

Myrtle Green compared to Fern and Sage… 

The greens, Myrtle Green just arrived, Cypress Green will arrive next month, but I already have a sample spool… so mere is a outline of the major payers in the green field… Did that sound like a joke?

Myrtle Green is in, right at the top, a bluish green. It is a great addition. Cypress Green is in the lower area, greener than Olive, darker than Olivine, lighter and more olive than Forest Green.

Now let's move on to the Oranges...

Popsicle Orange is a bright orange, that will work well with the colors above, Peach Gold, Tangerine, Orange, and Shanghai Red, plus Light Copper. In addition it will bridge Golden Yellow and Orange.

The next color is the oddest color I have ever seen, as it reacts to light in unusual way. It is a hot pink in most light condition, but with light hitting it at the right angle it becomes redder… 

Fluo Hot pink get a reddish cast depending on the angle of the light… It is quite complex even when compared with Poinsettia, a slightly fluorescent color and Neon Pink

Here you can see 2 spools of FHP reacting differently to the same ambient light, The spool on the left stays hot pink, where as the one on the lower right becomes redder on the edges. The spool on the top right, Poinsettia, is a semi fluorescent color. Poinsettia is quite as reactive to light as Fluo Hot Pink.

Next month, in July, 4 other colors are coming in, Aurum, Medium Brown, Green Olive & Venetian Red. Then in August & September, these same colors will also become available in the Tex 400 Bead Cord Size. At least that's the plan. 

I am truly amazed to have so many colors to work with!

> Shop for C-Lon Bead Cord

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Leather Wrap Bracelets with Miyuki Tila Beads

I first heard of leather wrap bracelets or bead ladder bracelets a few years ago when customers asked my advice for the best cord to use for these bracelets. Ultimately I had to test the cords myself and play around with the concept. As a rule, I do not check how others approach a specific project, I prefer to work out my own technique. Adding beads with a wrap leather construction is a traditional Egyptian design, but its latest rendition has a few modern twists... So I started making some test bracelets with leather cord, beads I had around, such 6mm gemstones beads, fresh water pearls, Miyuki Size 6 Seed beads and a variety of cords from C-Lon Fine Weight Bead Tex 135, C-Lon Micro Cord and C-Lon Bead Thread Size D. I took them to my shows as I always like to test my customers responses and kept selling them without getting a chance to take any pictures. My friends and family all wanted them too, so I kept making more bracelets... It gave me a chance to refine my techniques.

Confetti & Light Purple

Along the way I decided to try some with Miyuki Tila beads. First I made my own mixes, with some iridescent, some flat and some metallic Tila beads, then matched the mixes with Greek leather and C-Lon Bead Thread Size D. The Miyuki Tila beads have nice smooth holes, but they are small. The C-Lon Bead thread Size D fits well through the bead holes especially with the use of English embroidery beading needles. I prefer these needles over the standard English beading needles as they are shorter and they have a blunt end, less likely to split the thread and damage it. A light application of beeswax over the thread is also helpful.

For the button closure, I adopted a bead rondelle instead of the more traditional metal button: Black Horn, Golden Horn, Frosted Quartz and Frosted Black Quartz mostly, with a size 6 Miyuki seed bead as final decoration.

Tila beads are flat, light and very smooth. They measure 5mm x 5mm x 1.9mm and they have 2 parallel holes about 0.8mm wide. They are a new shape of glass beads made by Miyuki. They remind me of little mosaic tiles found in Europe, especially in high end Italian bathrooms, but miniaturized. They have been described as chiclets shaped, I don't get that. I guess you would have to get a bubblegum color... just kidding.

The Tila beads make a very light bracelet, comfortable to wear especially when paired with a button made out of horn. Get a kit to get a jump start and make your own. These bracelets are fun, easy to wear and addictive, plus they can be stacked!

> Wrap Leather Bracelet Kits with Tila Beads
> Leather Supplies
> Set Up to Demo the Wrap Bracelet with good closeup pictures! 

Material included in the kit... in the Green Patina & Natural combo, enough to make 3 bracelets.

