Have you ever used a bead frame? Personally, I love them. In this week’s video, I played with some beads to make this necklace using two different bead frames.
I used the large bead frame to make the focal point and the smaller ones as accents. The large bead frame measures 53mm x 39mm so it is quite large. This allowed me to add a large coin bead into the centre to make a pendant.
I started out with some different beads and jump rings. The materials listed below are what you will need to make the finished necklace:
The tool set I’m using in the video is the 6 Piece Chroma Plier Set. If you would like to know more, you can see it here.
If you would like to know more about the 1-Step Looper, watch this video.
Please watch the video or read the instructions below.
Make a loop in the end of the wire (still attached to the spool). I used my 1-step looper make all my loops but you could use a pair of round nose pliers if you don’t have a 1-step looper. If you’ve never made loops before, watch this video about how to make simple loops.
Once you’ve made the loop, measure and cut the wire – it needs to be long enough to go through the large bead frame with about 1-2cm extra.
Make sure that the wire is reasonably straight, otherwise it will be hard to get the wire through the second hole. Thread the cut end of the wire up through one of the holes in the bead frame.
Next thread on the beads in the following order:
To thread the wire through the other hole of the bead frame, pull the wire back slightly until it pops inside the frame, being careful not to let the beads fall off. Thread the wire through the hole and make a loop in the top.
When you are designing a piece using a bead frame, you can figure out how many beads will fit inside by measuring the inside of the bead frame and calculating the number of beads based on their size. For example, the calculation I made was4+26+6+4=40 which was about the measurement of the inside of the bead frame.
To make the dangle on the bottom of the bead frame, thread the following beads onto the headpin in this order:
Make a loop at the top of the beads.
To attach the dangle to the bottom of the pendant, I used a jump ring. Open the 6mm jump ring and thread on both the dangle and the bottom loop of the pendant. Close the jump ring. If you haven’t used jump rings before checkout this video all about jump rings.
I ended up making quite a few different components for this necklace. To make the first one, make a loop in a piece of wire and thread on the following beads in this order:
Make a loop in the other end. Use both pairs of pliers to make sure that your loops are both facing the same way. Make another one of these components.
Join these components to the pendant, open a 6mm jump ring. Thread on the two components and the top loop of the pendant. Close the jump ring.
Next, we will make the components using the smaller bead frames. Make these two components in the same way asyou did the pendant using the following beads in this order:
Now, we will make the components using the rectangle beads. Make these two components in the same way as you did the first component using the following beads in this order:
Make four of these components in the same manner as the first components, adding the beads in the following order:
I used jump rings to join my components together – three between each component.
First, open a 6mm jump ring and add the first component, plus a 4mm jump ring. Close the jump ring. Next, open another 6mm jump ring and thread on the 4mm jump ring and the bead frame component. Close the jump ring. Repeat for the other side of the necklace.
Use the same technique of joining three jump rings together to join the rest of the components.
Take a 6mm jump ring and thread on the loop of the last component and a 4mm jump ring. Close the jump ring. Open another 6mm jump ring and thread on the 4mm jump ring and the lobster clasp. Close the jump ring.
Repeat for the other side except this time you will add an extra 6mm jump ring instead of the clasp.
I hope that you enjoyed this project today. It was quite a large one but well worth it. I love how the jump rings form the chain between the components. What do you think? Leave me a comment and let me know.
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June 9, 2022
Hi, my name is Carol Karl. I live in little old New Zealand. My family and I strive to live the most ‘real’ life we can – by that I mean that we eat real food, we live real lives and just generally be our most authentic selves.
