Choker with Interchangeable Pendants by Judy Markwell Last month we gave you instructions to help you figure out what to do with a variety mix of beads. We decided to take another mix this month and see what ELSE we could do with it. This can be a mix you've purchased or a mix of left overs from your collection. The Beading Emporium often offers variety mixes that can be used for this purpose. This month I've made a triple strand choker that has interchangeable pendants, or it could be worn without the pendants. This new bag seemed to have a lot of focal beads, so I just went with it. I made a matching bracelet and another pair of earrings and then I took all of the extra beads from the two bags and put them on memory wire for one last easy bracelet. The instructions are for the necklace with or without the pendants. The one I made is 15½" long including the clasp, but you should make yours whatever size fits you. We'll discuss getting a proper fit in the instructions. To start off, lets go over the list of tools you'll need for this project. flat-nose pliers wire cutters for metal wire cutters for steel needle-nose pliers crimping pliers emery board or metal file work surface (a folded bath towel works fine) a couple of alligator clips or some binder clips ruler safety goggles A couple of notes about the tools. You may notice that there are two pair of wire cutters in the list. If you use your nice jewelry wire cutters (the ones you use for sterling wire or practice wire) for cutting the steel wire they will get nicked really quickly. You want some cutters designed for cutting steel. Crimping pliers aren't actually necessary, they just make your work look more professional (and comfortable - the sharp ends of those crimps are SHARP). The emery board is for filing the ends of your wire when you cut it so that the ends won't catch your clothes or poke and scratch you. The alligator clips will keep the beads from falling off the ends of the wire before you're ready to crimp them in place. And the safety goggles are for when you're cutting wire. If you just won't wear them, at the very least close your eyes while you actually any wire. Here's the list of materials you'll need: 4 ounces of a bead mix. plastic coated beading wire - I used a craft grade of Beadalon™ crimping beads for the size Beadalon™ you are using (it's on the package) a decorative clasp for a three strand necklace some 20 gauge wire 4-3 hole spacer bars - I made my spacers, but it's very easy to find decorative ones 1-4 hole spacer bar (If you're going to use this necklace without the pendants, just get 4 of the 3 hole spacer bars)
	This is the style spacer I actually pictured for this set. I made mine out of wire, but they all work the same. They come in lots of styles, so pick out something you like.
And if you're making them: Matching Bracelet: another clasp, more wire and crimps Earrings: 2 ear wires and 2 head pins for each pair Memory Wire Bracelet: large bracelet memory wire and 2 eye pins First, get out your work surface and pour all the beads onto it. I don't have a picture of the process this time since the necklace is only going to use the small beads. While you're pulling out the small ones for the necklace, choose the focal beads you'd like to use for the pendants and pairs to use for earrings. There 's really no need to lay out the beads on a bead board for this necklace, because you'll be changing things as you go and you don't really need to evenly space the small beads. Start by using your steel cutters and cutting three pieces of bead wire that are each about 20" long. Measure your neck with one of the pieces of wire. Get a feel for how long you want a choker made with this wire. After you've measured, subtract the length of your clasp. This is how long the strands will be. Don't worry about getting it absolutely exact at this point. You can play with the length a little bit later. Directions if you want to hang a pendant in the middle of the necklace: First you have to do a little math. Using the length of your necklace (the length you determined minus the length of the clasp) and make a little diagram like the one above. Make the center sections as shown, a total of 5 inches. Subtract 5 inches from your total, and divide that number by 4, putting those numbers in the place of the 2's above. Check that the total is the total the length your necklace should be. You can fudge a little to make the math easier, just make sure that the total is correct, and the two sides are even. Fold the first piece of wire in half, and put an alligator clip there. String the 4 strand separator into the second hole from the bottom. Make sure you leave that bottom hole open. Start stringing beads so that you're randomly putting the colors and shapes on. String beads for about 2½" from the center, then add one of the 3 hole separators, threading it though the bottom hole. Thread about 2½" more beads onto the strand and add another separator though the bottom hole and then string however many beads you need to reach your length. Remember, you don't have to be exact here. Directions if you DON'T want a pendant in the middle of your necklace. The difference without the pendant is that you're not going to want a separator in the middle of your necklace. Sorry, you too have to do a little math. Make your middle section about 5½" then subtract 5½" from your total, and divide that number by 4, putting those numbers in the place of the 2's above. Check that the total is the total the length your necklace should be (your neck size minus the clasp length). Now begin stringing your beads with the right number of beads in each section to make it the size you need. It helps to save the really small beads from the mix to use to when you need them to get just the right length. Remember that you're going to need an extra hole at the bottom of the middle separator if you're going to have pendants hanging in the middle. Lay everything flat every so often to check that all three strands are even, that you don't have big clumps of one color in a particular area.
