Crystal Pendant Necklace

This piece is a little fiddly, but the result is worth it for that little bit of something different.

You will need:

• 30 x Links of 3x4mm Chain 
• 7 Headpins 
• 1 Top Drilled Crystal Drop 
• 4 x 5mm Faceted Crystal 
• 12 x Swarovski 4mm Bicones 
• 1 7mm Triangle Jump Ring 
• 5 x 8mm Glass Cubes 
• 60 x Sz 6 Clear Seed Beads 
• Silver Seed Beads 
• White 4mm Bugle Beads 
• 1m White Tigertail 
• Crimp Beads / Clasp & Ring 

What you do:

• Take a piece of chain 9 links long and add the loop of a head pin to the centre link.

• Onto the pin add a selection of seed & bugle beads, a Swarovski Crystal and a Glass Cube. Form the end of the wire into a neat loop and trim off the excess.

• Add a second eye pin to the next link in the chain, making sure the chain lays straight and not twisted.
• Add another selection of beads including a 5mm Crystal and 2 Swarovski’s, Make sure this pin is slightly shorter than the centre one. Repeat this pin on the opposite side of the first one.

• Add another pin to the next link, bead it up with Seeds and Swarovski’s as before, again making sure it is slightly shorter than the previous pin. Make a matching one on the other side.
• Repeat this until you have 7 pins in a row, forming a ‘V’ shape from the centre.

• Take the 21 link of remaining chain, and attach the centre link to the bottom of the centre pin.
• Making sure the chain lays straight throughout, link the remaining pins to the chain.

• Connect the ends of the top piece of chain to the second link of the long piece, as show in the pic.

• Using the triangle jump ring, clamp the top drilled crystal drop and attach it to the middle chain. This is the centrepiece complete.

• Take a 1/5m length of white tigertail and bend it in half without kinking it. String approx 3cm of mixed seeds into the centre and thread both ends through a cube bead. Crimp into place by squashing a crimp bead close to the cube.

• Separate the wires and string 5 cm of mixed seeds onto both strings, bring them together with a cube bead as before and crimp into place. 

• Thread 25 – 30 Sz 6 Clear Seed beads onto both wires, followed by a crimp bead, then a clasp – push the wires back through the crimp bead and a few seed beads and squash the crimp. Cut off the excess wire. 

• Open up the last link on the centre piece and attach it to the loop on the beaded wire.

• Repeat from Step 11 for the other side, using the split ring instead of the clasp.

© Sue Simmons / The Bead Shed 

DEC 2007