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Sandcast beads Boho necklace - tutorial + for sale

 
West African sandcast beads, Telsum bead, Venetian beads,
Bohemian striped beads.  39" long, adjustable
$65


I was inspired by the long Boho-style necklaces that are everywhere this Fall, and by the collection of fabulous African trade beads that I've built up over the years.  You may not be able to find the exact same beads that I've used if you want to make your own necklace, but you can no doubt find some wonderful beads in the season's colors either at Jesse James Beads or at Beadaholique




 

1. I used an eyeglass cord that I bought years ago in Guatemala for the fiber strap of this necklace.  You'll find some really interesting and colorful cotton straps at Beadaholique, which will give you a similar look.  You can simply add a wrapped wire loop to the cut end of the flat strap (make sure to seal it with glue!).



2. Cut two cords, one about 15" and one about 18".  String on the beads for the shorter cord and knot it to one end of the strap.  Do the same at the other end, and add a small bead to the tail end as shown.  The shorter strand in my necklace is all sandcast West African beads with a few seed bead spacers.




3. Make your longer strand more elaborate.  To the center portion of this strand, I added a Telsum bead, a couple of Bohemian striped glass beads, and two old Venetian glass beads.  The Telsum bead is made in Africa, while the Bohemian and Venetian beads are European-made trade beads.



4. I decided to add another shorter cord with sandcast beads to the loops on each side.  The cord was about 8" long.  The finished necklace is a very long 39", but the cotton strap portion can be easily knotted to make it shorter.    


This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique and Jesse James Beads

Copyright 2017 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 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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