Making an Elegant Fused Pendant / Lampwork Bead Necklace
This is a lovely and elegant method to make a simple yet stunning necklace with one of my Fused Pendant/Lampwork sets. This can be easily adapted to one of my single pendants as well, with accent stone or other glass beads ... just use your imagination! :)
Materials List



1 - 66" Beadalon Designer Series Silver Plated .015" stringing wire
8 - 2x2mm silver crimp tubes
20 - 1x1mm silver crimp tubes
20 - size 11 silver seed beads
30 - 3.5mm silver jumprings

4 - color coordinating size 6 or "E" beads
1 - Desertbug Designs Fused Pendant/Lampwork Set
1 - silver necklace clasp
(purchased or handmade)
 Basic stringing tools:
crimp pliers, round nose pliers, side cutter or scissors, masking tape..


 

Instructions
Click on any picture for a larger view...

STEP 1:

Gather all of your materials and tools together.
STEP 2:

Cut the beadalon wire into three 22" pieces. FInd the center, and mark just off center half the width of your pendant by appliying a bit of masking tape around the three wire. String the pendant on to the three wires and center it butting against your tape marker.

STEP 3:

String one "E" bead (or no. 6 size), 5 3.5mm jumprings, 1 silver sead bead, and one 2x2mm crimp tube onto the three wires.

STEP 4:

Crimp the 2x2mm crimp tube.

STEP 5:

Splay out the three wires on the side you are working on. Arrange 4 lampwork beads along the wire where you would like them to go, and one "E" or no.6 bead near the pendant. Keep arranging until you like the distances of the beads from each other. In this example, I am going to put 2 beads on one strand, one bead on the middle strand, and the "E" and one lampwork bead on the last strand.

STEP 6:

String a 1x1mm crimp tube on each strand, bringing it down to where you want your beads to sit on the wire.

Note: If you are planning on more than one bead per strand, only put the crimp bead on the wire nearest the pendant first, and wait to apply the crimp for the upper bead.

Once the crimps are on the strands located where you plan to have the beads lay, crimp them flat.

Now, on the crimp nearest the pendant, strin one silver seed bead, one 3.5mm jumpring, one "E" or no.6 bead, one 3.5mm jumpring, one silver seed bead, and one 1x1mm crimp tube. push the beads together firmly, but not to tight, and crimp the 1x1mm crimp tube.

STEP 7:

Continue adding your bead parts on the next crimps, repeating with one silver seed bead, one 3.5mm jumpring, one lampwork bead, one 3.5mm jumpring, one silver seed bead, and one 1x1mm crimp tube. Make sure each bead group is firmly together before crimping the 1x1mm crimp tube.

Once you have finished a bead group on a wire that will have another bead added to it, you can repeat the procedure from step 6.

Complete this until the one side of the necklace has all bead groupings crimped on to it.

STEP 8:

Now, remove the masking tape on the wire next to the pendant, and begin finishing the other side. First, add one "E" or no.6 bead, five 3.5mm jumprings, one silver seed bead, and one 2x2mm silver crimp tube on all three wires. rimp the crimp tube.

Now, splay the thre strands out, and you can either measure the strands on the other side from the pendant to the bottom crimps and mark the corresponding wire on the other side, or you can eye-ball the correct spots by matching the left and right side wires up, and then adding your 1x1mm crimp beads as you go.

STEP 9:

Finish adding the crimps and bead groups up the wires so that they match (realatively) on each side. Your finished strands should look something like the picture to the left, and you will be now ready to add the clasp.

You can either purchase a clasp, or make a simple and snazzy silver wire clasp yourself.

STEP 10:

Take the one side of your clasp and one of the left side wire ends. String one 2x2mm crimp tube onto the wire, wrap the wire around the clasp's attachment loop, and then string the wire back through the crimp tube. You can keep it fairly short, since you will be trimming the excess wire tail close to the crimp tube. Crimp the tube and trim the excess wire close to the tube. repeat with the other two wires on the left side.

Repeat with the right side three wires and other clasp half.

STEP 11:

Now, your necklace is all finished, and ready for a night on the town!

Be sure to store it in a zip bag whne not in use so any silver components won't tarnish as rapidly.

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Lampwork and fusing work can both be dangerous if not properly undertaken, and you should take care to inform yourself of all safety issues/precautions/and risks associated with these endeavors.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any form without express written permission of DesertBug Designs/T. Ryan.