Have you ever wanted to make your own jewelry? It’s not as hard as you may think! I hope you enjoy and use this tutorial…these are the basics, and it really doesn’t take much time! (contribution by linques design)

Here is the finished bracelet. The same techniques can be used for a necklace as well though!

Gather your supplies. You will need: 1. beading wire, I have used Beadalon 49 strand wire. For a bracelet use .018″, for a necklace you can use .015″. 2. crimp beads 3. clasp 4. crimping pliers (or flat nosed pliers) 5. wire cutters (I use fingernail clippers) 6. your choice of beads.

Step One: and Step Two:

Cut your wire to length. I simply wrap the wire around my wrist, and add about 3″. On one end, thread a crimp bead, and one half of your clasp.

Thread the end of wire back through the clasp, and push the crimp bead close to the clasp. This will be how your bracelet is secured together.

Step 3: and Step Four:

Time to try your crimping pliers! They are very easy to use, and produce professional looking results. Place your crimp bead in the slot closest to your hand, and press down. This is the first formation of the crimp.

Place your partially formed crimp bead into the slot closest to the tip of the pliers. As in the picture, you place the crimp in there horizontally, and then close the pliers. This closes the crimp bead tightly around the wire to hold it in place. Here’s what the finished crimp will look like:

If you don’t have crimping pliers, skip steps three and four. Simply push down on the crimp using your flat nosed pliers, and it will hold the wires in place as well. This technique is fine, but may shorten the life of your jewelry because it places more pressure on the wires.

Step Five: and Step Six:

Slide a bead over both wires, and push it close against the crimp. Then trim the second tail of wire close to the bead.

Start beading! Here I have use garnets and glass, but use whatever you like. Use a pattern, or put them on randomly. Keep beading until the bracelet is large enought to fit your wrist. A good way to figure out how long you need to make your bracelet is to measure your wrist, and add to that the width of your biggest bead.

Step Seven:

Once it is long enough, thread on your second crimp bead and then the other half of your clasp. Just like before, you will pull the wire through the crimp, and then through the last bead too. Push the crimp close to the clasp, and tighten the wire. Close the crimp using steps three and four, and trim your wire. Here is what the finished clasp will look like:

And that’s it! I’ve included a lot of steps just to show you in detail what to do. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can jazz it up! You can add a dangle to the clasp for a little fun. See my previous tutorial here which shows you how to make a dangle.

You can also easily add another strand using the same steps as above.

Making jewelry is very rewarding, whether you are making it for yourself or to give as a gift. It’s a great new project to try for the holidays too!