Making Jewellery Issue03

T
he project is quite easy to follow and is
adaptable for longer lengths, diff erent
STEP 1 STEP 2
sized beads or styles of jewellery. You
can try using the techniques to make earrings
and bracelets. For an alternative, try brass
or plastic coated coloured wire chosen to
complement your palette of beads.
MATERIALS

Approximately 3m of Sterling silver
26 gauge soft wire

10 x Swarovski 5301 bicones 3mm, khaki

5 x emerald cut glass beads 10mm round

Amber cut glass beads, 6mm and 8mm
(9 in total)

6 x freshwater pearls, green

6 x peridot ovals, 7mm STEP 1 STEP 2

13 x aragonite round beads, 3mm, Start by measuring off a length of wire of Taking one each of the emerald and amber
5mm and 8mm approximately 75cm. Fold this in half and snip beads, together with a Swarovski khaki bicone,

1 x Aragonite faceted oval bead, in two. Holding both pieces of wire together, thread them onto the headpin. To wire this bead
14mm x 9mm wrap them around your round nose pliers, about section, make a loop close to the top bead but

3 x faceted citrine nugget beads, 17mm 2.5cm from the end. To wire the loop shut, hold it leaving a gap to allow space to wrap. Using your

5 x faceted square lime green quartz beads tight in your pliers and either using your ﬁ ngers round nose pliers, form a circle of wire bringing

2 x 15cm lengths Sterling silver curb chain or another pair of pliers, wrap the short end of the wire back round on itself. Before wrapping

1 x 15mm Sterling silver trigger clasp wire around itself to secure. Snip off the excess the loop shut, thread the beads through the wire

2 x 5mm Sterling silver jumprings wire and tuck in the ends using your pliers. loop made in Step 1. Next, grip the loop with your

1 x 42mm ﬂ at ended Sterling silver headpin pliers and taking the short end of the wire, wrap

Round nose pliers it around the base of the loop 2 or 3 times to

Straight nose or chain nose pliers close (you may ﬁ nd it useful to have a second set

Wire cutters of pliers for this). Again, snip off any excess wire
and tuck in the cut end with pliers.
STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5
STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5
To make the ﬁ rst section, take the free end of At the main section, join the two ends together Once you have reached approximately 25mm
the wire and separate the two lengths. Add again and twist for a few millimetres. Separate from the end of your wires, repeat Step 1 and
a bead of your choice on to one side about the wires again and this time, working on make a wired loop at the end. Snip and tuck in
20mm away from the main section. Take the the opposite side, add another bead or two. the ends.
wire end and double it back over the bead Repeat the twisting method to secure. Continue
towards the main section. Grip the bead in your twisting and alternating sides until you have
ﬁ ngers and gently twist so that the wire wraps approximately 25mm of wire left. Balance the
around itself and secures the bead in place. design of your necklace by varying the size of
beads you use and use up the wire evenly so that
you end up with two similar lengths at the ﬁ nish.
w w w . m a k i n g j e w e l l e r y . c o m 63
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