Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace

Designed by Joe Rushing

Materials

Tools

Instructions

  1. Begin by joining the center pieces together in the shape of laid bricks. You can cut the 26 gauge beading wire to 9 inches, or you can work from the roll.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace Line Break

  2. Either way, string the beads in the order shown.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace Line Break

  3. Next, make your 90 degree bend in the wire as shown, and line up the beads just as they appear. This makes it easier to tie all the pieces together with the least exposed wire.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  4. Take the wire and pull gently as you "wrap" the beads together as shown. Make sure your 4mm round beads fall into their "corners", two on each side. You should have one end of the wire pointing up in the center and the other pointing down through the side bead.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  5. Take 1 chys. rectangle and 1 4mm onyx bead and thread the down pointing wire. Pull your wire back up through the beads, back through the larger rectangle, out the top. Take one or both of the wire pointing upward and stitch loop them back under the wire binding the stones together at the top. Take the center wire and push it downward back through the center beads, out the bottom center.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  6. Thread with beads and circle wrap the wire just below the 4mm onyx.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  7. We thread the third bead by starting with a fresh wire. Pull enough slack through the beads so that you can have extra wire out the top as well as a coil spring roll at the bottom. Thread this wire through the top bead binding wire just as the other two. Two wraps are ok. This will give you three wires sticking out the top as shown. Wrap these three wires together and leave them sticking straight up. Lay this aside for now. Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  8. Now we cut three square, half hard 20 gauge wires to 11 inches in length. Twist one. Bundle the wires with the twisted wire on the "inside". Measuring 1/2 inch either side of the wire bundle's center, place a wrap to bind the bundle together.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  9. Using your thumbs and forefingers bend a U curve in the bundle so the wires touch the side of our Onyx rectangle stone(s). Now, using your pliers, bend the twisted wire into shape around the onyx beading and then straight up for the bail. Bend the second wire into shape. Bending the wire one by one will help you shape the half hard wire.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  10. After shaping into place, add two additional frame wraps on the frame at its "shoulders" to help secure the frame. Once the "frame" is straight, insert the beading center with its wires inserted into the frame's bundle. Wrap the entire bundle together. (6 frame wires and 3 beading wires twisted together) Once wrapped tightly, trim the beading wires off close to the wrap. (Do not cut the other frame wires)
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  11. Bend a half curl in the wrap wire an shown in the photo displaying the front wrap. Use this technique for the back and wrap it first. Wrap the wire so that it pulls tight and straight across the back. This will push the stones out the front. Once tied off and trimmed, flip the piece over and using your thumbs push the centerpiece down into the frame. This will "knuckle" the back strap and make a nice bed for the piece to lay in. If you prefer, you can install the front single wire wrap now. Or, you can wait until last if you wish. Either way, the front wire, after installed, is pushed downward with your thumbs from the top. Work the center of the wire so that it slopes gently into a curved "label" effect as if on a bottle.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  12. Moving to the bail area we take the far right wire and bend a single downward hoop back across the pendants front. Add the three 4mm beads, trim the wire and bend a swing hook at the wire's end snugly to keep the beads centered. Next, bend the second (from right) wire down hooped around the first in a "shadow wrap" form and tie off on the frame next to your shoulder wrap. Wires to the left of the two twisted center bail wires we sculpt into a tight set of curls and tie off on the frame next to the other wrapped shoulder. If you haven't already wrapped your front "label" binding, do so now and shape form as described.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  13. Next we begin work on the necklace and pendant bail. Assemble all pieces together and thread your 26 gauge sterling silver half hard wire with the bead pattern as shown. You can trim the length of your bead wire to desire, but remember, it is not designed to wrap the entire neck. The beads end as the "chain" goes over the person's neck. There it is attached to the ss curb chain. We use about 11.5 inches of wire with a coiled spring roll at the end, leaving the beaded area 11 inches. Make sure to add your 10mm round ss beads at the center. Combined with the single 10mm ss bead threaded over the twisted bail wires give the necklace the triangle "bubbling effect" look at the "bottles cap". Once complete bend the bail wires "close" to the top of your 10mm ss bead backward at 45 degrees, then down as shown. "Close" is defined as approx. 5 - 6 mm. Lay your pendant on the necklace where it should go and push it all the way up until the three silver beads touch in a triangle. This is then the length of your bail wire. Bend so that there is no space between the 10mm beads. Wrap and trim the end as shown.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  14. Once you bend and trim your bail, you should tighten it up by making sure there is no space between the back bail wires and the 10mm bead. If closed properly, the necklace wire will not be able to slip off without intentionally opening up the bail to remove it.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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  15. The final piece completed with matching earrings.
    Silver Label Onyx Champagne Necklace
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