Griffin silk cord sizes and colors

Griffin brand silk cord is probably the most popular silk cord for knotting between beads. Manufactured in Germany, it has a smooth, consistent feel and is available in a wide range of colors and sizes.

Griffin Silk Cord Sizes

As of this writing, Griffin offers 13 sizes of silk - or thicknesses - of silk cord. The thinnest is No 0 and the thickest is No 16. Sizes No 0 through No 2 are typically used for stringing pearls, which tend to have very small drill holes. Most other beads can be strung with No 4 or No 6.

Silk Cord Size	Cord Diameter	Thinnest
0	0.30mm	|
1	0.35mm	|
2	0.45mm	|
3	0.50mm	|
4	0.60mm	|
5	0.65mm	|
6	0.70mm	|
7	0.75mm	|
8	0.80mm	|
10	0.90mm	|
12	0.98mm	|
14	1.02mm	|
16	1.05mm	Thickest

Griffin Silk Cord Colors

Griffin silk is also available in 20 different colors. When you knot between beads, the color of cord you use does make a difference. You may select a color that nearly matches your beads, one that is in direct contrast to them, or one that compliments them.

Color Range	Griffin Silk Colors
basics	white, black
pinks, reds	light and dark pink, coral, red, garnet
yellows	yellow, amber
blues and purples	blue, dark blue, lilac, amethyst, turquoise
greens	jade green, green
buffs and browns	cornelian (sometimes written as "carnelian"), beige, brown
gray	grey

Griffin Silk Cards

Griffin silk is sold on a paperboard card with a stainless-steel twisted-wire needle already attached. The silk fibers are wound through the eye of the needle in a way that allows you to string beads without doubling-over the cord, which can be impossible with beads that have smaller holes.

Each card contains about 79 inches of cord. Begin by removing all of the cord from the card, and then pulling it gently to pre-stretch it. (Silk cord does tend to stretch and become and longer, which can create undesirable spaces between your knots and beads.) Then, finish the raw end of the cord (clamshell bead caps work especially well), and begin stringing and knotting.