Spring Jewelry to make

Time to dress up your wardrobe for Spring.  Here are a few ideas.

Spring Fling Flower 

Materials:  About 10 grams of Japanese seed beads, 1 - 8mm stone or glass bead,
26 to 28-gauge colored wire, Green florist's tape, Wire cutters, Chain-nosed pliers, Size 10 beading needle, Silimide thread (in a color to match beads), and
Scissors

Directions:

Need about 10 grams of seed beads. The 8mm bead will be the center of your flower, so you want one that will either match or contrast with your seed beads. Rose quartz looked good with my seed beads, so that’s why I selected it. As for the colored wire, select a color that matches as closely as possible with your seed beads. 

Start by using the ladder stitch and 7 seed beads to create your ladder.

Then continue by using brick stitch to create a triangle piece making sure to end with one bead at the top of your triangle.

Thread your needle back down through the triangle so that you come out the other side and are positioned to do brick stitch on the opposite side of the triangle.

Continue doing brick until you create a diamond shape, only this time end with 2 beads in your last row.

Now cut at least a foot of wire. You want to have plenty to work with.

Starting at one of the 2 seed beads in your last row as described in step 4, thread one end of your wires through this bead, and continue to thread the wire up through the outer area of your beaded diamond.

While threading through your beads, you may occasionally need a little help grasping the end of the wire, so use your bent/flat nosed pliers if necessary to pull on the wire. Think of the wire like a thick piece of thread that you want to thread around the outer beads of your diamond. However, handle the wire carefully as it can break if you bend and handle it a lot.

Once you have made it all around your diamond, you’ll have two pieces of wire sticking out of the row that had 2 beads in it. Just wrap these wires together. It doesn’t have to be pretty because it will be covered up later. 

Now make at least 4 more "petals" using the steps above, and set them aside.

Cut another piece of wire about a foot long, and thread it through your 8mm bead.

Use your fingers to wrap the wire together.

Cut a small piece of wire about 6 inches long or use some scrap wire.

Now gather your petals and insert the 8mm piece into the center of the petals. Hold all the pieces together like a little bouquet.

Use your fingers to wrap the small piece of wire around the bouquet, and try to get as close to the ends of the diamonds/petals as possible in order to secure all the pieces together.

Now get your florist's tape out, making sure to leave it on the roll that it comes on.

Starting at the base of your bouquet were your small piece of wire secured the petals and center together, start wrapping the tape around all of the pieces of wire.

If necessary, depending on how long your want your stem, trim off excess wires.

Finish wrapping to the end, and then trim off the tape.

There are all kinds of ways to incorporate the flower into jewelry: glue it on to a pin back; attach it to a comb or barrette; use it as a center piece for a necklace; or attach it to a memory wire bracelet. Dimension can be created by adding more petals and using more than one color of seed beads. 

Keshi Pearls and Shell Pendant Necklace

 

 

Materials:  1 Strand of cream colored Keshi pearls,  1 38x48mm Shell pendant,  12 - 4mm Swarovski round crystal clear Aurora Borealis beads, 26 Size 11 cream colored Japanese seed beads, 2 - 2x2mm Sterling silver crimp beads, 1 - 12mm Sterling silver toggle clasp, About 20 inches of .014 or .015 beading wire,  1 - 5mm Sterling silver jump ring, 1 Bead Stopper, Crimping pliers, Wire cutters, and Chain-nosed pliers1 Strand of cream colored Keshi pearls 

Directions:

Add a Bead Stopper to one end of the beading wire, and start stringing on bead stations in this pattern: 1 seed bead, 1 crystal, 1 seed bead, 5 pearls, 1 seed bead, 1 crystal, and 1 seed bead.

Continue making these bead stations until you have five stations of beads strung on your beading wire.

Attach a jump ring, to the shell pendant.

After the last station of beads, string one 2 more seed beads, and then slip the jump ring of the pendant onto the beading wire.

Repeat the bead stations as done for the other side of the necklace until you have five more of them to complete the necklace strand.

With crimping pliers, close a crimp bead on the end of the wire making sure to add one side of the toggle clasp before closing the crimp closed.

Repeat the above step for the other side of the necklace.

The strap on the finished necklace is 16 inches. If you want it a little longer, you may want to add an extra station of beads on either side of the necklace strap. There were plenty of pearl beads on the unfinished strand I used to make this necklace, so while of course, Keshi pearls vary as far as size, you should have enough to make the necklace a little longer if you wish.

You might want to check out the following magazine on jewelry making.

Beads and Beyond Magazine

 Stepping Into Beading

Just Bead Stringing?

Hope these magazines are a good reference.

Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at stipple@verizon.net.   I look forward to hearing from you!