Crystal Briolette Seed Bead Necklace

This timeless beaded necklace is so wearable, you’re going to put it into heavy rotation! Pair it with a flouncy blouse for a feminine look that says, “let’s go out to dinner!” Or use it to dress up your favorite jeans and t-shirt for movie night. The secret is in the clear and silver-gray color scheme of the crystals and beads.

We’ll show you everything you need to know to make this necklace, from selecting the right bead-stringing wire to finishing the ends with a delicate clasp. You’re about to make a new favorite!

Crystal Briolette Seed Bead Necklace

Materials

Bead stringing wire, silver, 19-strand
Seed beads, mixed gray, taupe, and silver, size 15/0
11 Faceted crystal briolettes, clear, top-drilled, 10mm x 10mm
Cylinder screw clasp, silver, 8mm long
2 Clamshell bead tips, silver
2 Crimp beads, silver

Tools

Wire cutters
Chain-nose pliers
“Bead Bug” or masking tape

Steps

1. Start by cutting a 22″ piece of the bead stringing wire using wire cutters. This amount of wire will make a 16″ long necklace.

Here’s a video we made about bead stringing wire:

2. Place a “Bead Bug” on one end of the bead stringing wire to keep the beads from sliding off. Of course, if you don’t have a Bead Bug, you can simply fold a piece of masking tape over one end of the wire.

3. To get started beading, feed approximately 1½” of the mixed seed beads onto the wire. We think the beading goes faster when you pour a bunch of seed beads into your palm, then “fish” them onto the wire.

4. Now slide one of the crystal briolettes onto the bead stringing wire. We chose top-drilled briolettes so you can feed the wire straight through the top of the bead.

5. Next, slide on about 1¼” of the seed beads, keeping the colors of the mixed beads random.

6. Slide on the next crystal briolette followed by another 1¼” section of seed beads.

7. Continue this pattern until all of the briolettes are on the wire. Then add one last section of seed beads 1½” long like you did at the other end of the necklace.

8. To attach the clasp, feed the end of the wire up through the hole in the bottom of a clamshell bead tip. Then slide a crimp bead and press it flat onto the wire about ½” from the end with the chain-nose pliers. Trim the end of the wire

9. Slide the clamshell bead tip up to the flattened crimp bead and gently press it closed over the crimp. Feed one side of the clasp onto the open loop of the clamshell bead tip, then rotate the loop closed using the pliers.

10. Slide all of the beads down to that finished end of the necklace so you don’t have any slack. Remove the Bead Bug or masking tape and repeat steps 8 & 9 to attach the other side of the clasp.

Isn’t that necklace an instant classic?! We love the way the briolettes sit at an angle when you string them straight across through the top. Have you strung briolette beads this way before? How did your project turn out? And do you have any beading questions for us? Send us an email or leave a comment on the blog. We love it when you write in!

Happy Crafting,
Jennifer & Kitty