Valentine's day is coming fast. I consider this celebration of chocolate and candy to be - oops, that was probably supposed to be "True Romantic Love" - a delightful break in another otherwise dreary month, but, the sad reality is: I don't very much like "heart"-shaped beads! So, as you can imagine - this leaves me with something of a Valentine-design dilemma.

This year, I have solved that with this fabulous bracelet. Your beady-eyed friends will wonder where you got those extraordinary beads, and everyone else will just admire the flames of crystal as they wrap around your wrist.

Skill Level: Intermediate - the stringing skills are basic, but the method of finishing introduces a variation to hide the crimp beads and keep the beads tightly stacked.

Supplies

• 49 x 10 mm Swarovski crystal hearts in the following colors

  • 14 Topaz
  • 14 Lt Siam
  • 14 Siam
  • 7 Garnet
    
    These beads have a hole drilled from front to back. This is important.

   

• 8 x 6mm Sterling Stardust beads
  
  These beads have a very large hole, 2-3 mm. This is also very important.

• 12 inches of Softflex, Acculon or similar beading cable
• 2 x sterling crimps
• 1 sterling clasp - I chose a heart clasp to go with the heart theme of the bracelet.
• 2 sterling jump rings (in this case, they come with the clasp)

With the clasp, this bracelet is 8.5 inches. With the width of the beads, it fits smaller than you would think. But, if you need a smaller bracelet, you could select a smaller clasp, or leave a bead out of one of the segments.

Tools

• crimp pliers or chain nose pliers
• wire cutters
• short piece of wire to use to pull the cable through the last bead.

Separate the two halves of the clasp by opening the jump ring. Open the jump ring by grasping it on each side of the cut in the jump ring, and twisting in opposite directions (like you are tearing the top off a bag). Do not pull the jump ring open - this will deform the jump ring and make it weak, so that you can't re-use it.

Secure the crimp by squashing it with crimp pliers or chain nose pliers.

I tried the tornado crimp for the first time and I really like them. This is a relatively new crimp bead that has a twisted texture pressed into it. You do not need crimp pliers to crimp it - you just flatten it with your chain nose pliers. So far, I am liking them very much!

(If you are using regular crimps, check here for instructions.)

String in the following order

• 1 stardust bead - it will cover the crimp bead.

• 7 Topaz hearts
• 1 Stardust bead

• 7 Lt Siam hearts
• 1 Stardust bead
• 7 Siam hearts
• 1 Stardust bead
• 7 Garnet hearts
• 1 Stardust bead
• 7 Siam hearts
• 1 Stardust bead
• 7 Lt Siam hearts
• 1 Stardust bead
• 7 Topaz hearts

Hold off on the final Stardust bead.

The design will end with a stardust bead. However, this bracelet looks best if there is very little slack in the beading cable, so that the hearts stay tightly packed together. This enhances the illusion that they are not hearts at all.

It is notoriously difficult to get the beads pulled really tight, and normally, you want a little play anyway, so that the bracelet or necklace will move and drape nicely. Because of the way these beads stack together, it is not an issue in this bracelet. Even tightly strung, it bends easily.

In order to achieve this, you will need to place the crimp very tightly against the last heart bead. Slide the crimp bead onto the cable, form a small loop in the cable and thread back through the crimp. I find it easiest to loop it over my round nose pliers so that I can really pull the cable tight, and still keep a good loop. (the loop needs to be long enough to go through the final stardust bead). Ensure that there is as little play in the bracelet as possible. Crimp the bead.

Now, to finish the bracelet, and hide that crimp. This will make both ends look the same, and give you a nice neat, finished look.

Take a piece of wire and hook through the loop.