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Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace, Contemporary Wire Jewelry. Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry. W You can make your smile as big or small as you want or make small smiles as bead links.

Smile Cluster Necklace

by Karen Meador, Ph.D.
  • Category: Contemporary
  • Technique(s): Coiling, Lashing, Making Spirals, Wrapping
  • Skill Level: Beginner
W You can make your smile as big or small as you want or make small smiles as bead links. It’s all up to you. It's a beautiful beaded necklace on its own, or a good sturdy base for a stone pendant. The number and the size of beads are completely up to you. You can add one row of beads or fill up the smile all around with beads.
Special Instructions: Please see the Twist Wrap Caged Pendant project to learn how to make the focal on this necklace.

Materials

14 Gauge Round Dead Soft Copper Wire
H11-14D
  • Lesson Quantity: 12.00 inches
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
  • Price: $1.83
  • Gold Club Price: $1.37
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24 Gauge Round Dead Soft Copper Wire
H11-24D
  • Lesson Quantity: 61.00 inches
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
  • Price: $0.27
  • Gold Club Price: $0.20
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New Burma Jade 4mm Round Beads - 8 Inch Strand
A1-767
  • Lesson Quantity: 12.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $5.27
  • Gold Club Price: $3.95
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Small copper chain
  • Lesson Quantity: 18.00 inches
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
11mm copper lobster clasp
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
One of a kind Cabochon of your choice
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Or large Focal bead of your choice
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Tools

Chain Nose Wire Pliers
G2-508
  • G2-508
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $32.95
  • Gold Club Price: $24.71
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Round Nose Wire Pliers
G2-507
  • G2-507
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $32.95
  • Gold Club Price: $24.71
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5 inch Plato Slim Flush Cutters for Wire Working or Beading - Pack of 1
G35-3
  • G35-3
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $11.95
  • Gold Club Price: $8.96
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Instructions
Step 1
Flush cut the base wire the length of your desired smile curving it slightly and then use the round nose pliers to rotate it down until the end touches the straight part of the wire.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, flush cut the 14 gauge wire
Step 2
Cut a piece of wrapping wire that is at least 6-7 times the length of your base wire (cut this longer if doing more than 5 wraps between beads) and use your left thumb and forefinger to hold a 1 inch tail of this against the front of the left end of the base wire.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, cut a length of 24 gauge wire
Step 3
Keep holding this wire while you use your right hand to wrap the wire tightly around the base wire at least 5 times. The wire wraps up and over the front and down in the back of the base wire ending with the wrap wire behind and at the bottom of the base wire.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, wrap the fine wire tightly around the base wire
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, wrap the fine wire around the base wire
Step 4
Continue holding the wrap wire tail with your left hand while threading a bead on the other end of this wire.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, string on a bead
Step 5
Continue holding on as you wrap the wire up and position the bead where you want it on the base wire and hold the bead in place with your left thumb and forefinger while you wrap the wire down in the back and around three or more times. The number of wraps at this point determines the distance between the beads and is another design decision for you. If you want more space between your beads, simply wrap the wire around more times. Count the number of wraps you use and repeat this between each bead.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, wrap the wire around the base wire
Step 6
Continue to hold the bead in place with your left hand and repeat steps 4 and 5 to attach another bead.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, continue stringing beads
Step 7
Continue steps 4-6 until you reach the other end of your smile. Be sure to leave enough base wire at this end to wrap your wire around 5 times as you did in the beginning. Note: if you don’t have the right amount of room you should be able to scoot the wire and beads a bit to manage this issue.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, continue stringing beads
Step 8
Flush cut the wrapping wire.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, flush cut the wrapping wire
Step 9
Attach chain to each end of the smile by opening and closing the swirls formed in step 1. Note: if the holes in the chain are too small for the base wire to go through, use a jump ring for the connection.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, attach the chain
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, add the chain
Step 10
Add a clasp and you’re set to smile.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, add the clasp
Step 11:
Optional variation
Add another row of beads using the same procedure as the first. Position these beads to your liking.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - Optional variation, Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, add another row of beads
Step 12
You can add as many extra rows as you want. The photo shows a third row.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, add as many rows of beads as you want
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, add beads
Step 13
If you add multiple rows of beads and position specific colors on the front and the back, you can create a reversible smile necklace.

Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, add multiple rows of beads
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, add multiple rows of beads
Step 14
Consider making a set of tiny smiles to link together in a necklace as shown in the photo.
Karen Meador, Ph.D.'s Smile Cluster Necklace - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Coiling, Coiling Wire, Wire Coiling, Lashing, Wire Lashing, Spirals, Wire Spiral, Spiral Wire Wrap, Wire Wrapping, Wrapping, Wire Wrapping Jewelry, several shorter lengths

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