	Use alligator clips or binder clamps to keep the beads from falling off the end while you're working. You don't want to finish off either end permanently until you've adjusted the necklace.
	After you've threaded all three strands, move everything out of your way and lay the necklace flat to check that everything looks straight. If it looks good here, you're ready for the crimps. Just don't crimp them yet. Thread a crimp bead onto your wire, run the wire through the clasp and then back through the crimp bead. Run the wire through the first bead on the strand also, as shown. Make sure that you're threading through the correct hole of your clasp each time. (This is something you'll double check or wish you HAD double checked for as long as you make jewelry). You should have something like this.
	After you get everything on loosely, tighten the wires so that there is just a little bit of space between the crimp bead and the clasp. You to leave a little bit of "ease" so the necklace drapes properly, but not a gap that shows a lot of wire. Now take another look at how the bracelet lays. You shouldn't have anything that looks like the overlapping pointed to here. There's one bead too many in this middle row and the strand buckles there.
	Now this part of the necklace making that is hard to describe, but doing it makes a HUGE difference in how the necklace hangs and whether your necklace will look professional. The picture here shows the necklace hanging - I'm holding it in my hand only at the top, letting it hang free. In the far left picture, the left side is kind of curling over the right side. If we were to go ahead and crimp at this point, the necklace wouldn't lay flat when you were wearing it. Lay it flat on your surface again and figure out what your problem is. Sometimes the wire actually twists a little bit, and you'll need to straighten it. You may have to remove the crimp bead and twist the wire until everything lays the way it should. Just play with it to get it to lay flat on it's own your holding as shown. Once it will hang straight like the photo on the right, you're ready to crimp your beads.
Closing the Crimp Beads Using Crimp Pliers (preferred method):
	Here's a quick tutorial on using crimping pliers. Practice on scraps before you do your necklace. I always try to remind people that it almost always takes three times of doing a technique for you to be able to do it well. I've found this to be true, even after working with wire for a while now. I always practice something new on scraps or with practice wire. I've used beads that are too large for my wire size, so you can better see where the wires go. Also, I've left things too "loose". On your necklace you'll have much less exposed wire when you're crimping Start by threading the wire through the bead, then through the loop of the necklace, and then back through the crimp bead.
	Look on your pliers and see that there are two places to crimp. Put the bead in the part of the pliers closest to your hand. Make sure that the wires aren't crossed, that they go straight in and out of the bead and that the bead is centered within the pliers. and then carefully close the pliers.
	See that you have a little "dent" in your bead now. You're going to fold the bead over on itself at the point of the "dent".
	Carefully put the bead in the pliers in the front (further away from your hand). Make sure that the fold is in the position shown. When the bead is in the pliers as shown go ahead and slowly crimp it.
	Here is a picture of the finished product on both sides. There should be no sharp ends, and it should look even. Keep practicing until your crimp beads look like this. You can always file off a little bit of a point on the bead if you can't get it perfect. And don't forget that when you're actually working on your necklace, you'll want the crimp bead right up next to the other beads, as shown in the pictures below.
Closing the Crimp Beads using Chain Nosed Pliers (alternate method):
	You can close the crimp beads on this necklace with a pair of chain nosed pliers and you'll have a flattened square as shown here instead of the tight bead as shown earlier. This method will save you the cost of the crimp pliers, somewhere between $11 and $15, but it won't look nearly as nice and those sharp corners can poke you. Thread your crimp bead making sure you don't cross the wire over itself in the bead. And use a smaller loop than shown, I left things loose so you can see what's going on. Now just close the bead with your pliers. After you've closed it, pull on the wire to make sure everything is tight. Now run your fingers over the corners (shown by the arrow) and use your emery board to round them off. Trust me, when you are wearing your necklace you'll wish you'd filed off those points if you don't take the time now.
Finished Crimping for Either Method:
	Here's what the ends should look like after you've crimped them. After you've crimped one end, make sure that things are snug without being tight and that things drape properly (hold the un-crimped end in one hand and let it hang) before you crimp the other side.
Finishing with Pendants:
	If you're not going to use pendants on your necklace, you're finished. However, if you are going to make some pendants to dangle in the center, there are still a few more steps. On the purchased separators, the bottom hole is going the wrong direction to add pendants. You need to put the large split ring in the opening. Following are the instructions for making and adding the large split ring (finding one large enough is rather hard, and since the ends don't show, it's easy to make one that will work).
	Wrap the end of your 20 gauge wire around something round that's about 5cm (about ⅜") in diameter (top picture). When you remove it you should have something that looks like the bottom picture.
