Beadalon - Single Wire Focal Bead Pendant

•Single Wire Focal Bead Pendant•

• Materials •

Techniques: Sculpting, connections

Skill Level: Beginner/All

Yes, you can use a single wire to make an attractive pendant with your favorite, large focal bead! This pattern was developed to show you how quick and easy an elegant design can be, by including the formula so you can use any bead you have. (Providing of course, that it has a large hole!)

Materials: Wire: 18-gauge square NT Brass (formula below) 1 piece of scrap wire, round or square, 3-inches long (or 1-3 inch long headpin).

Beads: 1 large focal bead (example uses 48x25mm flat bead with 2mm diameter hole), 7 or more accent beads of your choice (sample uses 5- 8x5mm carnelian rice, 1- 5mm rhondel and 1- fancy cut carnelian tube).

Tools: Flat, chain and round nose pliers, wire cutters, ruler, marking pen (or any round bail shaping tool), wire twister or pin vise.

Formula: length of bead x 6 = length of 18g wire needed, round "up" (sample used 12-inches)

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• Instructions •

1. Straighten the needed length of 18g wire. Place the center of the wire on the end of a marking pen (or bail shaping item) at the size you desire the bail to be. Wrap the wire completely around the shaping item once.
2. Where the wire crosses over itself, use flat nose pliers to bend each leg down at a 90º angle. This forms the bail.
3. Slide both ends of the wire through the focal bead until the bail is about 2mm above it. Make sure the bail is perpendicular to the bead.
4. With fingers, form 2 or 3 small loops into one of the straight wires close to the bottom of the bead, locking the bead into place. Use an automatic drill or a pin vise to twist the other straight wire.
5. Tease the twisted wire into a curve that goes alongside the bead, heading toward the top of the pendant. Add your choice of accent beads to this curved, twisted wire.
6. Where the curved twisted wire wants to cross under the bail, use chain nose pliers to make a horizontal and then a 90º to help it. Continue wrapping the end of the twisted wire around the bail stem, ending on the front with a small rosette.
7. Add 1 or 2 more loops to the sculpted wire by placing round nose pliers at the desired location and using your fingers to bend the wire around the pliers, working toward the top of the pendant.
8. Use chain nose pliers to form a hook at the end of the sculpted wire and attach it to the twisted wire immediately above the beads, locking them into place.
9. Use either a 3-inch long headpin, or the 3-inch piece of scrap wire to make your own headpin by first forming a rosette at one end. Now slide on your bead choice and begin a loop about 1mm above the last bead. Place the headpin loop over both of the wires at the bottom of the pendant. Wrap the loop in, trim and tuck the wire end.
Focal Bead Pendant