Garnet Valentines Necklace

This is another simple necklace to make. I thought that the silver heart pendant would look nice if I mixed a little silver in to the strand of beads. My silver daisy spacer beads were a little bit too big for the rubies, so I decided to try them with a strand of garnet beads that I have in my stash.

I crimped the ruby beads, but I decided to go back to my roots for this necklace and use thread. I think that silk and nylon beading thread has a much better drape on the neck than wire does.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My preference is for silk, but nylon thread does have some advantages as well. One advantage is that it melts. I tied a knot in my thread and then I clipped it off. The next part is fun, although it  may take some practice.  Light up a lighter and very slowly bring it close to the knot.  You do not want to burn the thread so do not allow the thread to touch the flame. This is done very quickly. You want to bring the flame in close enough that the thread just starts to melt together. A knot that is melted together will not come untied. A knot that is melted to much, will easily fall apart. When I first learned this technique, I practiced this step over and over again until I was comfortable with it.

I used sterling clamshell bead tips for this project. I ran the thread down through the bead tip, closed the shell and then it was ready to be attached to one side of my clasp.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The jump ring that was attached to my pendant was pretty large. It slides freely over the strand of beads so this next bit wasn’t an issue for me. However, if my beads had been larger, or my jump ring had been smaller, it would be important for me to make sure it was centered in the necklace. If your focal bead or pendant needs to be centered, it is a good idea to divide your beads in half.  I’m not to picky on the length of my necklaces. If you want your necklace to be a particular length, it is a good idea to lay your beads out on a  Bead Board “bead tray so that you can see how they will look. This goes along with the saying “measure twice and cut once”. If you take a few minutes to arrange your necklace, you will have a good idea how long it is going to be and what the finished project will look like. I tend to just jump on in.

For my necklace, I strung three garnet beads and followed them up with a silver daisy spacer. I followed that pattern until I ran out of beads. Initially I counted the beads out and I determined that I had enough beads to do multiples of three, with two left over on each side. So I started and ended my strand with two beads.

Once I got to the other end, I pulled the beads to make sure they were taught, then I ran my thread up through the clamshell and tied another large knot. I melted it just as I did the other end and then attached the second half of the clasp.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This was a very simple necklace to make. It went together quickly and easily. My daughter already has her eye on it!

I prefer the color of the rubies, so I will probably remake the heart necklace again with rubies and silver. I need to dig through my stash a bit and see what I can find.