Learn To Bead and Make Jewelry LEARN TO BEAD. NET The Design Approach To Learning BEAD STRINGING PROJECT: Etruscan Bead Drop Necklace Instructor: Warren Feld Wear that proud Etruscan wire and metal elements piece around your neck! Craft a contemporary version of a classic piece, using bead stringing and wire working techniques, with an assortment of jewels dangling from a rubber cord rope. Palette 1: Topaz / Coral / Adriatic Blue BEAD STRINGING ETRUSCAN BEAD DROP NECKLACE BS2.08 This set of instructions is organized as a series of Jewelry Design Choices: I. Planning Your Project IA. Conceptualizing Your Piece
IB. Measurements IC. Selecting Materials ID. Sketching a Pattern or Graph IE. Identifying Potential Areas of Weakness within Your Piece IF. Visualizing Your Process IG. Organizing Your Work Space II. Begining Your Project IIA. Basic Steps IIB. Dealing with Contingencies IIC. Finishing Touches III. Summary of Learning Objectives You Have Met After Accomplishing This Project IV. Next Steps IVA. Suggested Readings IVB. Next Lessons What You Will Learn: - Learn to string on a thicker cord - Learn to prepare the ends of a thicker cord, off of which to construct the clasp assembly - Create bead drops which to string onto your cord, using wire and beads - Make a coiled bead using wire - Discuss working with tools and wire - Discuss selecting appropriate wire gauge for each wire element - Discuss what glues to use when in jewelry-making - Discuss how the shaping of the loops at the top of a pendant drop, and through which you string, may affect the shape or silhouete of your necklace - Discuss ideas about putting a contemporary spin on a traditional piece of jewelry These Instructions are written from what is called The Design Perspective. They first guide you through the kinds of choices to be made, when designing this particular piece. This gives you a sense of how the artist thought through the development of the project. This provides you with a better understanding and some insights about what kinds of things you would need to consider, when designing a similar piece, or adding personal touches to this project. Then step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions for completing this project are presented. Finally, the skills learned by doing this project are summarized. Prerequisites:
- Orientation To Beads & Jewelry Findings - BS1.01 STRINGING WITH CABLE WIRE - CRIMPING: Crystal Excitement Bracelet - Previous work with shaping wire helpful TimeFrame: This necklace takes about 3-4 hours to complete Supplies To Make a 17-18" Necklace: [Additional beads included with kit to make up to an 18 1/2" necklace.] Generic Item Description Rubber thong, black, 2mm (2 feet) Brass, large hole beads, apprx 7x4mm (14 beads) Brass, large hole beads, apprx 7x7mm (22 beads) Brass Tube bead, large hole, apprx 12mm long (2 beads) Czech glass, polished rectangles, 8x12mm, one or more colors, (11 beads total) Swarovski, series 5000, 2mm round, (22 beads) Gold plated round beads, 3mm, (13 beads) This Project Palette #3. Mardi Gras Rubber thong, black, 2mm (2.5 feet in kit) Brass saucer beads, 7x4mm, 3.2mm hole (18 beads in kit) Brass Ridged Round beads, 7mm, 2.5mm hole (28 beads in kit) Brass, 2-tone beads with brass ball, 12mm, 2.5mm hole (4 beads in kit) Czech glass, polished rectangles, 8x12mm, orange opal picasso (6 beads in kit) Czech glass, polished rectangles, 8x12mm, coral pink picasso (4 beads in kit) Czech glass, polished rectangles, 8x12mm, sapphire picasso or sapphire tortoise picasso (4 beads in kit) Czech glass, polished rectangles, 8x12mm, milky topaz picasso (4 beads in kit) Swarovski, series 5000, 2mm round, jet (30 beads in kit) Gold plated brass round beads, 3mm Your Project Variation
(20 beads in kit) Pewter drops, gold plated, apprx 5mm, (11 drops) Eye pins, apprx 2", 22 gauge, (11 eye pins) Wire, 18 gauge, (12") Clamps, gold plated for 2mm cord, (2 clamps) Jump rings, 5mm outer diameter, 20 gauge, (2 jump rings) Hook & Eye clasp, gold plated, (1 clasp) Soldered ring, gold plated, 6mm outer diameter, (2 soldered rings) Pewter drops, gold plated, 5mm, grape clusters (16 drops in kit) Eye pins, apprx 2", 22 gauge, gold plated (16 eye pins in kit) Brass wire, 18 gauge, nontarnish brasseye (18" in kit) Foldover wing clamps, gold plated for 2mm cord (4 clamps in kit) Gold plated jump rings, 5mm OD, 20 gauge (4 jump rings in kit) Gold plated hook & eye clasp (1 clasp in kit) Soldered ring, gold plated, 6mm OD (2 soldered rings in kit) Bead Board Side cutters or flush cutters Chain nose pliers Round nose pliers E6000 or beacon 527 glue Necklace Sizing Cone or something that can serve similar purpose Bead Stoppers or hemostat or other clamp Paper, pencil Scissors, Ruler, Work surface Lighting, magnification, chair cushion, as needed ETRUSCAN BEAD DROP NECKLACE
