Bohemian Necklace
My daughter found a necklace at a fashion store that she really liked, but she wasn’t all that excited by the $150 price tag, so I offered to make it for her. Cost of my version was $36 (chain $15, Chalcedony $9, Moonstone $6, wire $3, clasp $3) and it took about an hour to construct. The design allows for the necklace to be worn long or doubled over for a short, layered look. Use stone briolettes or top-drilled Swarovski crystals, mixing complementary colors and varied sizes.
Level: Medium
Materials
Bulk chain with loops large enough to attach wire loops
Top drilled stones or briolettes, approximately 27
26g sterling wire, dead soft
Flat lobster clasp
4mm sterling jump rings (2)
Bohemian necklace
Cut a 40″ length of chain. Determine pattern of beads to be attached to the chain, and randomly or in a planned pattern, wire wrap the stones directly to the chain. My chain is a long-short pattern; I attached a Blue Chalcedony briolette every 5th long shank and a Moonstone briolette midway between two Chalcedony, skippping one section. This gives my necklace a pattern of three. Be sure to attach briolettes to the same side of the chain so that they will all lay on the outside when it is worn.
To hang briolettes directly on chain, thread wire through stone and leave a 1cm tail on one side, excess wire on the other side. Bend both pieces of wire up around the tip of the stone so that they meet at the top. Grasp both wires with a round-nosed pliers. Thread wire through chain on the side of the link you want the dangle to hang from.
Continue to hold the wires with a round-nosed pliers just below the chain, and wrap the loose end around the chain link and the pliers. Wrap end around stem 2-3 times, clip excess using a wire cutter and use crimping pliers to finish end.
When you have finished attaching all briolettes, attach a clasp at one end using a jump ring. Attach the final jump ring to the other end of the chain to hook into.
– L. Kvigne
