Make Your Own DIY Asymmetrical Necklace with Flat Mesh Flowers
Beaded Flat Mesh flowers are really cool sculptural components that we’ll be using for this project, so I'll teach you how to make these beautiful flowers from SilverSilk’s Flat Mesh jewelry chain. And then, we'll assemble all of these components to create a beautiful asymmetrically designed necklace. Personally, I would say that this is one of my favorite jewelry-making styles because it is so challenging yet fun and exciting to work on. And you can really just put your own stamp on it. You can change it up as you like while maintaining the asymmetrical vibe, and it’ll look just as magical as this one!
Recommended Tools
Unless you’re new to SilverSilk, you’ll probably already be familiar with these tools because they’re the ones that I use every time- nothing new or super complex here.
You’ll want to keep these tools handy when working on this piece:
A pair of chain-nose pliers
A pair of round nose pliers
Lindstrom cutters
My pliers, as always, are from Wubbers. The chain nose pliers are flat but tapered at the very end, making them ideal for grasping components. And since we'll be making lots of wire-wrapped loops for this project, we are definitely going to be needing these. On the other hand, the round nose pliers are taper, but overall, they're round with minor nose points. They are great for making simple loops as well as wire-wrapped ones. So, if you're into jewelry making, you will need them for most, if not all, of your projects. As for the Lindstrom cutters, they have been with me since forever, and so, naturally, they are my absolute favorite cutters. I use them for craft wire, beading wire, knitted wire- just any wire, really, except memory wire because that's special and challenging to work with. But otherwise, these are definitely my go-to cutters.
Required Materials
The design is pretty open-ended. However, if you want to recreate the exact piece from my tutorial, this is everything you'll need:
5ft Silver Silk Flat Mesh
8 - 3mm Jump Rings
18-inch 3x7mm Links Jewelry Chain
3 - Metal Decorative Beads in various sizes
3 - 15mm Round Beads
4 - 6mm Bicone Crystals
3 - 6mm Metal Bead Caps
4 - 3mm Bicone Crystals
Toggle Clasp
3ft - 20-gauge Vintage Bronze Craft Wire
So, to make a beaded flower, you need a decorative glass bead of any shape or size, but I prefer round beads because they help the knitted wire stand out. We'll add a decorative element like a bicone crystal and a bead cap as well to complement it. I picked out an antique gold or brass-colored bead with little leaf motifs to go with the whole floral theme. My craft wire is also vintage bronze so that it matches the color palette. If you’re new to flat mesh, it’s basically manufactured using six needles and then flattened by a secondary apparatus into a very delicate yet flexible 5mm jewelry wire. It comes in 15 different colors, so you have loads of other options. I’ll use the antique white because it looks incredible against the gray. It gives it a floral, sophisticated look which is really exactly the vibe I’m going for.
For the beaded tassel, you’ll need:
8-inch 1.5x1.5mm Jewelry Chain
3 - 10mm Crystal Drops
2 - 10mm Metal Baubles
2ft - 26-gauge Craft Wire
2 Head Pins
How to Make Flat Mesh Flowers
The Flat Mesh flowers have such an exquisite feel to them. You can use one of these components as the centerpiece for a quick and easy-to-do necklace, or you can string them together for a statement piece. And as I always say, there is really no right or wrong way to go about this. Just do what you're feeling, and I'm sure it will turn out fantabulous! So, don’t be afraid to experiment.
Once you learn how to sculpt these flowers, the rest of the design is pretty easy to achieve, especially if you have a bit of prior experience with jewelry making. I’ll start with a 7 to 8-inch piece of the craft wire, but I recommend using a larger amount so that you won't have to waste any. Maybe start with the full 3ft spool. Straighten out the wire with nylon jaw pliers, if needed. Then go ahead and bend it at a 90o angle using your chain nose pliers. Pick it up with your round nose pliers, insert it into where the bend is.
Pay attention to how far you go into your pliers because the further in you go, the bigger loop you’ll get. So, you really want a sort of designated spot on the pliers to ensure you get the loop just right. I like little loops because they disappear into the design, which is excellent. To get smaller loops, I’ll go about 1/4th into the plier range. Wrap the wire around the mandrel until it hits the bottom part. Then position your wire a little differently until it's above and then finish off the loop. Get your wire back into that 90-degree position. Grab your loop with your chain nose pliers and wrap the shorter piece around the base or stem of your loop. To simplify things, you’ll want to have really soft craft wire and also enough wire to work with. Soft Flex works great because it's super soft and thus, ensures a secure loop.