I. PLANNING YOUR PROJECT Thinking about the types of choices made for this project The Etruscan Bead Drop Necklace is a simple, contemporized necklace that is a good beginning project for learning how to string beads, particularly on thicker cords, and add a simple wire-wrapped touch. In this project, we learn to create simple bead-drops using wire and beads, to make a coiled bead using wire, and to attach a clasp to either a thicker leather or rubber cord using a clamp, or to a cable wire using a crimp bead. In this project, I wanted to create a simple necklace, that would be easy but elegant to create, based on a very famous Etruscan necklace on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This is an image of that piece: The original Etruscan piece was strung on a thick cord. The drops were made from glass cabochons set in very decorative gold settings. There are oval shaped, olive-colored glass beads separating each drop. Each oval glass bead is wrapped around its center with a gold band. At either end of the original piece is a
large gold bead, and one part of a hook and eye clasp. Bead stringing involves sliding beads on a stringing material, adding pendant drops as a design element, and finishing off the piece by attaching a clasp assembly. We prepare the ends of 2mm thick rubber cord. We craft some pendant drops and two coil beads, using wire. IA. Conceptualizing Your Piece Ask yourself these questions: Purpose? What is the Context/Setting the bracelet might be worn in? Will the piece be worn frequently, or for any other reason, be subject to a lot of wear and tear? Sizing? Is this to be for a Woman (15 1/2-18 1/2 ) or man (16 1/2-20 ½ )? Size of neck? How should it drape on and across the chest? How will the sizes of my beads impact the final sizing of the necklace, when worn? Materials? What kinds of stringing materials do I want to use, and do I need to do anything additional to prepare the stringing material before using it? What size or thickness of stringing material do I want to use? What type of clasp do I want to use? What are its pros and cons -- functionality, durability, ease of use, support, adaptability to movement, visual appearance, appropriateness to person and context? What special types of construction techniques or additional parts will I need to incorporate to overcome any of the "cons"? What types and materials of beads do I want to use? glass, gemstone, metal, mix? What size(s) and shape(s) of beads do I want to use? How sharp are the holes of my beads, and do I need to do anything special for anything with especially sharp holes? Design and Color Issues? How many strands do I want the necklace to be? What will the clasp assembly look like, and where and how will I attach the clasp? Do I need to make special design choices to allow the clasp to function optimally, such as using smaller beads on each end of my piece? Will the full clasp assembly be a good and appealing length, or will it be too long and unappealing? Do I want to design my clasp assembly to allow my piece to be adjustable in length? Do I want the cord or stringing material to show? At the ends? Within the length of the piece? Do I want to use the same bead throughout, or do I want to create a pattern? What colors do I want to use? Metal colors? Glass bead colors? How long do your want your bead-drops to be? How many bead-drops do you want to add to your necklace? Does the pendant drop, because of the length, require any special strategies for articulation and jointedness to allow freer movement? Do you want to use the same beads for each drop, or do you want to create a pattern? Do you want to use the same beads along the length of your necklace, or do you want to create a pattern?o I need to build in support systems, such as links, loops or rings, to allow for better "ease" and movement?
