Free Craft Project

Long Drop Bead Necklace

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by Rosemary Donald, Sabu Jewellery

This stylish long drop necklace is easy to make and suitable for beginners to advanced level beading enthusiasts.


Materials

1 x lobster clasp and end tag
66cms tigertail wire
lite crimps

beads - Recommended mix of 2mm.15mm beads plus 1 x specialty centre bead (15-20mms)


Tools

flat nose pliers
round nose pliers
diagonal wire cutters


Instructions

1. Cut 2 x 33cm lengths of tigertail wire using your diagonal wire cutters.

2. Lay out in front of you all of the beads you would like to use. As a general guide you will need 8 beads - or sets of beads - spaced evenly along both lengths of tigertail wire followed by a centre bead plus 3-6 smaller beads for each of the lower 2 strands of tigertail wire.

3. Attach the lobster clasp to one of the lengths of tigertail wire by placing a crimp on the end of the tigertail and then threading the tigertail wire through the parrot clasp and back through the crimp using your round nose pliers. Secure the crimp by flattening it with your flat nose pliers. Attach the end tag to the other length of tigertail wire using the same method.

4. Start threading your first bead/or bead set onto one length of tigertail wire and secure with a crimp, then add your next crimp 1.5cms along followed by a bead/s and secure with a crimp . continue doing this until all 8 sets of beads have been added to one length of tigertail wire, leaving 8-10cms of tigertail wire free at the end.

5. Join the two strands of tigertail wire together by securing the parrot clasp to the end tag. Align the two strands of tigertail wire and add beads to the remaining length of tigertail wire as per step 4, ensuring that the beads are evenly lined up with the other strand.

6. Join the two strands together at the section after the last set of beads by adding a crimp followed by the centre specialty bead and then secure with another crimp, leaving 5cms of tigertail wire free for the bottom 2 strands.

7. Finish off the bottom 2 strands of tigertail wire with beads secured by crimps allowing even gaps between the beads/bead sets. Your long drop necklace is now finished and ready to wear!