I was so excited when House of Gems contacted me about an amazing opportunity, in which they provided me with all the supplies I needed to make a DIY jewelry project!
There were so many gorgeous beads to choose from, but I particularly loved the Iolite gemstone beads.
DIY Iolite gemstone necklace
(For a list of supplies please scroll to the bottom of this post)
1) Cut 14" of beading wire & string the Iolite beads in this order:
teardrop, *roundelle, round, roundelle, teardrop* (repeat order of beads between the *s until the strand is 9.5" long.
2) Cut 12.5" of beading wire & string the Iolite beads in this order:
*round, 2 roundelle*, repeat 6 times.
Add a Sterling silver satin oval bead
then add Iolite beads:*2 roundelle, round*, repeat 3 times
then 1 roundelle bead
Add another Sterling silver satin oval bead
then Iolite beads: *2 roundelle, round* repeat 6 times
(total length of stringed beads is approximately 8 inches)
3) Cut 12" of beading wire & string Iolite beads in this order:
*teardrop, round, teardrop, Sterling silver round stardust spacer* repeat 7 times
finish strand with Iolite beads: teardrop, round, teardrop
(total length of beaded strand is approximately 7")
4) Attach ends of beading wire (from steps 1-3) to the Sterling silver connectors, using crimping beads in order listed below. *The beading wire I chose couldn't be threaded through the beads a 2nd time (to hide the tail of the wire once connected) so using a slightly smaller diameter of beading wire may give a more finished look* (House of Gems has a nice selection of beading wire to choose from!)
The strand from step 1 is the longest, and should be connected to the lowest of the 3 connecting loops on both sides
The strand from step 2 should be connected to the 2 middle loops, and the strand from step 3 should be connected to the top loops.
5) Next, cut two 6 inch strands of bulk chain, and attach a split ring to each of the 4 ends of chain
6) Now, attach the split rings on one end of each of the 2 strands of chain to the loop on the connector (opposite of the side where the beads were attached)
7) Finally, attach a Sterling silver spring ring on one of the loose strands of the bulk chain (that has a split ring on it)
Supplies from House of Gems:
Sterling silver satin oval beads 4x6 mm
Sterling silver 2mm crimp beads
Sterling silver split ring 4mm
Sterling silver connector 2x8mm 3 rows
Sterling silver bulk chain small curb light weight (1.2x1.9mm)
Sterling silver spring ring findings 5mm
Sterling silver round stardust spacer findings 2.5mm
Iolite beads faceted center drilled teardrop 5x8mm
Iolite beads smooth round shape ~3mm
Iolite beads faceted roundelle shape 5mm
Soft touch beading wire - stainless steel nylon coated 30 ft (0.019 inch diameter)
Thank you House of Gems!