Project Idea -- Round Bead Necklace Wondering what to do with a strand of large round beads? Here is a necklace idea that can be used with a full 16" strand of beads 10mm-14mm in size.

Supply List -
1 Semi-Precious Gemstone Bead 16" Strand , 10-14mm, choice of stone (example is 14mm Azurite)
36-47 Round Sterling or Silver Plate Beads, 4mm (06-BSS1004A or 06-51-FM1474)
1 Ball-end Headpin Sterling or Nickel, 1 1/2-2"
3 Saucer Beads, 5-6mm (06-51-FM4086) or choice
1 Lobster Claw Clasp Sterling or Plated , 14-18mm, choice
1-2 Jumprings Sterling or Plated, 5-7mm
beading wire, crimp beads, optional wire guards

Tools: Bead Stopper 03-51-RT4406 (or tape), round nose pliers, wire cutters, flat nose or crimp pliers, optional G-S Hypo Cement

To begin use your wire cutters to cut an approximate 26-28" strand of Beading wire. Add a Bead Stopper (or tape) the end of your wire, leaving about 2-3" of wire in reserve. Before stringing begins, you may want to make the dangle first. To bead the dangle, put one stone bead from your strand onto the headpin, followed by a saucer bead and one 4mm round bead. To create the closed loop at the top of the dangle, start about 1/8" above bead, grasp (with fingers or other pliers) the remaining portion of your wire, bending it around the smaller end of one jaw of your Round Nose Pliers. The wire should now cross over itself in kind of an awareness ribbon shape (above right, left image). Holding the loop with your Round Nose Pliers, use fingers or another pliers to coil end wire around the base wire two or three times, wrapping down barber-pole style, to fill in the space (above right, right image). Once in place, trim the extra wire. (optional: instead of creating a closed loop, create a simple loop by following diagram at below right).

Set aside dangle temporarily while you begin stringing. Start by stringing three 4mm round silver beads, then one of your large stone beads, and one more 4mm round. Alternate stringing one stone bead with one 4mm round bead until half of your stone beads are strung. (A 14mm strand has 29 beads, so string 14 of them; there are 33 beads in a 12mm strand, 40 in a 10mm strand -- when you're done, you'll have one bead left over if your strand has an even number of beads.) when you reach the center, add one saucer bead, a 4mm round, your dangle, one more 4mm round and the last saucer bead. Finish stringing your necklace by continuing to alternate a stone bead with a 4mm round bead, finally ending with three 4mm rounds in a row.

Once all the beads are in place, double check that you have the same number on both sides and adjust if necessary. Now put a crimp bead on the wire end, then run wire through the channel of an optional Wire Guard (see photo at right). Loop the Wire Guard (or just beading wire) through one end ring of your clasp (or through clasp jumpring), and feed wire back through crimp bead, as well as end 4mm bead. Use a flat nose or crimping plier to flatten the crimp bead. Remove Bead Stopper (or tape), and add a crimp bead and Wire Guard to that end, looping thround a jumpring and repeating above steps to have both ends of the necklace secure. If desired, add a dot of G-S Adhesive to the crimped beads, then trim extra beading wire.

All the supplies on the list above can be purchased in-store at Bead Jam; most also available on our On-line store. Follow link for our store site. Do a search for the exact stock number or to see all choices or do a general search for supplies.

Design and instructions copyright of Bead Jam LLC; creation of projects is for personal or gift use only. Feel free to print and distribute projects as long as credit is given to www.beadjam.com