	Before you cut your ring here, take a moment to cut the end a scrap piece of wire, paying attention to which way your cutters face. Now turn them so they face the other way, and you'll notice that when you turn your cutters one way you have a flat cut, and the other way you have a pointed cut. You always want to leave a flat cut on your jewelry. Use your wire cutters to cut loose your ring leaving a "flat side" on both ends of the ring, as shown above. If you were leaving the ends exposed for this jump ring, you'd need to file the rough edges. Since they're going to be in the separator, don't bother.
	Use your pliers to move the pieces further open. Take care to open the ring from side to side as shown. Don't just pull the ring apart, as this will weaken the metal. Then put the ring on the separator, close it (moving it from side to side, the way you opened it), and then work the opening of the ring back into the hole, so that no opening shows. Work it a little until it's straight like in the picture above. Now you're ready to add pendants.
Making a Pendant:
	I'm only going to show you how to make this pendant, it's one of the most complicated ones pictured above, so from these instructions you should be able to figure out how to make the other pendants that interchange. I've made some fancy and some rather simple, so that this will go lots of outfits. You're limited only by your imagination and the beads you have decided to use. For this one I've chosen three beads that are different shapes of the same kind of bead. The largest bead one goes at the bottom in the middle, and the smallest bead is the highest.
	The first thing we'll do is make a hook. This will go though the ring we just attached to the separator. Cut about 6 inches of wire off the spool. Fold it at about the 2" mark, as shown.
	This is a close-up of the picture above, showing how I carefully close the fold so that I have a very sturdy end for my hook. Carefully go along the wire, closing the gap, so to speak.
	Take this next part step by step ... "A" bend the very tip outward "B" go about ½" from the end and make a graceful bend - do this by wrapping your wire around the needle-nosed pliers. "C" go a little lower than the end of the hook to begin your loop. Look a little lower in the instructions for more detailed pictures of how to make a loop. "D" cut the other end of the wire at about the beginning of the loop, as shown here
	Wrap the wire around as shown here - go around about 6 times.
	Here's the finished hook. This one is a little more than ¾" long.
	Now make your first dangle by cutting about 4" of wire off of your spool. Make a tail to keep the bead on by wrapping the end of the wire (a little under ¼" from the end) and flatten it as we did to start the hook above. (If your bead has a large hole, you may need to leave the loop so your bead won't fall off.) Now thread your bead on, making sure it won't fall off. This is the bottom.
	This is what the bead should look like at the bottom - shown at "A". Now go about 1¼" (or however long you'd like this to dangle) above the top of the bead and make about a 90° angle bend, as shown by "B" here. Don't make it TOO long, using this gauge wire it may bend if you try to do a 3" dangle. Now you have the start for your loop.
	Make a really nice round loop here. When you start with the 90° angle bend, it's very easy to make a nice round loop. It just looks so much more professional on the finished piece. Do this by grasping the wire right at the bend with the end of your needle-nosed pliers. You're going to use the round end as a guide to make your loop.
	Here's how it should look as you're going around the end of your pliers.
	Cut off the wire leaving a tail of about 2" of wire beyond your loop, and thread the loop onto the end of the hook you made in the earlier steps. Use your pliers to hold the loop very close to where you're going to be doing your wrapping, and wrap the wire to make your loop. On mine I went around twice, for a rather short wrap.
	Clip off the end close to the wrap (make sure to use the right side of your wire cutters, to make a flat cut and using your chain-nosed pliers, close down the cut end. Repeat this for all three of the dangles, as shown here. Make sure that the long dangle is in the middle!!
	I just use my fingernails for this step. I like to open the hook just a little so that it looks more like a pendant than a fastener. Don't overdo, just open it a little. The picture shows the pendant opened and I'm holding it with pliers so you can see what I did. And now you're finished. Make as many pendants as you'd like in whatever styles you'd like. Use the picture at the beginning of the tutorial to some ideas, and then create your own.
	The matching bracelet was made using 2 separators, and only small beads with one larger one in the center as a focal. Just measure the same as for your necklace (except on your wrist, of course) making sure to leave yourself some ease, subtract the length of the clasp. Divide that number in 3 to know where to put your separators, and follow the rest of the instructions above.
	I just threaded all of the leftover beads from the two bags onto large bracelet memory wire. When I got them all on there, I made loops of the ends, added a "dangle" from each end and I got a bracelet that wraps around my wrist 4 times. I also made a pair of earrings from this bag of beads, and then there were a few pretty beads that I had left over that I'm saving to use in other projects.
Now here's a picture of all the things we got from the two 4 ounce bags of beads. If you want to make the bracelet it's made just like the necklace except without the pendant, using only 3 separators. So, we've made 2 necklaces 3 bracelets 3 pair of earrings 7 pendants all from one "mixed bag"!!   We'd love to hear from you. Please email us to let us know if this tutorial was helpful to you, or what you'd like to see here in the future. Also, we'd love to see anything you made using the tutorials.