3 to 1 Round Connector Dangle Necklace

Make this design shorter or longer according to your preference. Try making a pair of matching earrings for this extraordinary dangle necklace.

By Wyatt White for Beadalon

Materials:

1 - 3 to 1 ring end connector, round
5 - 6mm glass plum smooth bicone color-coated beads
8 - 6mm glass plum smooth round color-coated beads
1 - small pendant bail
1 spool 22 gauge silver ColourCraft wire
3 or 4 - 17 in. lengths of Beadalon 49 Strand silver plated wire
1 - set sterling crimp hook and eye clasp
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Designer flush cutter

Steps:

To make the end pieces, take a 2 in. (5 cm.) piece of ColourCraft wire (or silver wire) and make a small bend in the end of the wire. Using the chain nose pliers, squeeze the bend until it folds over and creates a double wire. Cut the short end off to make something of a homemade head pin out of the wire. Make sure this will not slip through the bicone bead hole. If the hole is too large, fold it over again, making a snail-looking shape at the end of the wire until the snail is large enough to stop the bead.
Insert your handmade head pin into bicone bead. Using the round nose pliers on the straight portion of the wire sticking out of the top of the bead form a loop around the jaw of the plier. After forming the loop, use the chain nose pliers to hold the loop. With your free hand, wrap the end of the wire around the portion of the wire extending out of the top of the bead. Be sure to make the first wrap close to the loop and then wrap down to the top of the bead. Cut the excess wire. It's important to keep constant the distance from the loop to the top of the bead. Each loop should be of consistent size as well. Try marking the jaws of your round nose pliers with a magic marker to serve as a guide for where to wrap the wire.
Using a new piece of ColourCraft wire, form a loop at one end of the wire. Then wrap the short end of the wire around and attach it to the loop you made on the end piece. Add a bead to end of the connection you just created, and then form a loop at the opposite end (see step 2) and continue to link each wire. Remember to connect the links before you wrap the wire around itself.
Once you have completed the strand as shown, connect the last loop to the ring end connector finding in the same way you would to another ring. Once all three strands have been connected to the ring end connector finding, connect the top bead to the finding and create a slightly larger ring to be connected to the bail.
Insert the Beadalon Silver Plated wire strands into the crimp clasp. Carefully use the chain nose pliers to crimp the center section of the hook portion of the clasp. Don't over crimp, but make sure it's crimped enough to hold firmly. String the bail onto the strands and complete the necklace by inserting the opposite ends of the Beadalon Silver Plated wire into the eye end of the clasp and crimp as above.

Note: The basic wire wrapping technique of making a hangman's noose takes a little practice. Using round nose pliers, chain nose pliers and a good cutter will help.