JEWELLERY MAKING GUIDE

Bead, Pearl and Pendant Hole Sizes

Hole diameters for Swarovski and Serinity beads, pearls and pendants, with recommended bails and findings to match every pendant to the right fitting.

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How to Use This Guide

These charts list hole diameters by article number for Swarovski and Serinity beads, pearls and pendants, which share the same reference codes. Use them to pick the right thread, wire or cord, and to match each pendant to a suitable bail or finding before you buy.

How to Choose Thread, Wire or Cord

The hole size tells you the most your thread, wire or cord can be. A little room lets it pass smoothly, and designs that loop back through a bead need more.

✅ Leave a little room — match the thread, wire or cord to the hole size, with just enough clearance so it passes through smoothly.
✅ Allow for a double pass — where your design threads back through the same bead, size each pass at roughly half the hole diameter so both fit.
✅ Match the material to the job — use beading wire for weight-bearing pieces, and knotted silk or nylon for classic pearl strands.
✅ Half-drilled pearls are different — these take a glued peg or cup rather than thread, so match the peg to the drilled depth.
✅ When in doubt, size down — a thread slightly too thin is far easier to work than one that jams in the hole.

Bead Thread Hole Sizes

Find the hole diameter for each bead by article number and size in millimetres. Use it to choose a thread or wire that passes cleanly, allowing extra room where your design threads through the same bead more than once.

Bead Article #	Size (mm)	Hole Size (mm)
5000	2	0.60
	3	0.90
	4	0.90
	5	1.00
	6	1.10
	8	1.30
	10	1.40
5003	6	0.90
	8	1.10
	10	1.20
	12	1.30
5020	6	1.10
	8	1.30
	10	1.40
5028/4	6	1.10
	8	1.10
	10	1.10
5034	6	4.20
5034	8	5.20
5040	4	0.90
	6	1.10
	8	1.10
	12	1.70
5042	6	2.50
5042	8	2.50
5043	11	5.20
5044	5 x 4	1.00
	7 x 6	1.15
	9.5 x 8	1.15
5045	6	1.20
5045	8	1.20
5305	5	0.90
5305	6	0.90
5328	2.5	0.60
	3	0.80
	4	0.80
	5	1.00
	6	1.00
	8	1.20
	10	1.30
5500	9 x 6	1.00
5500	12 x 8	1.10
5542	8	1.50
5601	4	1.00
	6	1.10
	8	1.20
	10	1.40
	12	1.40
5714	8	1.20
5714	12	1.40
5741	8	1.40
5741	12	1.50
5742	8	1.20
5742	10	1.30
5750	13	1.90
5750	19	1.80
5752	8	1.10
5752	12	1.30
5754	6	1.20
	8	1.40
	10	1.40
	12	1.50

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Pearl Thread Hole Sizes

Hole diameters for round and shaped pearls, with a tolerance range showing the small variation you can expect between individual pearls. Half-drilled styles are designed for pegs and cups rather than thread.

Pearl Article #	Size (mm)	Hole Size (mm)	Tolerance (mm)
5809	1	0.00	0.00
	1.5	0.00	0.00
	2	0.00	0.00
	2.5	0.00	0.00
	3	0.00	0.00
	3.5	0.00	0.00
5810	2	0.65	0.55-0.75
	3	0.80	0.70-0.90
	4	0.80	0.70-0.90
	5	0.80	0.70-0.90
	6	0.80	0.70-0.90
	7	0.80	0.70-0.90
	8	0.80	0.70-0.90
	10	0.80	0.70-0.90
	12	0.80	0.70-0.90
5817	6	0.90	0.80-1.00
	8	0.90	0.80-1.00
	10	0.90	0.80-1.00
5818	3	0.80	0.70-0.90
	4	0.80	0.70-0.90
	5	0.80	0.70-0.90
	6	0.80	0.70-0.90
	8	0.80	0.70-0.90
	10	0.80	0.70-0.90
	12	0.80	0.70-0.90
5821	11 x 8	0.80	0.70-0.90
5824	4	0.65	0.55-0.75
5841	8	0.80	0.70-0.90
5841	12	0.80	0.70-0.90
5842	10	0.80	0.70-0.90
5842	14	0.80	0.70-0.90
5843	12	0.80	0.70-0.90
5843	16	0.80	0.70-0.90
5844	10	0.80	0.70-0.90
5844	14	0.80	0.70-0.90
5860	10	1.20	0.90-1.50
	12	1.20	0.90-1.50
	14	1.20	0.90-1.50

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Pendant Hole Sizes and Bail Guide

Hole diameters for each pendant, paired with a recommended plated finding and a sterling silver finding. Use these to match every pendant to a bail or fitting that sits correctly and holds securely.