Wearability? How easily will the strung beads, once the project is finished, conform to and feel comfortable on the neck? My contemporized necklace is 18 long (including the clasp). It is strung on 2mm black rubber cord. I thought rubber would make the piece feel more contemporary than leather. I could have easily used a.019 black or metallic cable wire, for a similar effect. I chose a color, rather than a clear, stringing material, because I intended the stringing material to show. I ve created 11 bead-drop pendants, using Czech glass polished rectangle, gold-plated wire, a goldplated pewter mini-drop, 2 2mm Austrian crystal rounds (series 5000), and one 3mm gold-filled smooth round bead. Each drop, from top of the loop to bottom of the dangling mini-charm, is 1 1/8. I varied the colors of my polished rectangles, rather than use the same bead. Each pendant is separated by 3 large hole brass beads, about 7-8mm in size. I set a pattern of RIDGED ROUND SAUCER RIDGED ROUND because I wanted to duplicate the slight dimensionality of the original piece (wire-band-wrapped oval glass beads).
The beads and pendants cover 11 over the cord, and the remaining part of the cord shows. At either end, I created a decorated coil-bead using 18 gauge gold-filled wire, and then capped with a large hole brass bead. I wanted the necklace to feel a little more feminine and a little lighter than the original Etruscan piece. I chose to use gold metal colors because the Etruscans would have used gold. I could just as easily have used silver. For the polished rectangle glass beads, I chose to vary my colors. I also decided to allocate the colors so that there would NOT be a symmetrical pattern to them. I imagined that my necklace would be worn in more dress-up settings and occasions, but not necessarily formal settings. I chose a simple hook/eye clasp, because I felt it fit with the essence of the necklace and its design. In the kit, the metal components and wire are either gold plated or brass, to keep the costs down. In my original piece, I used gold-filled components and wire.
IB. Measurements Ask yourself these questions: What length necklace do I want to end up with? What are the widths and lengths of each of the beads and pendant drops I want to use? How many beads long? How long do I want each pendant drop? How much space will each pendant loop (the ring on the top of the pendant that the string goes through) take up along the string? How much space do I want to allocate between each pendant drop? How much extra length of cord or stringing material do I need, in order to complete the clasp assembly? How much more length will clasp attachment create? Will there be any variation in the actual sizes of the beads, from bead to bead? What size holes do I need for my beads, given the thickness of my stringing material? My answers to these questions are explained below, as I discuss the basic steps and layout for the piece. MEASUREMENTS DESCRIPTION THIS PROJECT Length with clasp 18 when worn Length Clasp Adds 1" when worn Pattern? YES/NO Yes Into organized segments? Yes YES/NO Length of pendant drops 1 1/8" Space between pendant 1" drops YOUR PROJECT VARIATIONS NOTE: There are 25mm in an inch. Rulers are marked in inches on one side and millimeters on the other. IC. Selecting Materials Stringing material Here I used 2mm thick, black rubber cord. I could have chosen other thick cords, like leather or waxed cotton. I liked the contemporary feel and look of rubber cord. I also could have strung this piece on cable wire, about.024" or.019" thick, though this would have been much thinner than the rubber, and would have had a less substantial look.
Since I wanted the cord to show, I chose a color, in this case, black. Beads, Clasps, Wire I needed beads with larger holes to slip over the rubber cord. For the pendant drops, the beads could have regular sized holes. I wanted to finishes of the beads to hold up. So, in my finished piece, where I could, I selected gold filled beads, clasp and wire. Where I could not, I used raw brass beads. In our kit, we have gold plated beads, clasps and brass wire. Focal Beads I liked the look of the Czech Glass polished rectangles as focal beads. I thought they conveyed rich color. I thought they would be a good surrogate for the bezeled stones in the original Etruscan piece. ID. Sketching a Pattern or Graph Prepare a Graph or general sketch. Do this so it makes sense for you. There are no pre-set rules here. Assign symbols to each type of bead. Locate the symbols in the order you want each bead/component to appear along the straight line of the necklace cord, as they would appear in your final necklace design. Alongside your sketch, don t forget to include a key (a list of symbols and their meaning).
