DIY: Bugle Bead Multistrand Necklace

So here is the 2nd of two jewelry pieces I made as part of The Refashioners 2013. (You can see the tute for the first one here) Again, because of the use of black glass bugle beads in this make, it has an overall 1920’s feel. I love how this one turned out, and although threading all those beads was a little time consuming, it really is very straightforward!

To begin, attach multiple strands of monofilament/beading thread to the looped end of a piece of jewelry wire. I attached 2 lots of 8 strands and used crimper beads to hold them in place. Thread your beads onto each strand in turn (to your desired length), securing the end of each strand with a knot before you move onto the next…

Gather all your loose ends together and secure to an identical piece of looped wire. So now you have two identical “ends”.You can buy “end cones” like these, but I made my end cones by wrapping wire around my round nosed pliers. Slide them over the looped wire ends so they are snug; and finish the ends with a loop to hold in place. Then add your chain!

A great way to showcase simple glass beads which almost always looked most effective when  strung “en masse” like this 🙂