How to Make a Gray for Day, Silver for Night Necklace

Published January 2013
Designed By Katie Hacker / Content Supplied by Beadalon

Techniques

Beading, Basic Wire Work

Materials & Tools

28mm flat round gold-back pendant with bail
4 jet/gold 14mm faceted disks
11 hematite 12mm loops
4 clear/silver 10mm table cuts
7 clear luster 8mm bicones
2 AB smoky black 8mm bicones
9 AB smoky black 8mm faceted rounds
8 AB smoky 8mm v-cuts
8 hematite 6mm faceted rounds
24 7-color dark blue 4mm v-cuts
32 AB smoky 4mm bicones
48 hematite 3mm rounds
20 silver-lined 6/0 seed beads
17 silver medium ball head pins
51 silver eye pins
4 silver pinch bails
47 silver 9mm jump rings
6mm silver jump ring
8 silver 4mm jump rings
52 silver #0 crimp beads
6 silver #1 crimp beads
Beadalon 19 silver-plated beading wire
Silver small cable chain
Silver small Figaro chain
Silver medium curb chain
Silver elongated curb chain
Silver lobster clasp
Standard crimping tool
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters

Notes:

Add some luxe to your look for a fraction of boutique prices. This layered necklace is surprisingly easy to make! Each hematite loop has three elements attached to it with jump rings, so it's simple to experiment with the arrangement. Layer your own elements together using the same general technique or follow these instructions to replicate the design.

How to:

1. Start by creating the foundation of the necklace. Open a 9mm jump ring and slide two hematite loops onto it. Repeat this technique to connect 11 hematite loops in a chain.

2.Separate two 5" lengths of medium curb chain (Since the links on the chain aren't soldered, you can separate them using chain nose pliers rather than cutting the links apart). Use two 9mm jump rings to connect one of the chain pieces to each end of the connected hematite loops as shown.

3.Open the last link on one side of the necklace and connect it to a lobster clasp. Use a 6mm jump ring to attach a 1 3/4" section of elongated cable chain to the other end of the necklace. String a 8mm faceted round onto a head pin and attach it to the last link on the elongated cable chain.

4.Separate the chain into the following lengths:
- Small cable chain: two 2 ¼", two 2 ¾", two 3" (attach a 4mm jump ring to one end of each)
- Small Figaro chain: two 1 ¼", two 2 ¼", two 3", two 3 ¼", two 4"
- Medium curb chain: two 2 1/2" (string a bead onto a head pin and attach it to the last link with a wrapped loop) and two 4" lengths
- Elongated curb chain: two 1", two 3 ½"

5.Now, we'll start building the necklace from the center and work our way toward the ends of the connected hematite loops. String a 8mm clear bead onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat two more times. String a 6mm hematite round onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat once more. Connect the bead links in an alternating pattern. Cut the large silver bail off the top of the pendant so only the pinch bail and loop are remaining, then attach it to the last clear bead link. Connect a 9mm jump ring to the first bead link and attach it to the hematite loop at the center of the necklace (hematite loop #6).

6.String a 8mm v-cut onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat two more times. String a 8mm faceted round onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat once more. Connect the bead links in an alternating pattern. String a 10mm table cut and a 4mm hematite round onto an eye pin. Make a wrapped loop to attach it to the last v-cut bead on the chain. Repeat this entire step to make a matching dangle. Use 9mm jump rings to attach one to hematite loop #5 and one to hematite loop #7 on the necklace.

7.String a 8mm clear bead onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat once more. String a 6mm hematite round onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat once more. Connect the bead links in this pattern: hematite, clear, hematite, clear. Cut the large silver bail off the top of a pinch bail finding so only the pinch bail and loop are remaining, then attach the pinch bail to a faceted disk. Connect the pinch bail loop to the last clear bead link. String a 8mm faceted round onto a head pin and make a wrapped loop to connect it to the lower hole on the disk. Repeat this entire step to make a matching dangle. Use 9mm jump rings to attach one to hematite loop #4 and one to hematite loop #8 on the necklace.

8.String a 8mm v-cut bead onto a head pin, then string the following: 4mm hematite, 6/0 clear, 4mm bicone, 6/0 clear, 4mm hematite, 6/0 clear, 4mm bicone, 6/0 clear, 4mm hematite. Make a simple loop above the top bead. Repeat this entire step to make a matching dangle. Use 9mm jump rings to attach one to hematite loop #3 and one to hematite #9 on the necklace.