Pendant Article #	Size (mm)	Hole (mm)	Plated Finding	Sterling Silver Finding
6000	11 x 5.5	1	5mm Triangle	10mm Pinch
	13 x 6.5	1	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch
	15 x 7.5	1.2	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	22 x 11	1.5	10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6002	10 x 7	1.1	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch
6002	15 x 11.5	1.2	6mm Triangle	10mm Pinch
6007	7 x 4	1	5mm Triangle	4mm Triangle
6007	9 x 5	1	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6010	11 x 5.5	1.1	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle
	13 x 6.5	1.1	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	17 x 8.5	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	21 x 10.5	1.6	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6015	17	1.4	Polygon Cap	Simple Bail
6015	21	1.7	Polygon Cap	—
6017/G	30	1.8	4mm Triangle / 7mm Leaf	5mm Triangle / Simple Bail
6017/G	56	2.5	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	5mm Triangle
6020	18	1.6	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	30	2.4	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	37	3	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	—
6022	14	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6022	24	1.9	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch
6028	8	1.4	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle
	10	1.4	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle
	12	1.4	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle / Simple Bail
	18	1.6	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6040	20	5.3	6mm Jump Ring	6mm Jump Ring / Simple Bail
	30	8.1	8mm Jump Ring	8mm Jump Ring
	40	10.3	8mm Jump Ring	8mm Jump Ring
6049	20	1.25	6mm Jump Ring	6mm Jump Ring / Simple Bail
6049	30	1.7	8mm Jump Ring	8mm Jump Ring / Simple Bail
6090	16 x 11	1.5	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6090	22 x 15	1.3	10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6100	24 x 12	1.5	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch
6106	16	1.5	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	22	1.8	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	28	2.2	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	38	3	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6128	8	1.2	4mm Jump Ring	4mm Jump Ring
	10	1.4	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle
	12	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6210	12	1	5mm Triangle / 7mm Leaf	Simple Bail
6210	17	1.1	5mm Triangle / 7mm Leaf	—
6215	18	1.6	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	Heart Pinch / 14mm Pinch
6225	10	1.05	5mm Triangle	10mm Pinch
	18	1.25	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	28	1.45	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	Heart Pinch / 14mm Pinch
6228	10 x 10.3	1.4	7mm Leaf / 5mm Stirrup	Swarovski Cap Finding / Simple Bail
	14 x 14.4	1.4	10mm Leaf / 5mm Stirrup	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	18 x 17.5	1.6	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	Swarovski Cap Finding / Heart Pinch
	28	2.4	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	—
	40	3	13mm Jump Ring	9 x 5mm Bail for Swarovski
6240	12	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	17	1.7	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	27	2.2	—	—
6261	17	1.6	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6261	27	2.1	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6264	18	1.7	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	Heart Pinch / 14mm Pinch
6264	28	2	—	—
6328	6	1	4mm Jump Ring	4mm Jump Ring
6328	8	1	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle
6401	8	1.2	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle / Simple Bail
6428	6	0.8	3mm Jump Ring	3mm Jump Ring
	8	1.3	4mm Triangle	5mm Triangle
	12	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6430	8	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	10	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	14	1.5	5mm Stirrup / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6431	9	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	11.5	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	16	1.5	5mm Stirrup / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6432	8	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	10.5	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	14.5	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6433	9	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	11.5	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	16	1.5	5mm Stirrup / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6434	8	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	10.5	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	14.5	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6435	9	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	11.5	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	16	1.5	5mm Stirrup / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6436	9	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	11.5	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	16	1.5	5mm Stirrup / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6438	9	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	11.5	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	16	1.5	5mm Stirrup / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6460	20	1.6	6mm Triangle / 5mm Stirrup	8mm Triangle / 10mm Pinch
6480	18	1.7	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	28	2.2	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	39	3.1	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	—
6533	17.5	N/A	Comes with Bail	Comes with Bail
	23	—	—	—
	33	—	—	—
6565	18	1.6	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6565	22	1.6	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6628	8	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	12	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	16	1.6	5mm Stirrup / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6656	19	1.8	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	27	2	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	39	2.9	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6670	18	1.8	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	24	1.9	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	50	3	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6673	18	1.8	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	28	2	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	38	2.9	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6680	14	1.4	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6680	20	1.8	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6685	19	1.6	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6685	28	2	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6690	23	1.8	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6696	20	2.4	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6696	30	3.4	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6704	20	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6714	20	1.4	7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	28	1.8	10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
	40	2.6	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6721	16	1.4	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	20	1.5	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	14mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	28	1.6	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6731	14	1.4	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6731	28	2	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6735	26 x 16	2.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6744	12	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	14	1.3	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch / Simple Bail
	18	1.8	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	14mm Pinch / Simple Bail
6748	14	1.2	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch
	18	1.6	5mm Stirrup / 7mm Leaf	10mm Pinch
	28	2.4	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6864	40 x 30	1.5	22 Pear Pinch / 10mm Leaf	14mm Pinch
6866	20	2.1	5mm Stirrup	10mm Pinch

