Swarovski crystal beads have been a popular item in jewellery making for over 100 years and still retain their charm and attraction today. Simple to use and capable of creating a dazzling effect for very little effort, Swarovski crystals are a great introduction to the joys of making your own jewellery for any age. The pretty, iridescent crystals catch the light beautifully and come in a huge array of colours. They work well in almost any form of jewellery making, but are particularly effective when used to make a simple bracelet.
To create a beautiful Swarovski crystal bead bracelet, you will need a packet of size 15 seed beads, 24 small pearls and 36 small Swarovski crystal beads. Cut a length of beading thread approximately 1.5metres and thread it onto a beading needle. About 15cm from the end, attach a bead stopper. Each bead always has a seed bead either side of the crystal or pearl. So always add on bead "units" for example, one seed beads one crystal (or pearl) then one seed bead, every time you need to add on beads. Thread on four small crystal units: one seed bead, one crystal, one seed bead, four times. Allow the beads to fall down near your bead stopper. Pass needle through the bottom of the first small crystal unit and then pull the thread so the beads form a circle or a square.
Tie a small knot between the seed beads where your needle is and then continue to pass the needle through the next small crystal unit. The needle always comes out of the bottom crystal or pearl unit ready to add the next circle. Add on one small crystal unit, one small pearl unit and one small crystal unit. Pass the needle through the next small crystal unit (on the circle you have just added on) then through small pearl unit. Add on three small pearl units, then pass the needle through the existing small pearl unit on the previous circle, and then pull thread up. You will now have three adjoining circles. Pass the needle through the next two small pearl units. Add on three small crystal units and pass the needle through the small unit from the previous circle. Then repeat the process with the next two small crystal units until you have four adjoining circles. Continue adding on units until you have three complete small pearl unit circles.
You can carry on with this pattern to create an interlinked bracelet of circles, emphasising the Swarovski crystals and creating a glittering effect. If you wish to get a little more adventurous you can add ‘feature beads' onto the design to create a focal point on the bracelet that will draw the eye. But the beauty of Swarovski crystals is their adaptability, versatility and the ease with which they will fit into almost any design you choose. For a very simple but stylish effect, add Swarovski crystals to a simple silver chain to produce a ‘charm bracelet' of crystals. Using a pin style earring wire, thread your crystal onto the wire and bend the end of the wire around a pair of round-nosed pliers to form a loop. Trim the excess wire off with a pair of jeweller's wire-cutters and bend the loop back so that the crystal hangs freely. Attach the crystal to your silver chain and close the loop, soldering the join to be extra sure that your crystal doesn't come off too easily. By spacing a variety of Swarovski crystals around the bracelet you can achieve the look you want. The beauty of this simple design is that when you grow bored of the colours you can simply remove the crystals and replace them with new ones to suit your mood or this season's latest fashion colours. Swarovski crystal beads are fun, versatile and beautiful and make the perfect addition to almost any jewellery design.
About the Author
Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of jewellery making supplies from over 10,000 products including all types of Swarovski crystal beads. Other items include - jewellery tools, precious metal clay, gemstones and gold and silver sheet - gold, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.
