#PDF-800 - Scarlet & Gold Necklace
Matte red, soft vermillion and muted gold form a graceful necklace in three Miyuki seed bead sizes. String it on flexible beading wire for an easy drape.
Free PDF with purchase: Add this project to an order with a merchandise purchase to receive the downloadable instructions after checkout.
Materials for one necklace
- 6-408F - Miyuki 6/0 Matte Opaque Red: 4 inches strung at the center; one 25g bag supplies the project.
- 8-407FR - Miyuki 8/0 Matte Opaque Vermillion Red AB: 2.5 inches strung on each side; one 25g bag supplies the project.
- 11-4202F - Miyuki 11/0 Duracoat Galvanized Matte Gold: Equal end sections to reach your finished length; one 25g bag supplies the project.
- JW10T-10FT - Beadalon 49-strand beading wire: 24 inches of .015-inch (.38mm) bright wire for an approximately 18-inch necklace.
- BCB-2085 - Gold-plated lobster clasp, 10mm: 1 clasp (sold in a package of 5).
- JR26GP - Gold-plated oval jump ring, 4x6mm: 1 ring, closed flush (sold in a package of 36).
- TCB20S-R - Silver-plated crimp tubes, 2x2mm: 2 tubes (sold in a package of 100).
A simple, balanced taper
Start with a 4-inch center of 6/0 beads and a 2.5-inch section of 8/0 beads on each side. Add matching 11/0 sections at the ends until the necklace, including its closure, measures about 18 inches. Measure the actual strung beads; the illustration is a design guide, not a bead-count pattern.
For a soft drape: use flexible 49-strand wire and leave the beads free to move. Each section uses a single bead size.
Assembly instructions
1. Lay out the taper
Start with a 4-inch center of 6/0 beads and a 2.5-inch section of 8/0 beads on each side. Add matching 11/0 sections at the ends until the necklace, including its closure, measures about 18 inches. Measure the actual strung beads; the illustration is a design guide, not a bead-count pattern. To change the length, add or remove the same number of matte gold beads at each end.
2. Prepare the wire
Cut 24 inches of 49-strand wire. Before finishing, check that two passes of the wire fit through the first few matte gold beads at each end; these beads will hide the short tails. Keep the wire smooth and free of kinks.
3. Attach the clasp
Slide on one crimp tube, pass through the lobster clasp's built-in attachment eye, then return through the same tube. Leave a short tail to tuck into the first 1-3 beads. Leave a small wire loop so the clasp can move freely. No extra jump ring goes on this side.
4. Secure the first crimp
Keep the two wire strands side by side inside the tube. With crimping pliers sized for 2x2mm tubes, use the forming notch to make the crease between the wires, then turn the tube and use the rounding notch to fold it closed. Follow your pliers' instructions. Tug gently to check the connection; do not simply flatten the tube with ordinary pliers.
5. String and adjust
String matte gold 11/0, vermillion 8/0, the red 6/0 center, then matching 8/0 and 11/0 sections. Guide the starting tail through the first 1-3 matte gold beads and trim any exposed end carefully without cutting the main wire. Lay the strand in a relaxed curve and check the length with the clasp and oval ring included.
6. Finish the ring end
Close the oval ring so its ends meet flush. Add the second crimp, pass the wire through the ring and return through the crimp and the last 1-3 beads. Draw up excess wire without packing the beads tightly. Keep a small movable loop at the ring. Crimp as before, trim the tail and gently tug both ends. Fasten the clasp and check that the necklace curves freely without buckling.
Optional focal upgrade
Add a gold-framed Siam crystal triangle at the center, as shown in the second image.
- BCB-1470 - Gold-plated crystal triangle pendant, Siam, 16x19mm: Use 1 pendant (sold in a package of 2).
- JR26GP - Gold-plated oval jump ring, 4x6mm: Use 1 additional ring: 2 rings total for the focal version.
1. Prepare the pendant
Use two pairs of pliers to twist an additional JR26GP oval ring open sideways. Slip it through the pendant's attachment loop, then twist it closed until the cut ends meet flush. Do not spread the ends apart to widen the oval.
2. Add it at the midpoint
During step 5, string half of the red 6/0 center beads, then slide the closed pendant ring onto the beading wire. Add the other half of the red beads, using equal bead counts on each side. The pendant hangs from this ring; no separate bail or extra crimp is needed.
3. Check the hang and finish
Continue with the matching 8/0 and 11/0 sections. Hold the necklace in a relaxed curve and check that the triangle hangs face-forward, with its attachment loop at the top. Check the ring closure again, adjust the necklace length evenly at both ends, and complete step 6. Leave enough ease for the beads and pendant to move freely.