SKETCH-MAP: The STRAND BEGIN: String on 2mm Rubber Thong CLASP + U + CLAMP +. ]-{-{ + ~ + ))))) + ~ + ( ) + DROP +
( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ( ) + DROP + ( ) + ~ + ))))) + ~ + ]-{-{ + CLAMP + U + (0) END SKETCH: The DROP BEGIN: Assemble on 22-gauge gold-filled eye pin Top: Bottom: G o [ ] o V O Components COLOR SCHEME, 11 Drops, Left to Right: Eye pin 1. orange opal
2. coral pink 3. milky topaz 4. coral pink 5. orange opal 6. sapphire 7. milky topaz 8. sapphire 9. orange opal 10. coral pink 11. orange opal END IE. Identifying Potential Areas of Weakness within Your Piece Identify points of potential weakness, that will need reinforcing. In this necklace, points of potential weakness include: The two ends of the cord or stringing material The loops on the pendant drops. If not sufficiently wide enough, they won't swing freely on the rubber cord. If they can't swing freely, the wire will get caught in position, putting pressure on the wire to bend back and forth, and this pressure will result in the wire eventually breaking. Identify how you want to secure the clasp. In this piece, with the rubber cord, I used foldover wing clamps. A jewelry finding not yet available when I first designed the piece is a "crimp end." This is another good option to use to finish off the ends of thicker cords. (If I had used a cable wire, I would have secured the clasp using gold-filled crimp tubes.) I linked the clasp and ring to the clamps (or crimped loop) using 20 gauge gold-filled jump rings. I d suggest using 20 gauge or 18 gauge jump rings for this function. They are less likely to open up, when confronted with pressure. IF. Visualizing Your Process Holding the piece. I like to use the bead board to organize my piece and keep the beads and other components separated in compartments. As I work and continue to work on the piece, I try to keep all the
components lined up on the board. Points of weakness. These are areas of your piece that will need reinforcement. The clasp assembly will be the weakest link on this piece. The other weak point is the loop on your pendant drops. In which direction do you want to work. I like to work from the left side of the piece to the right side. Staging: In this necklace, I am going to stage the assembly in this order: 1. Make the 11 pendant drops 2. Make the 2 coiled wire beads 3. Attach the left side of the clasp assembly 4. String on my beads and pendants 5. Attach the right side of the clasp assembly Create a sample pendant drop and string this pendant drop, and the beads that will separate your pendant drops, onto a length of your cord or stringing material. This gives you a chance to pre-test your ideas and strategies, before barging in to the full task. IG. Organizing Your Work Space Get your beads, stringing materials, bead board, tools, work surface, handy pen and paper, ruler, and the like, altogether in one place. II. Begining Your Project
The instructions below are for making an 18 long woman s necklace on 2mm rubber cord. You could make a similar design for a man, perhaps with only 1 pendant-drop, and making that pendant-drop 1 1/2-2, instead of 17mm long as in our example. IIA. Basic Steps BASIC STEPS: A. Make the 11 pendant drops B. Make the 2 coiled wire beads C. Attach the left side of the clasp assembly D. String on my beads and pendants E. Attach the right side of the clasp assembly STEP A. Making the Pendant Drops A1. Create the Drop Take an eye pin, and slide onto the pin, one 2mm Austrian crystal bead, one 8x12mm polished rectangle bead, another 2mm Austrian crystal bead, and a 3mm gold-filled bead.
Stacking beads onto eye-pin The eye-pin with looped bail Finished pendant with mini-drop Learn To Use The Correct Pliers The TOP of pliers is called JAWS. The TYPE of pliers is referred to by type of Jaws. The three tools we will be using to make earrings are: Chain Nose to move, push, pull LOOK: Tapered; flat and smooth on inside of jaws Round Nose to shape LOOK: Tapered; round cone-shape Sidecutters to cut
LOOK: Cutting edge, like a pair of scissors NOTE: EACH TYPE of PLIERS Has specific uses (functions). You want to use the correct pliers for each step in the process. You don t want to mix up which pliers you use for what. A2. Make a double-coil loop at the end of the eye pin. A2a. Get the eye pin wire ready to make a loop. You will need 1 1/4" of your eye pin wire to make your double-coil-loop. If you have more than 1 1/4", that s OK. You ll trim this excess wire off with your side cutters after you have finished making your coiled loop at the end of these steps. If you have less than 1 1/4", you ll need to adjust your beads-design, so that you have 1 1/4" of wire showing, either by taking a bead off, or using a longer eye-pin. A2b. Form the neck of the double-coiled-loop. Hold your pendant drop straight up and down, with the 1 1/4" of wire that is showing at the top. Use your chain nose pliers and grasp the wire above the bead with the tips of the jaws, so that the pliers is covering between 1/16 or slightly less than 1/8 of wire above the bead. With your fingers, bend the 1 1/4" of wire over the top of the jaws of the pliers and away from you, so that it ends up at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular to the dangle, parallel with the floor). So you end up with a short neck (1/16 to 1/8 long) above the top bead and pointing straight up, with a 90 degree bend of wire that is at least 1 1/8 long. Before you start to bend the wire, be sure the eye of the pin is pushed up flush with the hole of the bottom bead. You don t want to end up with too much movement of the beads on your wire, when you have finished making your pendant drop.
