Make Your Own Long Beaded Pendant With Jewelry Chain & SilverSilk Flat Mesh
For all you jewelry lovers out there, I have the perfect project for you to make. We’re aiming for a necklace with a beaded tassel suspended from SilverSilk Flat Mesh. I personally love this design because it just has a lot going on- lots of different textures and colors. Nevertheless, it is super easy to make. So, grab some leftover beads and get DIY-ing with me on this necklace.
For this necklace, you’ll need the following materials:
3ft SilverSilk Gold Flat Mesh
1 Flat Mesh Crimp
1 12x15mm Faceted Glass Rondelle
1 20mm Decorative Bead
1 15mm Decorative Bead
1 15mm Decorative Link
1 Beaded Jewelry Chain
8 Head Pins
22-gauge and 26-gauge Gold Craft Wire from SoftFlex
Of course, you can use any beads that you like, maybe even some that you have leftover from other projects. Also, the jewelry chain for the tassel doesn’t necessarily have to be beaded, although I’m using a beaded one. It can be almost any sort of chain that you like. It could even be a really cool shape or just a few links connected together. Thick or thin- it’s all up to you! The point is, so long as it serves the purpose, it’s totally fine. So, get creative and invest in whatever kind of chain you fancy.
Moreover, you might not be familiar with Flat Mesh since it's a relatively new product in SilverSilk. It is basically a flattened knitted wire sleeve about 5mm in diameter. Flat mesh is quite sturdy, strong, and flexible, and the fact that we're using Gold really adds a luxurious element to the project at hand. Plus, it goes really well with the rest of the components. It typically comes as a 5ft spool, but we'll only be needing around 30 inches. However, since this design does not include a clasp, you'll need to make sure that the Flat Mesh is big enough to go over your head- or whoever the necklace is for.
I'll be using some orphan beads for this project, but like I always say, you can use whatever kinds of beads you want- the sky's the limit. I would say that the beads I'm using add a sort of spring or summery touch to the piece, which is honestly great if you ask me. The overall goal with this necklace is to incorporate loads of different colors and textures. I am going for two different colored glassy beads, a soft, matte blue stone to kind of balance them out with a satin-like finish, as well as a large, regal-looking turquoise bead. The blend of different textures and colors is really what we're looking for in this piece, and I would definitely want you guys to carry on that vibe in your own necklaces as well.
And finally, last but most definitely not least, I'll mainly be using a 20-gauge wire to create wire-wrapped loops and a 26-gauge craft wire to make embellishments. The embellishments are really just an excuse to add another texture to the piece. However, it is a beautiful technique that can really add that extra factor to any jewelry piece.
In addition to this, we’ll also be needing some tools, such as the following:
A pair of Lindstrom wire cutters
A pair of chain-nose pliers
A pair of round nose pliers
A pair of wide flat nose pliers dipped in tool magic
A pair of nylon jaw pliers
The Linstrom cutters are my absolute favorite pair of pliers! Because they work well for just about any material- Pearlesque, Capture chain, beading wire, craft wire- you name it! Other than that, I usually get all my pliers from Wubbers because they're my favorite tool brand. Their tools are top-notch, and if you know me, you'll see that I use these babies for literally everything. So, I would definitely recommend keeping these in your toolbox at all times. As for the tool magic, it helps prevent abrasion or scratching during the whole pressing and crimping. Also, the nylon jaw pliers are just in case you might need to straighten out your Soft Flex craft wire.
How to Make Your Very Own Necklace?
A few steps are involved in making this necklace, but it's nothing too complicated so long as you follow along with me. So, let's just start by connecting these things.
Form the Tassel
We'll start by making around seven embellishments with the jewelry chain. This basically includes creating a wire-wrapped loop with a bead. And to make it, you'll need first to string a crystal on a headpin. Then just take your chain nose pliers and make a 90o bend with the headpin. Now, grab your round-nose pliers. The remarkable thing about round nose pliers is that the further down you go into your pliers, the bigger your loop will be. So, it's pretty easy to adjust loop sizes to suit your requirement. I'm going for a relatively small and delicate loop, so I'll just use the tip of my pliers.
