I love to remake old jewelry pieces and use replica pieces and mix them with lampwork beads in my jewelry work. There is something exciting about bringing old things back to life! Here is a very simple piece. I took a chain that I bought awhile ago and never wore and turned it into cute and modern bracelet and earring set. A little cutesy, a bit trendy, yet a favorite for years to come!
A very simple design. It uses jump rings to connect everything and linking beads using eyepins. Here are the techniques:
Step 1 A jumpring is a circle of wire with a split in the middle. To open a jumpring, place a pair of chain or flat-nose pliers on each side of the opening, with one pair positioned at 1:00 and the other at 11:00; open the jumpring by moving one pair of pliers away from you and holding the other one steady.
Step 2 Reverse the motion to close.
To add the lampwork beads:
Step 1 String a bead on a piece of wire. Bend each end at a 90-degree angle.
Step 2 Bend each end into loops.
Step 3 Grasp the loop firmly with one pair of flat-nose pliers and use another pair to wrap the end of the loop tightly around the wire.
That's it! Link everything together with jumprings and you're done. It works up very quickly and makes a beautiful piece! Imagine this same design with these beads:
Or these:
They would all make a fabulous design and yet be very different. You can make the same design over and over and by varying the beads it appears completely different. And with lampwork beads the piece becomes an heirloom because it is a one-of-a-kind piece!
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