Naomi knows: Designing with big beadsTips on sizing and finishing necklaces
by Naomi Fujimoto
Published: February 3, 2012 I spent January designing lots of necklaces — including three multistrand pieces for an upcoming Kalmbach book.
The design frenzy continues.
Starting Monday, I'll be designing a necklace a day. The entire collection will be for sale on Feb. 20th. (I haven't sold jewelry for many years, so it's exciting to be venturing forth again!) For more details and a daily design tip, check the Bead Room starting Feb. 6th.
Today's column comes from my latest experience working with big beads. These bright pink beads came from Spoilt Rotten Beads, a UK company that carries some unusual Lucite and acrylic beads.
Stringing a pendant on a single-strand necklace seems pretty straightforward, but big beads present some technical challenges. So here are a few tips to help with the design process.
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DESIGN TIPS FOR WORKING WITH BIG BEADS | 1 / 4  |
Tip #1 Make sure the pendant hangs low enough to clear the adjacent beads. Otherwise the beads will prevent the pendant from laying flat. For this pendant, I used a 15 mm oval jump ring from Rings & Things. Other options: Use a bail with a long loop or make your own wire-wrapped loops, leaving enough room on the stem. | |
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