A2c. Make the double-coil-loop. Be sure you are holding the dangle straight up and down, and that the bent over wire is parallel to the floor and pointing away from your body. Place your round nose pliers on the bent wire (that is, the length that is at a 90 degree angle), so that it butts up against the neck. Align the wire so that you are working from the half-way point (that is, the middle point) along the jaws of the round nose pliers. Using your fingers, wrap your wire over the top jaw of your pliers, clockwise, over the jaws, then back towards your body. This begins to form a loop (about 3/4 of the loop). Bring your looping wire around on the left side of the eye pin. Reposition your round nose pliers so that the bottom jaw is placed into the forming loop.
Continue to push the wire in a clockwise direction to finish making the loop around the bottom jaw, and that your looping wire is now past the neck (on the left side) and almost, but not quite, perpendicular to your eye pin. Continue to hold loop tightly with round nose pliers. Using your fingers, continue to wrap the wire around the round nose pliers to form a second complete loop. You want this second loop to lie tightly to the left of the first loop. You most likely will need to again reposition the jaws of your pliers, so that the top jaw is replaced into the forming loop, thus allowing you to continue to wrap your wire to complete your second circle. A2d. Finishing off the Tail with a wrap around the neck. First be sure that your double-coiled-loop is formed so that it ends at the top of the 1/16-1/8 neck, and that it is centered over the neck. The tail should be lined up so that you can twist it around the top of the neck (but not above the neck). Before you start to coil the wire, be sure the bottom loop of the eye pin is pushed up flush with the hole of the bottom bead. Either use your fingers or the chain nose pliers, and wrap the wire around the neck, from the left side to the right side. This works best if you can maneuver the tail wire so that it is at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the neck wire. Wrap slowly, and pull with your fingers, or pushing with your chain nose pliers, tightly on the wire, to get the most control over where and how the wire is going to lay. You want the wrapped wire to look professionally done. That means each ring of the coil is lying tightly against the proceeding one, and tightly around the neck.
Make 2 (best) to 3 (OK) complete coil rings. Trim the excess wire, using your side cutters. Push the cut edge with your chain nose pliers as close to the wrapped wire as you can get, and try to push it under the last bottom coil ring. You can use your chain nose pliers to get the coils squeezed together, to get the coils tighter, and the coils lined up where you want them. You can push the loops onto the round nose pliers, if you need to make them rounder. A2e. Positioning the bottom eye pin loop in relation to the top double-coiledloop. You want the eye-hole at the bottom of your pendant-drop to face perpendicularly (in the opposite direction) to the double-coil-loop at the top of your pendant drop. Grab the eye-hole at the bottom with your chain nose pliers. Insert your round nose pliers into the double-coil-loop at the top. Adjust the positioning accordingly.
A2f. Spread open the double-coiled-loop. Using your finger nail or a single edge razor blade, spread the two loops of the double-coiled-loop apart, as if these were butterfly wings. This creates more visual interest, and allows the stringing material to show through this bail. A3. Add the mini-drop Use your chain nose pliers to move the open end of the eye-pin hole (now at the bottom of your pendant drop). Push the wire side-to side, NOT out-and-in. Create a space just large enough to slide the loop at the top of the mini-drop onto the eye of the eye-pin. Use your chain nose pliers, then, to push the wire on the open ring back in place, so there is no more gap.