However, when you get to a certain point, your wire might want to stop- it’ll become crooked if you continue. So, I just lift my pliers and insert them into the second mandrel to finish off the loop. Sometimes, your wire might deviate from its 90o angle as well, but that's okay. You just need to keep bending it back to keep it there. Once your loop is made, go ahead and just grab the overlapping part and press up to create a slight gap for cutting up the links. Plus, the wraps will add an extra touch of embellishment to the design. Now, every 2 inches, you’ll need to cut off the chain and use it to embellish. And once you’re done, you can simply bend back the wire to make sure that it is closely overlapping.
Now, grasp your loop with one plier and grab the other end with your round nose pliers, and just coil it around your stem. Do this until it hits a bead which should be around three wraps. Then trim off the excess, though some of it tends to stick out nonetheless. Now, since you obviously don't want anyone getting hurt, you should just pinch back into the coil to tighten it and tuck it in nicely. If your loop is a little off, just fix it and then have a nice little link added there. Basically, the idea is to like to make a bunch of around 7 of these. Finally, to form the tassel, you'll need to lift the overlapping loop, string on the other embellishments, and then close up the loop again. Now wrap the chain around the loop a few times before trimming off the excess.
Form the Beaded Pendant
To add beads to your tassel, you need to set up the loop once again. Make a 90o angle and go in with your round nose pliers, just like we did before. I get that this step can be a little daunting, especially for beginners. But I recommend practicing and getting a soft craft wire to make things easier. Now, attach the turquoise bead and just trim and tuck. If you want your loops to be facing the same direction or perpendicularly, you can adjust them accordingly. Take another piece of the 20-gauge wire to attach the fuchsia bead. So, you’ll need to create another loop. Once your loop is secure, trim off the excess at an angle. This helps tuck it in later. String on the fuchsia bead and create another wire-wrapped loop at the top. Adjust the loop to make it face sideways.
Now, take yet another piece of the 20-gauge wire. Make a loop on one end and string in the blue matte bead. Make another wire-wrapped loop, but attach it all to the pendant before closing off the loop. Also, make sure they're aligned well together. It is vital to ensure everything is added to the wire before closing the loop because otherwise, you'll have to undo and redo all the loops. But don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Just be a little careful, and you can avoid it, though.
Embellish Your Heart Out
Once you have everything together, grab around a foot of the 26-gauge wire, depending on how much you plan to embellish. And really, just go crazy with it once you've learned this technique. Or you could go for a more minimal sort of look as well like I will for this piece. It's really just up to you. Wrap the wire around the wraps of the top loop of the pendant and then kind of move towards the bottom and then wrap around again. You can do it as many times as you want. Move to the top, wrap, move to the bottom and then wrap again. I'm just doing the front side. Also, I feel like the embellishment adds a bit of texture to the matte surface, so I chose to embellish that bead. You can go for all the beads if you want. Just wire wrap and embellish to your heart's content!
Finally, wrap it up and trim it. But don't worry about the weight because the pendant derives its support from the 20-gauge wire and not the thinner 26-gauge one. Thus, you know it's nice and secure. Grab another 20-gauge wire for the last bead. Make a loop, string it in, attach it to the rest of everything, secure it, trim the excess, and add the bead.
Add the Flat Mesh
To add the flat mesh, set up another loop. Grab your flat mesh crimps as well. Notice that they have teeth to grasp tightly onto the mesh. Now, remember that once you’ve squeezed them, there’s really no going back. Before adding the crimps, just run your thumb and index finger over the mesh to kind of relax it and remove any knots. Then pair it together to create a sort of overlap. Shake out any fuzzies and just string in the crimp. Lastly, press down with your wide nose pliers to secure it.
Finish It Off
Attach the whole flat mesh and the crimp to the pendant part. It doesn't really matter if it's face up or faces down because the beads can be worn either way. Twist the wire around and around to get it all connected.
And that’s it- you have your very own long beaded pendant necklace for any and all occasions.
Go Get Yours!
You can watch the complete video tutorial for this necklace on my YouTube channel here. Be sure to subscribe because I post live tutorials every Tuesday. Plus, I have massive libraries on YouTube, so you have loads of content you can check out if you're interested in jewelry making. Also, don't forget to share a picture of your recreations in our Facebook group here. And you can also follow my Instagram here if you want to check out more of my designs.
HUGS to you all!
