What is that Finding? - Bolo Slides

Monday, July 9, 2012 - Leave a Comment

And more importantly, how do you use it?

Ever come across a jewellery finding and wondered what on earth it is used for?

If you're not familiar with bolo slides, the image above might be a bit of a mystery.

Bolos, also known as lariats, are typically worn to give a country and western flavour to an outfit and in fact the bolo tie is the official neck tie for the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. But they are not only used for fastening bolo neckties: You can use them in your jewellery making too.

Turning a cabochon or pendant into a lariat instead of a necklace gives it a totally different look. With the addition of the dangling stringing material, it has a whole new appeal. And the beauty of using a bolo slide is that you can adjust your lariat to whatever length suits your outfit - wear it high for a formal look or wear it lower for a more casual look.

So now that you know what this strange looking finding is, it is much easier to work out how to use it; just thread a thick cord - in this case, deerskin - through the slots of the finding. If your stringing material is thicker than this, then that is all you need to do. You'll be able to slide it up and down the cord and the tension will hold it in place.

For the deerskin lace in this piece, I needed to add a half knot to hold it in position. You can still slide it up and down the lace, but with a heavier pendant like this one, you may need to tie a knot so that it doesn't slip.

So attaching a bolo slide to the back of your cabochon makes your necklace a much more versatile piece of jewellery. And it's a simple and stylish way to wear a special pendant.

'Til next time.....