With bridal necklaces, the neckline will vary from person to person and affects the length of the necklace. Floating necklaces need to be properly spaced to look nice, so make sure you pre-measure your length and lay everything out to be sure your finished spacing is correct.
Step one: Cut a strand of gold-tone Beadalon® to the approximately 3 inches longer than you would like the finished necklace to be. Floating necklaces are unique in the way they are strung. It is always best to begin in the center and work your way out. The center of this design begins with a 6mm light purple cat's eye bead. On both sides of that you will add a tiny granulated Bali bead cap followed by an 8mm Swarovski gold pearl and a small simple Bali bead cap. Crimp the wire directly after each of the bead caps. Make sure the crimps are tight against the caps, and that the bead segment is centered. For detailed instructions on how to use a crimp tube, please visit the Handy Tips section of the Learning Center. For an even more polished look, you may want to try using the magical crimping pliers, which turns crimp tubes into round beads.
Step two: We then spaced our necklace segments about 12mm apart. If you want to make your necklace longer, you can either add a bit more space between the beads, or you can add more beaded segments. Whatever distance you choose to put between the beads, we recommend you cut a bit of paper or cardboard to use as a gauge to keep your measurements consistent.
Step three: For the rest of the necklace, everything you do to one side, you will duplicate on the other. Measure your desired distance and add a crimp tube. Add a 6mm Swarovski rosaline pearl and another crimp tube. Leave an equal space and add another crimp tube, then repeat the pattern you used for the center of the necklace. Our design used three complete segments on both sides of the center. Feel free to add as many as you need to.
Step four: Finish your design with a 6mm Swarovski rosaline pearl at the end of your strand. One end of your wire will be crimped to a gold-plated jump ring. On the other end, you will attach a split ring to a gold-plated lobster clasp and then crimp the wire to the split ring.
Approximate size: 20 inches Approximate cost: $43
Tools Used: Bead crimper tool (TOOL-100) Nipper tool (TOOL-101) Split ring pliers (TOOL-103) Bent chain nose pliers (TOOL-133) Beadalon® 19 .018 30ft – gold (B19G-30F-018)
List of Components: 6mm cat's eye beads light purple (CATR-LTP6, qty 1 strand this design uses 7 beads) 6mm Swarovski pearl rosaline (5810-ROSE6, qty 8) 8mm Swarovski pearl gold (5810-GOLD8, qty 14) Tiny granulated Bali bead cap (BBC0003, qty 14) Small simple Bali bead cap (BBC0019, qty 14) 2x2mm gold-filled crimp tube (GF-CRM2, qty 30) 6mm gold-plated jump ring (JR-G06, qty 1) 6mm gold-plated split ring (SPLIT-G06, qty 1) Gold-plated lobster clasp (CLASP13-GP, qty 1)
