Glass Bead Pendant
Are you a lover of glass beads? I’m talking about those beads that are truly small pieces of art. The interest in glass bead making has exploded in the past few years and there are some very talented glass bead artists out there.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with these beads when I purchased them. I just liked their color and one looked like a little fish and it was only $1, so I couldn’t resist. The beads sat on my work table for awhile untouched, waiting for inspiration to strike. As I started to think about it, I thought it was a shame that these beads could only be used once. So, that’s when I decided to make these beads into pendants. They can either be worn on a beaded necklace to enhance it and not be removed, or if you wish, you could leave the pendant free and wear it on just a chain.
This is what you’ll need to make a pendant out of a glass bead:
1. First measure the length of your glass bead. Then cut a piece of the wire so that it’s about 1 ½ inches longer than the bead. For example, my bead is almost 1 inch high so I cut a piece of wire that was 2 ½ inches high.
2. File the ends smooth on the wire and curl one end using your round nosed pliers.
3. Now slip your bead onto the wire and bend it over at about the half way point.
3. Now slip your bead onto the wire and bend it over at about the half way point.
5. This is the part where you wish you had three hands. You’re goal is to twist the wire that’s now sticking out around the part of the wire that’s coming out of the top of the bead. I find it easiest to do this by holding the looped part of the wire with either my round nosed or another flat nosed pair of pliers. (Round nosed pliers are not the best for just holding stuff). I’m right handed, so I feel more comfortable holding the loop with my left hand. Now using your free hand and a pair of bent nosed pliers, hold onto the end of the wire that’s sticking out and wind it around the other part of the wire. If your wire was long enough to begin with, you’ll probably be able to wrap it around a few times.
6. At this point you may have to reshape the loop a little using your round nosed pliers so it’s nice and round. You can also use your flat nosed pliers straighten the wire as needed to make it look nice.
This technique may take a while to practice in order to get the hang of it, but with practice you’ll be surprised. If you'd like to find out more about glass beads, here are some areas on my site with more information:
Glass Jewelry/Beads
Fused/Lampwork Suppliers
Glass Jewelry Projects/Articles
All graphics created by Tammy Powley.