Black chain necklaceMake a dressy necklace with big beads and chain
by Naomi Fujimoto
Published: December 29, 2010 In this dark and wintry necklace, all the materials are shades of black — even the flexible beading wire, crimp beads, and jump rings. Any large, flat bead will work, so tailor the necklace to suit your personal style. Just make five dangles and attach a clasp, and you're done!
• 2 7-in. (18 cm) strands 24 mm glass octagon beads ($14)
• 9 6 mm helix crystals ($9–10)
• flexible beading wire, .014 or .015
• 16–18 in. (41–46 cm) chain, 10–13 mm links
• 2–6 5 mm jump rings
• 10 crimp beads
• toggle clasp
• 2 pairs of pliers
• diagonal wire cutters
• heavy-duty wire cutters
Octagon beads and chain from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.
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1. Cut a 5-in. (13 cm) piece of beading wire. String a helix crystal and a crimp bead. Go back through the crimp bead and flatten it (Basics). Trim the excess wire to 1/4 in. (6 mm).
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2. Decide how long you want your necklace to be and cut a piece of chain to that length. On the beading wire, string: octagon bead, helix, octagon, helix, crimp bead, center link of chain. Go back through the last few beads strung and tighten the wire. Flatten the crimp bead.
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3. Make two more dangles, attaching each to the chain about 1 in. (2.5 cm) from the center. Attach two more dangles to the chain about 1 in. (2.5 cm) from the previous dangles.
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4. Check the fit, and trim chain if necessary. Open a jump ring (Basics). Attach an end link and half of a toggle clasp. Close the jump ring. Repeat on the other end. (If the chain has very large links, attach an additional jump ring or two on each end so the toggle bar can fit through the loop half of the clasp.) *
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