Tips: Best Ways of Loading Beads onto Cords

I get several emails a week asking me for the best way to load beads onto nylon bonded cord such as the C-Lon Cords or Nylon #18.

Here are some suggestions:

• Big eye needles
• Tapestry Needles or Beading Needles preferably with blunt ends such as bead Embroidery Needles - Size depending on the cord and beads sizes
• Collapsible needles such as a Griffin needles
• Threaders such as fine cord to pull your cord through. For example using C-Lon Micro Cord to pull through C-Lon Bead Cord. You can also use a needle attached to the threader or make a self needle with the threader.
• Self needles using Fray Check by dipping or rubbing some Fray Check onto the end of the cord. Let dry overnight or at least for a few hours. Cut the cord at an angle and use it as a needle. Re-cut at needed.
• Self needles with beeswax. Shred the cord with the blade of a scissor or a razor blade. Wax it. Shred it again and wax it until you get a nice point. Cut the end at an angle. Roll it with you fingers into a nice point.

The first 4 methods let you insert the beads with an actual needle, so they can be a bit faster than self needles. But since you also have to get the folded cord through the bead, it is sometimes too bulky for finer beads or thicker cords.

Loading beads with a self needle is best for beads with fine holes such as pearls, or when you wish to insert more than one cord into a bead.

Beeswax has several advantages over the Fray Check method. The beeswax does not require waiting for drying time. Fray Check tends to thicken the cord, whereas the beeswax self needle with a little practice gets the cord into a fine point that can get through finer beads than any of the other methods described above.

Note: Not all beeswaxes are equal. Some are sticky as they have too much residue left inside. My beekeeper tells me that the beeswax quality also depend on the bees diet. His thrive on a varied diet from the hills of the California coastal range from South San Francisco to the Santa Cruz Mountains, making his beeswax nice and hard. I leave mine close to a light so it soften a bit with heat, and applies more easily to the cord. Then it can harden right onto the cord making a sturdy self needle.

Of course in the end it is best to try all the different methods, find your personal preferences and your favorite way for specific projects!

Nylon for Jewelry... Bonded or Waxed?

And more about bond than you probably want to know...


Nylon #18, a cord made originally for upholstery, used to be available waxed or bonded in the USA, but sometimes in the late 70's the waxed variety was mostly discontinued. Bonded nylon is better when used in industrial sewing machine. 

Nylon was originally invented in 1935 by Wallace Hume Carothers at DuPont as an alternative to silk for stockings. Nylon is a continuous fiber similar to filament silk. Continuous filament fibers makes nylon thread and cord very strong. Polyester on the other hand is a spun fiber mimicking cotton with shorter fibers spun into thread. Spun thread or cord is usually less strong, has more stetch and breaks more easily when pulled. This makes cotton or polyester good choice for sewing as the thread are less slippery. For jewelry making, silk and nylon are better choices when no stretch is desired.

Waxed cord is a bit easier to knot but harder to un-knot than bonded cord. There is a learning curve, for example for tying double half hitches in Cavandoli knotting with bonded cord versus wax cord, but once it is mastered bonded cord is a better choice. 

Advantages of bonded versus waxed nylon

• Better abrasion resistance
• Easier to undo knots
• Bond outlast wax
• Wax is allergenic

What's bond? What is it all about?

Here is the explanation from one of the C-Lon factory expert. 

It is a polymer coating applied the cord or thread after it has been plied, then heated and dried in ovens. The bond coating is critical in keeping the 3-ply cord together. It hold all the nylon filaments together and adds durability with a tough and smooth protective coating. Afterwards to make the cord stick together and hold its shape on the bobbin, tack is applied to the cord. 

The bond is essential for working with beads and for jewelry making, but of course how much bond is desired is a complex question... More bond creates a stiffer cord... Less bond makes a softer cord.

A consistent bond quality is essential to a cord brand. Drastic changes in bond levels can be a real problem. This is what happened with Conso Nylon #18. The newer supply had a drastically lower bond level than the older supply and the newer dye lots did not match previous ones. Everyone was returning the new supply and Conso discontinued manufacturing bonded nylon.

