• What knowledge is assumed
• What tools are required
• What supplies are needed
• Tips
• Instructions for the necklace
• Instructions for the ear rings

What Knowledge is Assumed

This necklace requires you to make your cages from wire. If you do not know how to do this, please see "Making Wire Cages" for instructions. It is also assumed that you know how to finish off head and eye pins, can open chain links know how to attach jump rings.

What Tools Are Required

• Flush cutters;
• Chain nosed pliers (2 pairs will make life easier);
• Round nosed pliers (for coiling wire);
• Nylon jaw pliers (for coiling wire).

What Supplies are Needed

The supplies for this necklace are available in kit format. Click here for more details on the kit.

For the Necklace you will need:-

• 3 X 15cm Sterling Silver 20ga wire;
• 16 X 4mm Black Nickel Jump Rings (small jump ring);
• 6 X 6mm Black Nickel Jump Rings (large jump ring);
• 4 X 15/13mm Czech Pearl Coated Nugget Beads in Snow;
• 5 X 11/9mm Czech Pearl Coated Nugget Beads in Royal Blue;
• 3 X 12mm Czech Diamond shaped Crystal AB Beads;
• 4 X Black Nickel Head Pins;
• 7 X Black Nickel Eye Pins;
• 35cm of Black Nickel Chain 5mm links, not soldered;
• 1 X Black Nickel Parrot Clasp.

For the Ear rings you will need:-

• 2 X 15cm Sterling Silver 20ga wire;
• 4 X 4mm Black Nickel Jump Rings (small jump ring);
• 2 X 11/9mm Czech Pearl Coated Nugget Beads in Royal Blue;
• 11cm of Black Nickel Chain 5mm links, not soldered;
• 2 X Black Nickel Ear wires.

Tips

• Make sure all of your jump rings are completely closed - there is nothing worse than your necklace falling apart!
• With your head pins and eye pins, don't have too much room for the bead to move - it looks better with less movement.
• You can substitute any beads. However I have found that an 8mm pearl bead sits well with the silver cages, any larger and it's a tight fit and they look too big.

Instructions for the Necklace

Start this necklace by preparing the beads, making the cages and chain segments that will be used.

1. Place a large snow nugget bead onto an eye pin and finish off with a nice loop. Repeat this so that all 4 large nugget beads are on individual eye pins.
2. Place a Crystal AB diamond shaped beads onto an eye pin and finish off with a nice loop. Repeat this so that you have 2 diamond beads on individual eye pins.
3. Place the remaining crystal AB diamond shaped bead onto a head pin and finish off with a nice loop – this will be part of the main drop.
4. Place one small royal blue nugget bead onto an eye pin and finish off with a nice loop – this will be part of the main drop.
5. Place one small royal blue nugget bead onto a head pin and finish off with a nice loop. Join together this bead with the small royal blue nugget bead on an eye pin (made in step 4) – this will be part of the main drop.
6. Prepare the links of chain you will need. The chain should not be soldered, so that you can open a link; remove the number of links you need to make short chains and then close the link again. This is good practice to reduce the amount of wastage that happens when you cut links (especially if the chain is expensive!). For this necklace, you will need to make the following chain segments:-
   1. 7 x short chains each of 3 links;
   2. 1 x short chain of 4 links;
   3. 1 x longer chain of 21 links (this is for the clasp);
   4. 1 x longer chain of 22 links (this is for the attaching side of the clasp).
7. Open the loop of the crystal AB diamond bead on a head pin and add a 3 link chain.
8. Using the sterling silver wire and 2 of the royal blue nugget beads, make 2 cages with loops at each end (like an eye pin). Make sure you place the nugget bead in the centre of the cage before closing it.
9. Using the remaining piece of sterling silver and another royal blue nugget bead, make a cage, but ONLY pull out ONE loop, leave the other end flat (like a head pin) – this will be part of the main drop. Don't forget to put the nugget bead in the centre of the cage before you close it.
10. Open a small jump ring and add a 4 link chain and a silver cage (made in step 9 above). Close the jump ring.

Now we will build the necklace. We start by building the centre drop and then continuing on from there. Make sure that you close all of your jump rings securely.

11. Build the Centre drop. Take a large (6mm) jump ring and add the following (in order) :-
    1. Chain link of crystal diamond (made in step 7);
    2. Chain link of silver cage (made in step 10);
    3. Eye pin on pearls linked together (made in step 5);
    4. 2 X Eye pins of the crystal damonds (made in Step 2).
    5. Close the jump ring tightly.
12. To one small (4mm) jump ring add one eye pin of a crystal diamond (from the drop) and a 3 link chain.
13. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the 3 link chain above and the eye pin of a nugget bead.
14. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the nugget bead above and a 3 link chain.
15. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the 3 link chain above and a silver cage.
16. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the silver cage above and a 3 link chain.
17. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the 3 link chain above and the eye pin of a nugget bead.
18. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the nugget bead and the 21 link chain.
19. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the 21 link chain and a clasp. One side finished!
20. Now for the other side of the necklace. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the eye pin of the remaining crystal diamond (from the drop) and a 3 link chain.
21. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the 3 link chain above and the eye pin of a nugget bead.
22. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the nugget bead above and a 3 link chain.
23. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the 3 link chain above and a silver cage.
24. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the silver cage above and a 3 link chain.
25. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the 3 link chain above and the eye pin of a nugget bead.
26. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the nugget bead and the 22 link chain.
27. To one large (6mm) jump ring add the other end of the 22 link chain and another large jump ring.
28. Add another large (6mm) jump ring to the current large jump ring above (so you have 3 large jump rings in a row).
29. The necklace is now finished!

Instructions for the Ear Rings

1. Using the sterling silver wire royal blue nugget beads, make 2 cageswith the beads in the centre.
2. Prepare the links of chain you will need for the ear rings as follows:-
   1. 2 X chains of 4 links each;
   2. 4 X chains of 3 links each.
3. Now for building the ear rings. To one small (4mm) jump ring, add the following (in order):-
   1. 1 X 3 link chain;
   2. 1 X 4 link chain;
   3. 1 X 3 link chain;
   4. 1 X silver cage.
4. Close the jump ring tightly. It is a little hard, but make sure you close it properly.
5. To one small (4mm) jump ring add the other end of the silver cage and the ear wire.
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 to make the second ear ring.
7. The ear rings are now all finished!