How To Make A Love Birds Art Nouveau Crystal Necklace

Art nouveau findings and Swarovski crystals give this wirework necklace a vintage look that’s timeless and elegant.

How To Make A Love Birds Art Nouveau Crystal Necklace

Materials

Kabela Design Love Birds Link Charm, Antique Brass, 21mmx16mm
2 Kabela Design Flower with Center Crystal Links, Antique Brass, 23.5mmx9mm
Heart Toggle Clasp, Antique Brass, 20X15mm
10 Round Filigree Beads, Antique Brass, 5mm
4 Oval Filigree Beads, Antique Brass, 12x8mm
12 Petal Bead Caps, Antique Brass, 6mm
31 Eye pins, Antique Brass, 22-gauge, “dead soft”, 1¼” length
6 Swarovski Faceted Round Crystals, Light Azore, 8mm
8 Swarovski Faceted Round Crystals, Light Azore, 6mm
8 Swarovski Faceted Round Crystals, Light Azore, 4mm
4 Swarovski Bicone Crystals, Light Azore, 4mm
Swarovski Flat Briolette Pendant, Golden Shadow, 15mm, one

Tools

Round-nose Pliers
Chain-nose Pliers
Wire cutters

Steps

1. Make a component out of each round filigree bead. To do this, slide a round filigree bead onto an eye pin. Grip the wire where it comes out of the bead with the round-nose pliers and bend the tail of the wire over the pliers 90 degrees. Move the pliers to grip the wire just above the 90-degree turn. Grab the tail of the wire with your fingers and wrap it all the way around the pliers to make a complete loop. Use the wire cutters to trim the tail. Repeat with all the round filigree beads.

2. Use the technique in step 1 to make components out of the oval filigree beads and the 6mm round crystals. Each component will be made on an eye pin and have just one bead on it.

3. Slide a bead cap, an 8mm round crystal, and a bead cap onto an eye pin. Make a complete loop at the other end of the wire as in step 1. Repeat to make another identical component.

4. Slide a 4mm round crystal, a bead cap, an 8mm round crystal, a bead cap, and a 4mm round crystal onto an eye pin. Make a loop at the other end of the wire as in step 1. Repeat to make four total of these multi-bead components.

5. To assemble the necklace, open the end of a multi-bead component with the round-nose pliers and the chain-nose pliers by grasping the open side of the loop with one of the pliers, the component side with the other pliers, and pushing the open side away. (This way you do not distort the round shape of the loop.) Slide the open loop through the opening on the top corner of the Love Birds Charm. Use both sets of pliers to close the loop.

6. Open the loop on the other end of the multi-bead component and slide on one end of the flower link. Close the loop. Open the loop on another multi-bead component and slide into the other end of the flower link. Close the loop.

7. Continue in this manner opening and closing loops to connect each component following this pattern: starting from the Love Birds Charm – multi-bead component, flower link, multi-bead component, oval filigree bead, 8mm round crystal, oval filigree bead, 4mm round crystal, round filigree bead, 4mm round crystal, round filigree bead, 4mm round crystal, round filigree bead, round filigree bead, round filigree bead, and 4mm bicone crystal.

8. Repeat the pattern on the other side of the Love Birds Charm, attaching each component to the next following the order in step 7.

9. To attach the briolette pendant to the Love Birds Charm, make two components featuring one 4mm bicone crystal each using the technique in step 1. Slide an eye pin through the briolette pendant and make a loop in the tail. Trim with wire cutters. Attach the two bicone crystal components to the Love Birds Charm by opening and closing the loops. Attach the other ends of the bicone crystal components to the loops on the pendant.

10. Finish the ends of the necklace by opening the loop on the last component on each side and sliding on each half of the toggle clasp. Close the loops.

Tip: Some eye pins are labeled dead hard or dead soft. This indicates how hard the metal is for bending. But some packages just don’t say. If your eye pins are too hard to bend into a loop, look for a different package that says dead soft. Or you can substitute 22-gauge antique brass wire that is dead soft, but you’ll have to make twice as many loops!