How to Make Jewelry With Seed Beads
Making jewelry with seed beads often involves beading stitches such as the peyote, brick, ladder and spiral rope. Many seed bead stitches have variations that will alter the design and appearance of the jewelry piece. An example of a variation in a spiral rope design is a Russian spiral weave. This simple stitch incorporates seed beads and larger bicone-shaped beads to add sparkle and elegance to a traditional spiral design. Look for seed beads and other beading supplies at craft and specialty bead stores or from online retailers.
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Things You'll Need
- Waxed beading thread
- Beading needle
- 10/0 seed beads
- Jeweler's glue
- 8/0 seed beads
- 4 mm bicone beads
- 10 mm bicone bead
Instructions
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1
Thread the beading needle with 36 inches of waxed beading thread. Pull the thread through the eye 15 inches. This is the tail thread and will become the working thread as you stitch the beads together.
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2
Thread 15 size 10/0 seed beads to the end of the working thread. Leave a 2-inch tail at the end of the beads. Hold the 2-inch tail thread firmly and insert the needle back through the first bead. Pull the thread taut to make a circle. Continue to insert the needle through the remaining 14 beads in the circle, exiting the needle adjacent to the 2-inch tail. Knot the tail with a double overhand knot. Cover the knot with jeweler's glue and let it dry.
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3
Insert the needle back through five of the size 10/0 seed beads in the circle. The circle is part of the clasp for the jewelry piece you are making. You can make a necklace or a bracelet using the Russian spiral technique.
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4
Thread two 8/0 seed beads, one 4 mm bicone bead, two 8/0 seed beads, one 4 mm bicone beads, two 8/0 seed beads and one 4 mm bicone bead over the needle to the end of the thread.
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5
Insert the needle back through the first 8/0 seed bead that you added to form a circle. Pull the thread taut.
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6
Thread on one 4 mm bicone and two 8/0 seed beads to the circle. Skip the second 8/0 and the first 4 mm bead in the circle and pass the needle through the third 8/0 seed bead. Pull the thread taut.
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7
Thread on one 4 mm bicone and two 8/0 seed beads. Skip the next two beads in the circle and pass the needle through the fifth 8/0 seed bead in the circle. Pull the thread taut.
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8
Thread on one 4 mm bicone and two 8/0 seed beads. Skip the next two beads in the circle and pass the needle through the next three beads. The next three beads consists of the last seed bead in the first circle, the first 4 mm bicone and the first 8/0 bead from Step 6. As you pass the needle through these beads, you are stepping up to the second circle in the Russian spiral weave. Pull the thread taut.
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9
Repeat Steps 6, 7 and 8 until the spiral is the desired length for the jewelry.
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10
Thread on six 10/0 seed beads, one 10 mm bicone and six 10/0 seed beads. Pass the needle back through the first 10/0 seed bead in this step. Pull the thread taut to form a circle. Pass the needle around the circle twice more, exiting between any two 10/0 beads. Wrap the thread around the thread in the circle and tie a double overhand knot. Cover the knot with glue.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit beads image by Irish i from Fotolia.com