Bond whitening 
When the bond or tack experiences friction or abrasion, it will go from its transparent form to more of a white/grey color....think of cooled wax. When you break a colored candle, at the crack or breaking point you see white in the color. This whitening is going to happen with all colors but shows up more in the dark colors and is almost impossible to completely avoid. It can be worse when the bond level is on the heavy side and it is more noticeable on darker colors. 

Bond whitening occasionally happens with new cord production. It seems to occur in the middle of the summer or winter... and might be due to extreme temperatures differences when the cord was shipped. 

I have mainly seen this whitening of the bond with some of my older bonded nylon spools stored for a long time in a garage. 

Heavy manipulation of the cord can also produce whitening of the bond. 

For example, I noticed that square knot braids held up next to double half hitches were not as dark even though they were knotted with the same color. But when applying the fix below, the colors matched again...

Bond whitening - How to fix it

To fix this, simply rub a lint free piece of fabric soaked with isopropyl alcohol across the thread or cord. The alcohol activates the bond back to its translucent form.

I use lens cleaning cloths.

I have been making jewelry with bonded nylon and silk all my professional life. My very first pieces were made with waxed cord. Some of my pieces in my personal collection were made many years ago and have been worn extensively. Other than a slight fading and an occasional washing, they are in remarkable shapes.

In 2005 after a disruption of bonded nylon supply, I started an online supply store specializing in bonded nylon and silk thread & cord for my students. - Marion

C-Lon versus S-Lon

I get many questions about Superlon or S-Lon and the difference between this product and C-Lon.C-Lon first produced the C-Lon Bead Thread in Size D in December 2002. In March 2005 the Super-Lon Beading Thread, a 'new product', was announced by another company.

C-Lon started producing C-Lon Bead Cord in 24 colors, then 32, now 88 and soon 104. Superlon or S-Lon is now producing S-Lon Bead Cord in 65 colors. Some of the color names are different, but the actual colors and quality of the thread seem to match C-Lon exactly. The spools sizes and yardage are different. C-Lon Bead Cord used to have 86 yards per spool, new production has 92 yards. S-Lon Bead Cord 77 yards.

In 2007 C-Lon added the C-Lon Micro Cord, now available in 32 colors. S-Lon in late 2009 announced a new cord called Superlon or S-Lon Micro Cord available in 8 colors. The spool size is different and yardage 10% lower than C-Lon, 287 yards versus 320 yards.

When the S-Lon Bead Cord was announced, I remember questioning the name and wondering if it would the same product as C-Lon, but some of the color names were different so I hoped it would be new colors... When I received my order I was so disappointed as it was the same exact cord in the same exact colors a C-Lon, most likely made in the same exact factory, so a knock-off product... Of course all perfectly legal... just as Starbucks moving next to local espresso bars, large box stores putting smaller stores out of business, and then raising their prices... all part of the great game of competition... but we can choose whom we support.

When I opened the online store in 2006, many of my students could not find bonded nylon in their local bead stores. Only coated wire for stringing beads was easily available. I started the store with C-Lon and then expanded to all the nylons I use in my own work. I do not carry S-Lon nor plan on using it. Should you?

Photo: The spools on the left are the C-Lon Bead Cord. The shorter, plumper spools on the right are the S-Lon Bead Cord. Shorter yardage on S-Lon by 10-12%.

May 18, 2015 Update

C-Lon developed the Tex 400 size starting in 2008 with 24 colors. They have since added new colors in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015. The last 8 new colors of C-Lon Tex 400 arrived in February this year, bringing the collection up to 108 colors.

In May 2015, I received a notice that S-lon has added new colors of Tex 400 bringing their collection to 100 colors. I am not even going to check on their colors as most likely they are the same with some name changes to keep everyone confused. 

May 12, 2020 Update

C-Lon has added more colors in the Fine Weight and Micro sizes, plus they have introduced smaller spools in these two sizes making it more affordable to buy more colors. S-Lon has paired down their color offerings and are stocking less colors than in the past.

