Cord for lampwork beads

I have some focals I'd like to feature simply on a cord. With a little
silver and maybe a couple accents.

What is a good cord to use?

For myself I'd probably just want to put it on a soft leather or suede cord,
and just knot it in the back. Even make it up as the mood strikes me. Some
of the more nicely finished leather cords crack with use. I've also seen
nicely finished rubber cord. Satin cord snags too easily, and I worry about
the scratchiness of ribbon.

And then there's color.

I think of leather in blacks and browns. Lighter colors of leather get
darkened by oil, and even a little dirt -- especially suede. Red still
seems like leather, or else a cut. What do you all think of purple leather
or turquoise or green? Does it feel like a wrong color for leather?

As I said, I've seen very nicely finished rubber cords. And it seems to
come in a lot of colors. But while the black rubber sounds "nice", the
colors seem kind of "plastic".

I love to hear thoughts on this.

Tina