Sea
glass jewelry is exotic and unique and the prices reflect that, but making your
own necklace couldn't be simpler...1. Choose the piece of sea glass to use
for the necklace.
2. Choose the type of wire you want. The most common is copper,
but you can use any color as long as it is 20-gauge. If you can't find what you
want at your local crafts store - try an electrical or plumbing supply shop.
3.
Decide how long you want the necklace to be. The most common lengths are 16 or
18 inches, but after you've made a few, you'll see if you like yours longer or
shorter. Be sure to add an extra inch for the hook.
4. Using the wire snips,
cut the wire to the length you've decided on (remember that extra inch!).
5.
Using the small jewelry pliers or tweezers bend one end of the wire into a loop.
Start about 1/4 inch from the end and just bend it into a small circle.
6. Bend
the other side of the wire into a hook. The hook will go into the smaller loop
to fasten the necklace. Make sure that the end of the bent wire is not facing
towards your neck or it may be scratchy.
7. Use your string or wire scraps to
design the holder for your sea glass. You want the glass to be held on at least
three sides - four is better - but you'll also want the beauty of the glass to
show through the wire cage.
8. The easiest way to do this is to make the wire
about 6 times as long as your piece of glass. If your glass is 1 inch high, make
the piece of wire about 6 inches long. If your sea glass piece is 3 inches long,
you'll want about 18 inches of wire to wrap it.
9. Start with bending the wire
in half and twisting to make a small loop. This slips onto the necklace so it
will be at the top of your wire cage. Bring one end of the wire down the front
of the glass and one down the back. Twist them together at the bottom of the piece
of glass. Now go up each side and wrap the ends around the loop at the top.
10.
Play around with the string or the wire scraps until you've created a design that
looks nice and securely holds your glass.
11. Once you have the design you want
use your good wire to create the cage and slip the loop onto the necklace.
Sea
glass jewelry is exotic and unique and the prices reflect that, but making your
own necklace couldn't be simpler...