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How to Choose the Right Bail or Finding

The pendant chart gives a plated option and a sterling silver option for each article. Which you pick comes down to the pendant's hole, its shape and the finish you want.

✅ Start with the chart — match the finding to the pendant's hole size and shape using the plated and sterling silver columns.
✅ Pinch bails — grip the hole with two prongs and suit most top-drilled pendants.
✅ Leaf, triangle and stirrup bails — suit larger fancy stones and add a decorative finish.
✅ Jump rings — thread straight through pendants with a wide enough hole, such as rings and donuts.
✅ Some come ready to wear — a few pendants arrive with their own bail, so no separate finding is needed.

Shop Beads, Pearls and Pendants

Ready to buy? Browse the ranges these charts cover.

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Explore our other guides to help you choose, size, and apply your crystals:

➡️ Crystal Size Chart — every PP and SS size shown in millimetres and drawn to scale.
➡️ Crystal Calculator — work out exactly how many crystals you need for your project.
➡️ Glue Suitability Guide — find the right adhesive for every material and surface.
➡️ Colour Guides — browse the official colour charts for each brand.
➡️ Application Manuals — official guidance for applying your crystals correctly.

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Promotional image for the musical 'Six' with performers on a purple background

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Promotional image for 'Bridgerton' with a person in a formal gown holding a skull mask.

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Hole Size and Bail FAQs

Common questions on choosing thread, reading the charts and matching bails.

How do I choose the right thread or wire for a bead?

Pick a thread, wire or cord that fits the hole with a little room to spare. If your design passes back through the same bead, size each pass at around half the hole diameter so both passes fit comfortably.

What does the tolerance figure mean on the pearl chart?

Tolerance is the small variation you can expect in hole size from one pearl to the next. Sizing your thread toward the lower end of the range means it will pass through every pearl in a batch, not just the average.

What is the difference between a full-drilled and half-drilled pearl?

A full-drilled pearl has a hole running all the way through for threading. A half-drilled pearl is drilled only partway and is designed for a glued peg or cup, so it suits earrings, rings and pendants rather than strung designs.

Which bail should I use for a pendant?

Use the pendant chart to find your article number, then choose from the recommended plated or sterling silver finding. Pinch bails suit most top-drilled pendants, while jump rings work where the hole is wide enough to thread straight through.

Do Serinity beads and pendants use the same hole sizes as Swarovski?

Yes. Serinity shares the same article reference codes as Swarovski, so the hole sizes and bail recommendations in these charts apply to both ranges.

Can you help me match a finding to a specific pendant?

Of course. Email hello@bluestreakcrystals.com with the article number and size, and our team will recommend a bail or finding to suit.

Why Choose Bluestreak

Bluestreak Crystals is a family-run supplier trusted by makers, designers and businesses around the world. We bring four genuine brands together in one place, Swarovski, Preciosa, Serinity and Estella, with thousands of lines across beads, pearls, pendants and flatbacks in a full spread of sizes and colours. With over 8,900 reviews and a 4.96 star rating, our customers know they can rely on quality and choice every time they shop.

Everything is packed in the UK and shipped quickly, with express international delivery in 2 to 5 days and free shipping over £150 UK or £300 worldwide. You also earn reward points on every order to save on future projects. If you need a hand choosing the right thread, findings or materials, our team is always happy to help. Just email hello@bluestreakcrystals.com.

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