Interplanetary Necklace and Earrings

By: Katie Hacker for Beadalon

You'll be out of this world with these awesome interplanetary necklaces and earrings from Katie Hacker!

Materials:

Necklace:

Twenty 5-7mm faceted glass beads in shades mauve and blue • Ten 12mm hematite rings with cross-wise holes
Forty-two silver crimp beads
Silver 6mm split ring
Silver lobster clasp
Silver extension chain

Earrings:

12mm hematite ring with cross-wise holes
5mm blue faceted glass bead
7mm mauve faceted glass bead
Two 2" silver head pins
Silver ear wire
Designer Crimper
Beadstorm™ Round Nose Pliers
Nipper tool

Instructions:

Necklace:

Cut two 16" lengths of stringing wire. Hold the strands together. String a crimp bead 1/2" from one end. String half of the clasp, then place the wire end back into the crimp bead. Crimp it.
String a crimp bead 1/2" from the end of one strand; crimp it. Place a faceted bead inside a hematite ring with the holes lined up, then string the wire through the beads. String another crimp bead and crimp it to hold the beads in place. Leave 1", then string a crimp bead. Crimp it, then string a faceted bead and another crimp bead. Crimp it to hold the beads in place. Repeat this pattern five times leaving about an inch between beaded sections.
Follow the pattern in Step 2 to string beads on the second piece of stringing wire. When complete, turn the second piece of stringing wire end-for-end so the pattern is reversed. Hold the strands together and string a crimp bead 1/2" from the end. String half of the clasp, then place the wire ends back into the crimp bead. Crimp it. Connect the extension chain to the split ring on one end of the necklace to make the necklace adjustable.

Earrings:

Place a faceted bead inside a hematite ring with the holes lined up, then string them onto a head pin.
String a faceted bead onto the other head pin. Make a loop at the top of the blue bead head pin and at the middle of the hematite ring head pin and attach both loops to an ear wire.

Tip: Another way to string the faceted bead inside the ring is to place the wire end through one side of the ring, string the bead, then place the wire end through the other side of the bead.