365 Days of Jewelry: How to make a pearl and Swarovski necklace on silk cord

I received a custom order for a bridal necklace featuring coin pearls and Swarovski crystals on a white silk cord. This is how I did it.

Supplies:

Flush wire cutter

Rule

Paper and pen

Cyanoacrylate (crazy glue)

An awl or something similar

Plyers

Materials:

3 10mm coin pearls

8 4-5mm round pearls

6 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals (I used light rose)

4 6mm round Swarovski crystals (in same color as the bicones)

About 25 inches of white silk cord. I used #3 as this was the largest that would fit through the hole in the coin pearls. I would go as big as you can comfortably go.

2 clam shell bead tips (I used sterling silver)

1 lobster clasp and closure (or use a larger jump ring for a closure)

2 small jump rings

2 small pieces of french wire

I wanted to make the necklace roughly 16" long (even though it turned out to be a bit longer). Since I was knotting the cord, I needed to figure out the math to figure out at the exact spacing. So first I measured each of the components. The coin pearls and 2 bicones on either side was the first component. There are three of these and each measures about 18mm. You need to factor in how much space the knot on either side will be too. I figured it would be about a mm on each side, for a total of 20mm for that component.

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The next component is the 2 round pearls and 1 round crystal. These are roughly 13mm plus 2mm for the knots, for a total of 15mm.

I figured the bead tips and the clasp would measure about 20mm. From here I added up all the components and then subtracted it from the total length of the necklace (I converted 16" into its milimeter equivalent). That number represents the part of the necklace that does not have a component on it (the spaces between the beads). I divided that number by 8 (because there are 8 sections of blank space) and came up with a little over 33 mm. I rounded this to 35 to make it easier (though this made my necklace slightly longer than I planned). This allowed me to measure 35mm between each set of beads and made it easy. It's always better to figure out the math first, otherwise, I tend to get confused later. Drawing a picture helps.

So now we're ready to get started! First tie a knot at the end of your silk cord. Then tie another one on top of it to double it. Put a generous amount of crazy glue on to make sure that sucker never unravels.

Take the tiny piece of french wire and string it on so it is sitting next to the knot. This will protect the cord from rubbing against the bead tip and will make it last longer. Add the clam shell bead and fold it over the knot (cut any excess off the end first). The ring on the tip should be facing out. Then, measure 3mm from the inside end of the bead tip. Make a loop in the cord to tie a knot, but before you pull too tight, insert the tip of your awl (or you can use a needle - but something with a long handle makes it much easier). Use the awl to position the knot exactly where you want it. This is very tricky and hard to do with just 2 hands. Be patient. When you have it where you want it, slowly pull the awl out, holding the knot down with your finger. Then pull both sides of the cord to tighten the knot. I found that even when I was careful, the knot ended up further away then I wanted it, so you may want to undershoot the length before you pull the awl out.

One tip I discovered after a few of these was that the ruler was too hard to see, so I took a piece of paper and marked 35mm on it. Then I used that paper to measure each section. That was easier.

Ok, deep breath. This is nerve wracking stuff. Now add your round pearl, round crystal and another round pearl, and tie a knot at the other end. Try to get the knot as close as you can to the final pearl, because, again, the knots tend to get further away then you want. You don't want the beads to wriggle around too much, though it's ok if it's not super tight. Just do the best you can.

Now measure another 35mm from the end of that section and tie another knot using your awl. Now string a bicone crystal, a coin pearl and another bicone onto the cord and tie a knot at the end of that section to hold them all tight.

Keep repeating these steps, alternating the round pearls/round crystal with the coin pearls and bicones. In the end there will be 3 sections of coin pearls and 4 sections of round pearls.

When you have tied off your final section of pearls, string your other piece of french wire onto the cord. Then your clam shell bead tip (make sure it is facing so when you close it the rings face outside.

Then measure the last 35mm from your last knot and tie the knot on the other side of the bead tip/french wire. Add your crazy glue and let it dry for a few minutes. Cut off any extra cord and close your bead tip around the knot. The french wire should be between the knot and the bead tip (sticking out from the bead tip slightly).

Now add a jump ring to the ring of the bead tip and your lobster clasp. On the other side, add a jump ring and a closure, or just a large jump ring that the clasp will attach to.