Making Jewellery - August 2016

makingjewellery.com 11

PROJECT

MATERIALS & TOOLS

● (^) Semiprecious gem chips
● (^) Seed beads in two colours (pink set)
● (^) Bugle beads (for the red set)
● (^) C-Lon beading cord
● (^) 6 x calotte ends
● (^) 3 x 6mm jumprings
● (^) 8mm jumpring
● (^) Clasp
● (^) 2 x earwires (earrings only)
● (^) Superglue
● (^) Chain nose pliers
● (^) Scissors
HOW TO MAKE
1
Pink summer daytime set

1. This simple style is made up of three
   strands of beads plaited and joined together
   with jumprings. It’s the height of simplicity!
   To start you need to cut three equal lengths
   of strong beading cord; I used C-Lon in white.
   Cut them much longer than you want the
   necklace to be as it’s easier to cut the ends off
   later than try and gauge how much you need
   at this point. Make a double knot at one end
   on all strands and thread through a calotte.
   Cut off the end of thread beyond the knot. Add
   a dab of glue for security and close the calotte
   cup around the knot using chain nose pliers.
   Do this on all three strands. If your calotte
   ends have an open loop, use a pair of round
   nose pliers to make the end into a tight loop.


2. Start adding beads to the strands. For this
   necklace I used 4mm silver seed beads on one
   strand, 3mm pale blue frosted seed beads on
   another and pink opal quartz on the third
   strand. When you have strung on as many
   beads as you want and all three strands are a
   similar length, move onto the next step.


3. The strands need to be about 50mm longer
   than you want the necklace to be. It will

2 3

4 5 6

shorten as you plait; the tighter the plait the

shorter the necklace becomes. Place another

calotte on the open end of each strand, then

knot the thread about 20mm beyond the last

bead and close the calotte. You need a little

give in the strands so they plait nicely, so don’t

be tempted to push the calotte right up against

the beads.

4. Take a 6mm jumpring and thread all three
   calotte ends onto it. Close the jumpring and
   add an 8mm jumpring. Thread a piece of scrap
   cord or thread through the 8mm jumpring and
   tape it to your work surface. This will hold the
   strands in place as you plait.


5. Start to plait, but keep an eye on the design
   as you go. If you are careful, you can make the
   plait lie quite fl at. This is preferable as it can
   make the necklace look better when it is worn.
   Keep the plait tight but if the bead strands go
   stiff , then loosen the plait off a little until they
   go soft again.


6. When you get to the end and have about
   25mm left of each strand, thread them onto
   another 6mm jumpring. Add a clasp with another
   jumpring and close to fi nish the necklace.

PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, SIAN HAMILTON

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