How to Make Jewelry with Semi-Precious Beads
Gemstones come in a variety of colors, from the opalescent gray of labradorite to the vibrant pinks, greens and blues of treated chalcedony, and a range of cuts. Semi-precious gemstone beads add value and natural beauty to your handmade jewelry. When working with high-end jewelry components, such as gemstones, silver or gold, always practice the techniques required for the piece you plan to create with cheaper materials first. Remember when designing jewelry with semi-precious beads to let the gemstones be the star.
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Things You'll Need
- Bead board
- Semi-precious beads
- Stringing Material
- Wire cutters
- 2 crimp beads
- Clasp
- Crimping pliers
- 2 headpins
- Round nose pliers
- Chain nose pliers
- Ear wires
Instructions
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Necklace or Bracelet
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1
Plan out the design of your jewelry on a bead board before you start stringing. Lay out your gemstone beads in one of the grooves in the board to see how it will look once finished. Make sure you have enough beads in the groove to measure about a half inch less than you want your finished necklace or bracelet.
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2
Choose a stringing material and findings for your jewelry. High quality beads, such as gemstones, should be matched with high quality materials like sterling silver, copper or gold. Choose a heavy-duty beading wire for easy stringing.
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3
Cut a length of the wire or other stringing material about 6 inches longer than your finished piece. String a crimp bead and one side of the clasp onto the wire, and run the end of the wire back through the crimp bead. Pull the loop tight before crimping in place.
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4
String your beads onto the wire as you have them laid out on your bead board. Cover the wire tail coming from the crimp bead as you work.
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5
String the second crimp bead and other half of the clasp. Pass the wire end back through the crimp bead, tighten and crimp the clasp in place. Run any remaining wire through several beads to hide.
Earrings
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6
String a single gemstone bead onto each headpin. Grip the headpin just above the bead with your round nose pliers, and bend the headpin to form a 90-degree angle. Hold the headpin at the bend as you roll the wire around the tip of the pliers to form a loop.
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7
Hold the loop with your chain nose pliers. Center it over the bead, and wrap the remaining wire around the base of the loop with your round nose pliers.
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8
Grip the loop of your ear wire on either side of the opening with your two sets of pliers. Twist the pliers away from each other to open the loop. String the loop of each headpin onto the open loop of an ear wire, and close the loop by reversing the twisting motion.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Store gemstone jewelry in a clean, dry place. If the jewelry has sterling silver elements, store them in individual air tight plastic baggies to prevent tarnish.
Careful designing eliminates the need to go back and restring halfway through a necklace or bracelet you’re not happy with.
References
- Photo Credit sodalite bracelet image by Lytse from Fotolia.com