Here is what's available at this time - Updated May 2020

116 Colors of C-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord - Heavyweight Tex 400 ~ Ø 0.9 mm - 39 yd/36 m
S-Lon - 64 colors - 35 yards per spool

116 Colors of C-Lon Bead Cord  - Standard #18 Size Tex 210 ~ Ø 0.5 mm - 92 yd/84 m
S-Lon - 94 colors - 77 yards per spool

60 Colors of C-Lon Fine Weight Bead Cord - Tex 135 ~ Ø 0.4 mm
Original Spools 136 yd/124 m - New Spools 50 yd/46 m
S-Lon - 20 colors - 118 yards per spool

48 Colors of C-Lon Micro Bead Cord - Tex 70  ~ Ø 0.115 mm
Original Spools 320 yd/293 m - New Spools 100 yd/91 m
S-Lon - 18 colors - 287 yards per spool

36 Colors of C-Lon Bead Thread - Size D - Tex 45 ~ Ø 0.11 mm - 80 yd/73 m
S-Lon - 36 colors - 75 yards per spool

38 Colors of C-Lon Bead Thread - Size AA - Tex 35 ~ Ø 0.09 mm - 75 yd/69 m
S-Lon - 24 colors - 75 yards per spool

August 2022 Update, check this new post for an update comparing the colors across the 2 brands. This new update includes charts showing how the colors intersect. 

Not sure which size you already have or need? Request a sample card at no charge.
Not sure which colors you already have? Send numbered snippets in an envelopewith your name and email address to Marion Jewels in Fiber, PO Box 6776, Chico CA 95928. Keep an exact copy of what you send for later reference. As soon as we get it, we will identify the snippets for you and reply by email. Also check this post on how to identify C-Lon colors.

Colors

When do we have enough colors? As an artist, designer and artisan working primarily with Nylon #18/C-Lon Bead Cord type thread, I struggled for many years with a limited color range, unreliable supplies, a lack of quality control, companies going out of business... All of this was of course before to C-Lon got into the thread business.

C-Lon has now 64 colors, Mastex 22 colors, Conso 14, Beadsmith 17 (Beadsmith may no longer produce their Nylon #18, every time I reorder a few more colors have been discontinued). In addition I also use vintage cords, colors produced in the past by companies no longer in business, discontinued colors and old dye lots. Vintage cord is difficult to come by to newcomers in this field. So essentially most of us have about 100 colors to work with if we are willing to mix brands. Is that enough?

While pondering on this question, I decided to take a look at artist colored pencils. I easily found 9 artist quality brand with sets ranging from 12 to 132 colors. All the sets come in numbers such as 12, 24, 36, 49, 72, 96, 120 and 132 (Prismacolor only). In all the sets the colors are arranged chromatically using different logical systems. Keep in mind that color pencils can be layered, thread can only be juxtaposed. Then I looked at the Madeira Rayon thread used for machine embroidery and they boast 356 colors...

... Back to the nylons: Conso has not changed or added colors for 25 years. Mastex has reduced its color range. Oh, I forgot a sub-brand, S-Lon, well it's just a fact simile or exact duplicate of C-Lon in 51 colors. So we can forget about that brand as an option for additional colors. C-Lon is the only company that may be willing to expand their offering. So the main question remains:

Are 64 colors enough? Or do you still dream of more colors...

Grateful to have 64 colors! ~ Marion

Post your feedback on this question...

Added on January 9, 2009: 2008 saw the shrinking of company offering Nylon #18 with Mastex going out of business :(. I am always sorry to see our choices shrinking. On a positive notes C-Lon decided to expand their colors. I was asked to advise as to possible new colors. As of a week ago 8 new colors are on order at the factory expected to be released toward the end of February. So 64 is growing to 72. Hurrah!

New Heavyweight C-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord

Did you get the new heavyweight C-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord? What's you opinion on this new thread?

Post your comments on this thread, send pictures of pieces you have done with it...

It is available in 16 colors for now.

Update - This cord is now available in 24 colors and I have since had the chance to use it for a square knot bracelet I taught for an enrichment class to 4th-8th graders. The resulting bracelets made or attenpted were great for some and not so great for others, but bear in mind that for most of the students in this class, it was their first introduction to square knotting!
I will do a new blog entry as soon as I get the chance.