Make it for Mom: Floating Pearl Necklace

Make It For Mom: Floating Pearl Necklace

Mother’s day is just around the corner (May 9th) and a handmade floating pearl necklace is the perfect way to tell her how much you care. This necklace can be made in under 1-hour and features a magnetic claps. (Moms love magnetic clasps) For this design, I used fresh water pearls that were dyed a very soft pink. Of course you can use any thing from glass beads to gemstones. To make the bracelet, just scale down the project to fit a wrist.

Supplies:
Beading wire
Bead board
18 fresh water pearls
36 size 1 tubular crimp beads
Magnetic clasp
2 size 3 crimp beads
Round nose jewelry pliers
Flat jewelry pliers
Crimping tool
Clasp findings

Steps:
Begin by cutting the beading wire into cut into three lengths: 25, 23 ½, and 22 inches. (add inches to make a longer necklace) Place the 25inch beading wire length in one of the bead board channels.

Thread on a crimp tube, then a pearl then a crimp tube. Repeat until there are 7 pearls and 14 crimp tubes on the wire.

Adjust the center pearl so that it lies at the “0” mark of the bead board. Use flat pliers to crimp the two crimp tubes on either side of it to secure it in the center of the wire. Slide the other pearls along the wire to their desired location. Secure by crimping the crimp tubes on either side of them, as you did for the center pearl.

Place the 23 ½ inch beading wire length in a smaller channel of the bead board channels. Thread on a crimp tube, then a pearl then a crimp tube. Repeat until there are 6 pearls and 12 crimp tubes on the wire.

Slide the pearls on the wire so that they fall in between the pearls on the first wire length. Secure by crimping the crimp tubes on either side of them, as you did for the first wire length.

Repeat these steps for the 22” length of beading wire with the last 5 pearls and 10 crimp tubes.

To attach the clasp, thread one end of all three wire lengths through a size 3 crimp tube and through the loop of a magnetic clasp. Thread the wire ends back through the crimp tube. Crimp flat with the bottom portion of a crimping tool. Fold and crimp the tube by using the top portion of the crimping tool.

Trim the wires with jewelry cutter.

Keeping the wire lengths in the channels of the bead board so that the strands do not tangle, attach the other end of the magnetic clasp as you did the first end.