9.Cut the large silver bail off the top of a pinch bail finding so only the pinch bail and loop are remaining, then attach the pinch bail to a faceted disk. Open the last link on a 1 ¼" length of elongated curb chain and connect it to the pinch bail loop. String a 4mm v-cut bead onto a head pin and make a wrapped loop to connect it to the lower hole on the disk. Repeat this entire step to make a matching dangle. Use 9mm jump rings to attach one to hematite loop #2 and one to hematite loop #10 on the necklace.

10.String a 8mm faceted round on a head pin, then string six 6/0 clear beads alternating with five 4mm v-cut beads as shown. Make a simple loop above the top bead. Use 9mm jump rings to attach one to hematite loop #1 and one to hematite loop #11 on the necklace.

11.Cut a 3 ½" piece of beading wire. Use chain nose pliers to flatten a #0 crimp bead onto the end of the wire. String a 4mm hematite bead onto the wire, leave a 1/8" space and attach another crimp and hematite bead; repeat for 11 total beads on the wire. Pass the wire through a #1 crimp bead and the jump ring between hematite loops #5 and #6. Pass the wire back through the crimp bead to make a loop, then crimp it. Use a 4mm jump ring to attach a 3" length of Figaro chain onto the same jump ring between hematite loops #5 and #6. Repeat this entire step to make another set of matching dangles and attach them to the jump ring between hematite loops #6 and #7.

12.Cut a 3" piece of beading wire. Use chain nose pliers to flatten a #0 crimp bead onto the end of the wire. String a 4mm bicone onto the wire, leave a 1/8" space and attach another crimp and bicone; repeat for 6 total beads on the wire. Pass the wire through a #1 crimp bead and the jump ring between hematite loops #4 and #5. Pass the wire back through the crimp bead to make a loop, then crimp it. Repeat this entire step to make another set of matching dangles and attach them to the jump ring between hematite loops #7 and #8.

13.String a 4mm v-cut onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat three more times. String a 4mm bicone onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat twice more. Connect the bead links in this order: v-cut, bicone, v-cut, bicone, v-cut, bicone, v-cut. String a 4mm bicone onto a head pin and make a wrapped loop to attach it to the last v-cut. Repeat this entire step to make a matching dangle. Attach the upper loop on one of the dangles to the jump ring between #3 and #4. Attach the other one between #8 and #9.

14.Cut a 3 ½" piece of beading wire. Use chain nose pliers to flatten a #0 crimp bead onto the end of the wire. String a 4mm hematite bead onto the wire, leave a 1/8" space and attach another crimp and hematite bead; repeat for 9 total beads on the wire. Pass the wire through a #1 crimp bead and the jump ring between hematite loops #2 and #3. Pass the wire back through the crimp bead to make a loop, then crimp it. Repeat this entire step to make a matching dangle and attach it to the jump ring between hematite loops #9 and #10.

15.String a 4mm v-cut onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat once more. String a 4mm bicone onto an eye pin and make a basic loop; repeat three more times. String a 6mm faceted hematite bead onto an eye pin and make a basic loop. Connect the bead links in this order: bicone, v-cut, bicone, faceted hematite, bicone, v-cut, bicone. String a table cut bead onto a head pin and make a wrapped loop to attach it to the last bicone. Repeat this entire step to make a matching dangle. Attach the upper loop on one of the dangles to the jump ring between #1 and #2. Attach the other one between #10 and #11.

16.Fill in the design by connecting the remaining lengths of chain from Step 4 to the hematite loops as shown in the following order.
As with the rest of the necklace, the pattern is symmetrical: #1: 1" elongated curb and 1 ¼" Figaro
#2: 3 ¼" Figaro and 2 1/2" medium curb with beaded dangle
#3: 2 ¼" small cable and 3 ½" elongated cable
#4: 4" Figaro and 2 ¼" Figaro
#5: 4" medium curb, 2 ¾" small cable
#6: 3" small cable and 3" small cable
#7: 2 ¾" small cable and 4" medium curb
#8: 2 ¼" Figaro and 4" Figaro
#9: 3 ½" elongated cable and 2 ¼" small cable
#10: 2 1/2" medium curb with beaded dangle and 3 ¼" Figaro
11: 1 ¼" Figaro and 1" elongated curb