Turquoise tube bead necklace

Wow!  This necklace uses materials that I've acquired in so many different ways that it's a total supply-collaboration!

First off, several weeks ago I made a series of little tube beads and capped them with some of the beautiful 6mm turquoise rondelles that I received from Auntie's Beads.  These start with a simple two-bead ladder stitch and then are formed with brick stitch around a crochet hook.  Using copper wire, I filled each bead with large seed beads to stabilize it and created a wrapped loop at each end around the rondelles.  You can get specific step-by-step instructions for making these beads in Nancy Zeller's book, Bead Tube Jewelry.    

Once these beads were all stitched and finished, the rest of the construction began in earnest.

Materials and Tools

Stitched tube beads or other long beads of your choice
Copper wire
Small turquoise chips (from Auntie's Beads)
Small copper spacers
Copper chain (from Michael's)
Head pins
Wavy copper spacers (from my Bead Soup partner, Chris Murphy)
Faceted fire agate (from Chris Murphy)
Small turquoise rondelles (from Auntie's Beads)
Jump rings
Hammered copper oval links
Copper toggle clasp (from Chris Murphy)

Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Tape measure

1. Create links with the copper wire, turquoise chips, and small copper spacers.  Make wrapped loops and alternate these links with the tube beads.

2. Measure a length of chain to match (more or less) the length of the links.

3. Use jump rings to attach the chain to the links and the links to a large hammered oval link.  I ended up needing to add an additional large link on each end to achieve the length that I wanted.   

4. Use head pins and create dangles with turquoise chips, wavy copper spacers, faceted fire agate, small turquoise rondelles, and small copper spacers.  Create simple loops on each. 

5. Space the dangles out and attach them to the copper chain.

6. Attach the toggle clasp with jump rings.

As regards FTC disclosure guidelines: I have received turquoise beads free of charge from Auntie's Beads in order to write a review and/or create a project free of charge for you.  I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Copyright 2011 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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