How to make a Simple Beaded Necklace –

Simple beaded necklaces are having a moment! Colourful glass seed beads combined with freshwater pearls seem to be everywhere in the shops, but its so easy and fun to make your own.

Table of Contents

You will need:

-Selection of colourful seed beads, in size 5 or 6. I bought this opaque mix and took out any darker beads.
–Freshwater pearls
-A few larger beads for the centre
-Beading wire. I’m using Beadalon 7 Strand.
–Clasp, a 6mm jump ring and a couple of crimp beads
–Chain-nose jewellery pliers
–Cutters
-Optional, but very helpful :Beadboard. This helps to approximately measure out your necklace. Alternatively, lay your beads in a row alongside a tape measure.

This makes a simple beaded necklace approx. 45cm or 18inches long. To make it longer or shorter you can add or remove beads as needed in step 4. The clasp section usually takes up about 2.5cm/1 inch, so make sure you account for this.

How to make a Simple Beaded Necklace

1.Grab your selection of seed beads and begin to sprinkle them into the top channel of your bead-board, adding some of the larger beads towards the centre. The numbers next to this channel are centimetres, starting in the middle at 0cm and marked up to 21cm at each side. (If you prefer to work in inches, use the lower channel; the numbers are marked in inches. Go up to 8½ on each side)

2.Fill in the channel all the way up to the 21cm point on each side. Randomly add in a few pearl beads as you go.

3.Pull about 50cm of beading wire from the reel but don’t cut it off. I like to start threading my beads on whilst hte wire is still attached to the reel. You can use the end of the wire like a needle to pick up the beads and thread them onto the wire.

4.Once all the beads are threaded onto the wire, lay it back onto the board to check the length again. Once the beads are all sitting neatly next to one another it might come up short. To keep your design even, add half of the beads needed to make up the length to the open end of wire. Reserve the rest to put on the other end.

5.Give yourself about 10cm of wire, then thread on a crimp bead and a clasp.

6.Take the end of the wire back through the crimp bead in the opposite direction.

7.Pull the end of the wire to tighten the loop. You still want the clasp to be able to move slightly, so not too tight. Then use the chain-nose plier to squash the crimp bead flat. This will hold the wire in place.