There’s something so fun about shopping your own beads. You undoubtedly like everything you see! For this beaded necklace, we dug through our bead bins and picked out a selection of colorful faceted beads in all shapes and sizes. Then we strung them together with copper seed beads, a copper clasp, and a copper chain. We love how it turned out, and know you’ll love making one, too. Consider it a chance to raid your stash and use some of your favorite leftover beads!
Video How-To: Calliope Beaded Necklace
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How To Make A Calliope Beaded Necklace
Materials
31 Beads – different sizes and colors (Ours are 3mm to 9mm in size.)
Seed beads, dark copper, Size 11/0
Bead stringing wire, 19-strand, gold
Lobster clasp, antique copper
2 Jump rings, 4mm, antique copper
2 Clamshell bead tips, antique copper
2 Crimp beads, copper
1 Headpin, antique copper
2″ piece of chain, open loop, copper
Tools
Chain-nose pliers
Round-nose pliers
Wire cutters
Bead Bug or masking tape
Tape measure
Steps
1. Arrange the colorful, faceted beads in the order you like. We spread ours out so the colors and sizes would go back and forth. Then we set one bead aside to use later in step 18 (for a fun little detail!).
2. To get started beading, cut a 23″ length of bead stringing wire. Place a Bead Bug on one end to keep the beads from sliding off while you are beading. A Bead Bug is a small spring that clamps onto your wire and acts as a stopper. Very handy! If you don’t have a Bead Bug, you can use a small piece of masking tape. Just fold it over the end of the wire.
3. Begin beading with an inch and a half of copper seed beads. We like to pour the beads into the palm of one hand then use the end of the wire to “fish” the beads on. This makes quick work of beading with seed beads.
4. Slide the first bead from your design onto the bead stringing wire next.
5. Then slide on 3 or 4 seed beads. This will be the pattern for the necklace: colorful faceted beads with 3 or 4 seed beads between each one.
6. Keep beading following the design you laid out in step 1, separating each bead with 3 or 4 copper seed beads. When all the colorful beads are on the bead stringing wire, add an inch and a half of copper seed beads to match the beginning of the necklace. Measure the beaded section of the necklace. You will want 16.5″ of beads on the wire to make a 20″ necklace. Adjust the number of seed beads on each side to get the length you like.
7. To finish the end with a clasp, feed the wire up through the bottom of one of the clamshell bead tips.
8. Pick up a crimp bead with the chain-nose pliers and slide it onto the wire. Then flatten the crimp bead onto the wire.
9. Trim the wire next to the flattened crimp bead with the wire cutters. Then gently press the clamshell closed over the crimp bead.
10. Use the pliers to rotate the loop on the clamshell bead tip closed.
11. Open a jump ring with two pairs of pliers. We like to find the cut in the jump ring, then grasp the jump ring to one side of the cut with one pair of pliers. Then we hold the jump ring on the other side of the cut with a second pair of pliers. Rotate one pair of pliers down and the other up. This will open the jump ring while maintaining its round shape.
12. Feed the lobster clasp into the open jump ring, then feed the clamshell loop into the open jump ring. Press the jump ring closed using the chain-nose pliers.
13. Remove the Bead Bug or masking tape from the other end of the necklace. Slide that end up into a clamshell bead tip.
14. Pick up a crimp bead with the chain-nose pliers and slide it onto the wire. This time, slide it all the way down to the beads so it sits inside the clamshell bead tip. Try not to have any slack in the beads.
15. Reach inside the clamshell with the tip of the chain-nose pliers and flatten the crimp bead onto the wire.
16. Trim the end of the wire, then gently press the clamshell bead tip closed. Close the loop on the clamshell bead tip.
17. Open a jump ring. Feed the end of the short piece of chain into the jump ring. Then feed the loop on the clamshell bead tip into the open jump ring. Press the jump ring closed. The chain will make the necklace adjustable.
18. Make a bead dangle for the end of the chain by sliding the last bead onto the head pin. (The bead dangle is the fun detail we mentioned!)
19. Make a loop in the headpin. To do this, grasp the headpin wire just above the bead with the round-nose pliers. Then make a 90-degree bend in the headpin wire. Reposition the round-nose pliers to the top of the 90-degree bend. Push the headpin wire up and over the top jaw of the pliers to make a partial loop. Next, reposition the pliers so the bottom jaw is in the partial loop. Then pull the wire around the jaw to finish the loop, but don’t wrap the loop yet! Slide the end of the chain into the loop. Then grasp across the loop with the round-nose pliers and pull the tail of wire around the neck two times. Trim the end of the wire.
We love simple bead stringing projects like this! And you can use these instructions with just about any beads! If you love bead stringing, here are some more pretty bead stringing projects:
Three Charm Beaded Necklace
Glass Bead Necklace
Dainty Double-Strand Bracelet
Three-In-One Wrap Bracelet
And if you have any questions about this beaded necklace, leave us a comment below, and we’ll reply. We love hearing from you and are here to help you!
Happy Crafting,
Jennifer & Kitty
Love your instructions for making this necklace. Writing understandable instructions is definitely a talent! It also helps all of us who are audio-visual learners to have the photographs. Job well done! Thank you.
Thanks B.J. We’ve written a lot of how-tos, so we’re getting better at it. It’s definitely a challenge sometimes, but we like to have words, images, and video where possible. Sometimes the picture explains it best, but sometimes the words do a lot of work. We think it just helps to have more! Glad you find it helpful!
Jennifer & Kitty
Thanks for sharing this blog for us.
Your designs are very awesome.
Thanks so much!
J&K