Free spirit necklace with turquoise beads

Turquoise is so colorful and eye-catching, it can be a pick-me-up any time of the year. This necklace came from my attempts to use up a lot of little stones that I didn’t have enough of to do anything with. I strung various blue-green beads, staggering the sections, for a free-spirited look.

SUPPLIES

necklace 17 in. (43 cm)

• 6–9 12–15 mm nuggets
• 5–7 8 mm round beads
• 70–100 4–8 mm chips
• 6–15 7 mm faceted rondelles
• 24–30 6 mm rondelles
• 40–50 6 mm saucer beads
• 95–115 3–6 mm tube beads
• 50–60 5 mm heishi beads
• 40–50 4 mm rondelles
• 16–24 4 mm round beads
• 2–3 g 8/0 seed beads
• flexible beading wire, .014 or .015
• 2 6 mm split rings
• 6 crimp beads
• lobster claw clasp
• chainnose or crimping pliers
• diagonal wire cutters
• split-ring pliers (optional)

Check your local bead store for supplies. 

2. On each end of each wire, string a crimp bead, an 8/0 seed bead, and a split ring. Check the fit, and add or remove beads if necessary. Go back through the beads just strung and tighten the wire. Crimp the crimp bead and trim the excess wire.

3. On one end, attach the split ring and a lobster claw clasp.