How to Make a Bead Chain

Beaded chains are an essential project for handmade jewelry makers.

The beaded chain is a basic project for jewelry making. Beaded chains are used to create bracelets, necklaces, key chains and other fashionable accessories. They can also be used to create rosaries. A beaded chain is different from a beaded strand, in that beads are used in the links of the chain, in stead of simply stranded onto a piece of string or thread. Whether you are skilled and experienced with beading projects or just beginning, the beaded chain is an easy project to make at home.

Things You'll Need

• Beads
• Wire (20-gauge or thinner)
• Round-nose pliers
• Flat-nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Permanent marker
• Jewelry clasps (optional)

Instructions

1. Use a permanent marker to mark a dot on one of the jaws of the pliers. Mark the dot approximately one half inch below the tip of the pliers. Use this dot as a guide when bending wires, so that all of your loops are equally sized.

2. Cut a one-inch piece of wire from the spool using wire cutters. Thread the wire through a bead. With the wire evenly protruding on each side of the bead, make a loop on one side with the round-nose pliers. Then make a loop on the other side.

3. Cut another one-inch piece of wire from the spool and thread the wire through a bead. Again, begin to make a loop on one side of the wire using round-nose pliers, but before fully closing the loop, hook it onto the loop attached to the first bead. Finish closing the loop to link the two loops together in a chain. Then close the loop on the other end of the bead.

4. Repeat the last step to add links to the bead chain. Use flat-nose pliers to open a loop, if necessary. For instance, use the flat-nose pliers if you need to open a loop to re-link another loop.

5. Create a necklace or bracelet out of the bead chain by connecting the two end loops of the chain to the loops of jewelry clasps, using the same method that you used to connect the loops of the bead links. Open the loops on each end of the chain with flat-nose pliers. Hook the loop of one of the jewelry clasps around one of the opened loops. Close this loop with the round-nose pliers. Then hook the loop of the other jewelry clasp -- the complimentary piece -- around the other opened loop and close.

Tips & Warnings

• Toggle and lobster claw clasps are popularly used in jewelry pieces.

• Create a bead chain as long as the desired size of the necklace or bracelet, allowing one half inch for clasps. The standard length for a bracelet is seven inches, while the standard length for a necklace is 16 inches.

References

• Beading Daily: How to Make a Wire Bead Chain
• Overstock: Tips on Necklace Lengths
• How to Make Beaded Jewelry: Bracelt Size Guide
• Jewelry-making Beads Library: Jewelry Clasps