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Sweet Mystery of Life - and the Mystery of this necklace is - where's the clasp? Instead of hiding it, we feature this fabulous clasp as the focal piece of this necklace. Normally, I try to avoid presenting you projects that call for very specific items - however, this clasp is so wonderful - I just had to do something with it. But, since making this, I have discovered that there are other wonderful, multistrand clasps that would work equally well!
This necklace is wonderfully delicate and showy when worn - and is sure to get compliments. It also assembles very quickly. Skill Level: Easy and quick. The only hard part about this necklace will be stopping at just one. |
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Supplies
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Tools
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 Lets get started! |
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Determine length you want necklace to be, based on where you want it to sit. This looks nice as a choker-length necklace, sitting at about 14 inches. (I know some of you do not like a tight choker, so you may wish to add an inch or two.) If the clasp is 2 inches across, subtract the width of the clasp. Use the wire cutters to cut the chain to the correct length. Twist the jumpring open to the side (hold the jumpring on either side of the cut with the two pairs of chain nose pliers, and twist your wrist like you are tearing the top off the chip bag). |
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Attach the chain to the top ring on the clasp. Twist the jumpring closed again. Do the same for the other side.
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| Now cut 4 lengths of 4.5 inches of chain. |  |
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Cut 4 x 3 inches of wire - 24 gauge or similar light wire. (If you don't want to buy a lot of wire, you can use long head pins and just cut the head off.) Thread the briolette onto the wire, about 1 inch on. |
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| Pinch the wire together over the end of the briolette, |  |
| and wrap the short end |  |
| around the main wire. |  |
| Wrap tightly around twice, |  |
| and trim. Tuck in the end with the pliers |  |
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Add the 6 mm round bead. Leave a small gap, and use the pliers to bend a 90 degree angle in the wire. |
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| Form half a loop by grasping the wire and curving it around the round nose pliers |  |
| So that you have the start of a loop like this |  |
| Add the chain onto the wire. |  |
| And finish the loop. Grasp the wire with the round nose pliers to hold it stable, and |  |
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holding the tail of the wire with your fingers, wind it around the main stem, back down to the 6 mm bead. Trim the end and tuck in the end with the chain nose pliers (the outer curve of crimp pliers works great for this too!) |
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| Repeat until you have all 4 short lengths of chain with the briolettes wired onto the ends. |  |
| Attach these to the lower two loops on the left and right of the clasp with jump rings. |  |
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One note of caution - if you just toss this in your jewelry box, it will tend to tangle in knots, so try and keep it wrapped or neatly draped. It actually stores much better hanging, if you have one of those jewelry boxes with hooks to hang your necklaces. |
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And you are finished! Wear and enjoy! |
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| Click here for source for butterfly clasp | |
Copyright 2005 Dwyn Tomlinson, All Rights Reserved. Used with permission by the Beading Times.
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