STEP B. Making the two Coiled Wire Beads Cut a 5 3/4 length of 18-gauge, gold-filled, half hard, round wire. You can make this wire-bead by wrapping the wire around a thin dowel or pen or anything that is about 3-4mm (.11 to.16 ) in diameter. Or you can use the uppermost (fattest) part of the jaw on your round nose pliers. Your final wire-bead will stretch 1 1/8 to 1 1/4". There are 3 tight coil loops at either end. In between is a 2 ½ to 3 turn spiral, with the turn about ¼" to 3/8 apart. If you are creating this wire-bead with a round-nose pliers, you work the coiling around the innermost (fattest) part of one of the jaws. Push the wire with your fingers, so it coils tightly around one of the jaws. Each
new coil should be made at the bottom (fattest) part of the jaws, with the older coil moving outward (towards the thinner part). Grip the pliers while pushing the wire with your finger to coil it. When the pliers force you to stop with your fingers, release your grip, move the pliers up a bit on the wire, use your fingers to coil some more. Grip, push, release. Grip, push, release. Coil the 5 3/4 length of wire from beginning to end. You ll be making about 8-9 circles. You can push the very end of the wire into place with your round nose pliers, or snip it off. Be sure each circle of the coil rests tightly next to the ones on either side of it. If not, use your fingers or a chain nose pliers to push them together. Use your thumb-nails on each hand. Stick your thumb-nail between the 3 rd and 4 th circle-loop, starting from each end. Pinch the ends with your forefinger and thumb. Pull apart, so that the center loops spread out into a spiral, and the length of this wire-bead extends to 1 1/8 to 1 1/4". Now make it pretty. Be sure the 3 coil circles on each end are tightly lined up with each other. Even out the spacing of the curves on the spirals between each end. You may need to smooth out the curves in the spiral. STEP C. Attach the left side of the clasp assembly Always attach the largest part of the clasp assembly first. In our case, this will be the hook of the hook and eye clasp. With Rubber Thong and Clamps or Crimp Ends Put some glue on the end of the rubber thong. Preference for jeweler's and crafter's glues E6000 or Beacon 527. Do not use super glue. Rubber and leather cord are oily, so it is important to use glue. The jeweler's or crafter's glues dry like rubber, so any force that is applied to the bond, when the jewelry moves as the wearer moves, the bond absorbs that force like a shock absorber. Super glue dries like glass, so the bond, when subjected to force, shatters like glass; moreover, the bond looks like a piece of broken glass and will cut into the cord. Clamp: Seat the thong in the saddle of the clamp. Use a chain nose pliers to crush the wings down and over each other. Crush these as flat as you can get it. Wipe away any excess glue. Crimp End: Put glue on the cord, push the cord all the way back through the 3-banded tube of the crimpend, and crush the middle band as flat as you can get it.
STEP D. String on my beads and pendants Slip the beads and pendant-drops onto the cord in the same order as specified in our sketch-map above. STEP E. Attach the right side of the clasp assembly Repeat the steps as in C above for attaching the left side. For this right side, you will be attaching the smallest part of the clasp assembly. In our project, this would be the soldered ring. Give It The Once Over... Once your necklace is done, look it over carefully. Be sure your clasp is attached securely, that no glue is showing, and that no scratchy, pointy wires are sticking out from your pendant drops or coil beads. IIB. Dealing with Contingencies Correcting Common Mistakes When Making Doubled-Coiled-Loops: Coil rings not tightly abutting each other - Use your chain nose pliers, position to clasp the top and bottom rings, and squeeze the rings together. You may have to repeat this squeezing by going around to each side of the wrapped coil. Coil rings overlap - Not as easily correctable. Try using your chain nose pliers to separate and reposition the coil rings, or try gently crushing/pushing on the coils so they separate themselves. Otherwise, you ll have to begin again. Loop gets malformed un-round, wavy, or un-centered - Use your round nose pliers and push the loop onto one of the jaws to re-round it - Use your chain nose pliers and squeeze the loop to flatten it