Once that's done, trim off the excess wire and the wire fuzzies that tend to stick out. Just kind of press it in and fold it till it's just right. And ta-da! Your first wire-wrapped loop is ready, but there are loads more to go. Also, at this point, you want to string on your beads. And my favorite thing about Flat Mesh is that you can string materials through the open knits without fraying. So, I’ll go a couple of knits below the edge and string my 20-gauge wire through the knitted wire. If any wire fuzzies are sticking out, just remove them to make sure it's all tidy.
After that, work counterclockwise to loop the knitted wire around the bead. You obviously want it to be the desired size of your petals. In my case, I'm aiming for just under an inch, and thus, I’ll mark it with my thumb, go in wire my wire, and string through. Then do it again for the other petals. If the wire flips around or anything, that’s okay. Just let it do its thing so long as you can consistently string it through the Flat Mesh without any knots. You can also taper it as you add more petals because petals become smaller as they’re kind of outside the flower- if you want to imagine it that way.
Finally, make sure it’s nice and flat. My loops are not the same size, but I feel like that adds to the beauty of this piece. Shake out the fuzzies and trim off any excess wire. Then attach your bead cap. It will help to hide the wire piece at the end of the chain, which is fantastic. Create a second wire-wrapped loop at the top. Compress everything towards the other loop to ensure it is nice and tight. Then go in with your chain nose pliers, grasp the top part of the wire that’s meeting the bead cap and make another 90-degree bend. Now, to make a petite loop, stay within the 1/4th range and wrap it around the craft wire up to a certain point. Then lift off, switch sides so that you’re on the bottom mandrel, and finish off the loop. Once again, go in with both of your pliers and wrap around. You can also go back and fluff your flower if you want to give it a freeform, fuller, more floral feel. I’ll make another two flowers because I will need a total of 3 for this project.
Preparing Your Components
Okay, so before assembling the components, you'll need to individually wire wrap them. For the asymmetric design, I’m aiming for a very brass-based theme with the decorative beads. Plus, I’ve accented them with tiny crystals to kind of break up the color while also maintaining the monochromatic look. The first one is a 15mm bead with a 3mm crystal on either side. The second is a different-sized bead with wire-wrapped loops and two crystals on either end. And lastly, I have a much smaller 5mm bead with a 6mm bicone crystal to keep it beautifully asymmetric and balanced.
Assembling Your Asymmetric Necklace
So, before getting to the assembling part, just take a breath because you’re done with the most challenging part, which is wire wrapping everything- so kudos to you! You're doing great, and it's almost over. Putting everything together is the easy part, so take it easy.
To combine everything, we'll be using jump rings, a toggle clasp, and a charming 18-inch 5x10mm jewelry chain with links attached. My jump rings are almost the same size as my wire-wrapped loops, so it really helps keep it all consistent and decorative. Plus, their seam closes really nicely, so they are perfect for this design. Now, I’ll start by attaching two of my flower components together. Then I’ll add one of the funky beads at the top and another at the bottom. Then add the chain and the toggle clasp to the bottom of the design. Check to see if your toggle works because attaching a bigger bead to a smaller toggle could be a problem. If it works and is easy to put on and take off- you’re good to go.
How to Make a Beaded Tassel?
Lastly, you want to add a beaded tassel at the bottom of the necklace using a headpin, metal baubble, and the same old wire-wrapping technique. I have taught you how to make a beaded tassel here before, but I'll give you a recap, just in case. Cut your chain into five different lengths, the longest and shortest being about 5-inches and 1-inch, respectively. String one bauble onto each of the headpins and make a wire-wrapped loop at the top. Attach the longest chain before completing the loop and then repeat the same with the other baubble. Then use the 26-gauge wire to create a wire-wrapped loop at the top of each crystal, attaching a chain length at each step before closing the loop. Do the same to the other crystal drops, and then attach each chain to a single 3mm jump ring, and voila- there you have a beaded tassel!
Get Yours!
The idea is to get a focused color that draws attention to your focal. You can experiment with the layout to make it exactly how you like it because, really, this is just one way to do it. The whole point of the asymmetrical design is that you want to draw the eye to the white beads. Hence, I can get away with using tone-on-tone and also having my clasp a bit off-center. But overall, the piece looks exquisite! And the handmade tassel is the perfect way to end it!
You can find almost all of these materials on the SilverSilk & More website. Also, watch the full video tutorial on my YouTube channel here to recreate this fantastic piece. Snap a picture of your own necklace and post it in our Facebook group SilverSilk Silkies here so we can all gush over it together! You know, just a bunch of jewelry fanatics appreciating each other and nourishing their shared love of beautiful handmade jewelry. And who knows, you might even find inspiration for your next piece in the group.
In fact, I release new video tutorials on YouTube every Tuesday, so be sure to subscribe to my channel here so that you don't miss any of the videos. Also, I am always open to queries, so please email me at orders@silversilkonline.com if you have any questions.
HUGS to you all!