- Use your round nose pliers and put through the loop, position your thumbnail against the bottom of the loop in the direction you want to straighten it, and push the loop against your thumbnail, to re-straighten and center the loop over the head pin. Bead(s) still loose on wire - Make an extra coil ring to get a tight fit. Or re-do. End of wrapped coil sticks out, is pointy/sharp feeling - Use a chain nose or flat nose pliers, and squeeze the end against or under the last coil. - Use an emery board or metal file to smooth out the end. Goals: You want to have the end of the loop meet the beginning of the loop. You want the loop to be circular You want the loop to be centered over the hole Slack on Cord Luckily, with this project, having some cord showing is not an issue. We want some cord to show. Length of Necklace Too Short or Too Long Too Long: Cut an end, and re-do that side s clasp assembly. Too Short: Add jump rings or a short piece of chain to the ring side of the necklace, to make the length adjustable. IIC. Finishing Touches I1. Signature bead or embellishment I think it is always a good idea to use a signature bead in your projects. This might be a unique bead added near the beginning or end of the piece, or an engraved tag added as part of the clasp asembly. You want your signature bead to identify the piece as your own, but you don t want your signature bead to compete with or detract from your piece. The general structure of this Etruscan Bead-Drop Necklace has been around for centuries. Your personalization choice of beads, choice of patterns, choice of stringing material, choice of clasp, choice of
color scheme, choice of wire-work embellishments are your own touches, and deserve your signature. III. Summary of Learning Objectives You Have Met After Accomplishing This Project LEARNING OBJECTIVES BEAD STRINGING ETRUSCAN BEAD DROP NECKLACE BS2.08 TECHNICAL MECHANICS BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED 1. Holding Your Piece To Work It 2. Reading Simple Pattern, Figure and/or Graph; Diagramming 3. Selecting Stringing Materials BEGINNER BEGINNER BEGINNER 4. Selecting Clasps and other Jewelry Findings 5. Selecting Beads and other Components BEGINNER 6. Laying Out Your Piece BEGINNER 7. Identifying Areas of Potential Weakness, and BEGINNER Strategies for Dealing With These 8. Selecting and Using Adhesives BEGINNER 9. Use of Tools and INTERMEDIATE
Equipment 10. Determining Measurements and Ease, including Width and Length of a Piece, Especially In Relationship To Bead Sizes INTERMEDIATE 11. Finishing Off Threads, Cable Wires or Other Stringing Materials in Piece or Adding Threads/Cable Wires/Stringing Materials BEGINNER UNDERSTANDING CRAFT BASIS OF STRINGING METHODS 1. Starting the Piece BEGINNER 2. Implementing the Basic Method 3. Finishing Off Your Piece With A Clasp Assembly 4. Managing String/Cord/Thread/Wire Tension BEGINNER BEGINNER BEGINNER 5. Crimping 6. Needle/Thread Work 7. Pearl Knotting and Putting Knots Between Beads 8. Making Simple and Coiled Loops Using Hard BEGINNER
Wire 9. Making and Using Connectors; Segmenting; Directional Control 10. Adding Dangles and Embellishments BEGINNER BEGINNER 11. Making Multi- Strands Piece 12. Making Twist- Strands Piece UNDERSTANDING ART & DESIGN BASIS OF BEAD STRINGING 1. Learning Implications When Choosing Different Sizes/Shapes of Beads, or Using Different Stringing Materials BEGINNER 2. Learning Implications When Choosing Different Kinds of Clasps, or Using Different Jewelry Findings and Components 3. Understanding Relationship of this Bead Stringing Method in Comparision to Other Types of Bead Stringing or Jewelry Making Methods INTERMEDIATE 4. Creating Support BEGINNER
Systems Within Your Piece In Anticipation of Effects of Movement 5. Understanding How Bead Asserts Its Need For Color When Stringing Beads 6. Creating Your Own Design with This Bead Stringing Method, in Reference to Jewelry Design Principles of Composition 7. Creating Shapes, Components and Forms To Use With This Bead Stringing Method, and Establishing Themes BEGINNER BECOMING BEAD STRINGING ARTIST & DESIGNER 1. Developing A Personal Style 2. Valuing or Pricing Your Work 3. Teaching Others Bead Stringing Methods 4. Promoting Yourself and Your Work IV. Next Steps IVA. Suggested Readings
TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY: JEWELRY MAKING & BEADING (Chris Franchetti Michaels) The Basics of Bead Stringing (Debbie Kanan) Bead Stringing (Elizabeth Ward) Bead Jewelry 101 (Karen Mitchell and Ann Mitchell) All jewelry, artworks, images, designs, copy, Copyright 2012 Warren Feld. All rights reserved. LearnToBead.Net Phone: 615/292-0610 Website: www.learntobead.net Email: classes@learntobead.net