Designer Challenge

We challenged the Beads Unlimited creatives to put their skills to the test with the latest summer berry bead colours and metallic pendants

Jo Porter, Project Designer

This bold and colourful jewellery set is quick and easy to make. add another row of beads for even more impact

What's in the kit? Wire, 0.6mm, aqua (CLW0625) x 1 Pearls, glass, 16mm: turquoise (GLHP16) x 7; magenta (GLHP16) x 2 Rounds, matt wood, 15mm: light pink (WDB22) x 10; violet (WDB13) x 10; sky blue (WDB29) x 5 Donut pendants, aluminium: chunky round, 35mm (ALJD5) x 5; square, 40mm (ALJE1) x 6

Necklace

1. Cut 2m of ribbon. Tie a knot 16cm along from one end. Thread on a light pink wood bead, push along to the knot and tie another to keep it in place. Repeat, alternating with violet beads until you have added a total of 14. Open a 7mm jump ring, loop over the central knot of the necklace, add another jump ring and close.
2. Cut 20cm of ribbon, thread through the centre of an square donut pendant and tie in a knot. Trim the ends at an angle with a sharp pair of scissors. Open a jump ring, loop through the knot and attach to the jump rings at the centre of the necklace and close. Cut the necklace to the desired length and attach a ribbon clasp to each end. Add a jump ring at one side and a jump ring with a trigger clasp to the other.

Bracelet

1. Cut two 40cm lengths of ribbon. Thread one through the centre of an aluminium pendant until it is halfway then tie a knot. Repeat on the other side. Add three beads at each side and a clasp in the same way as the necklace.

Necklace

1. Cut 45cm of aqua wire and wrap tightly around a chunky round donut pendant. Join the ends together by twisting with pliers and bend in any sharp edges. With roundnosed pliers, tweak each loop of wire to tighten and add a decorative element. Make two more in the same way.
2. Thread a turquoise pearl onto an eye pin, trim to 1cm, bend into a loop and close. Repeat with one more turquoise and two magenta beads. Open a 5mm jump ring, attach to one end of a blue beaded eye pin and loop it through the wrapped wire on an aluminium pendant at 12 o’clock. Close the jump ring.
3. Loop the next jump ring through the wire at 3 o’clock, attach a pink beaded eye pin and close. Join the next donut pendant just outside the centre on both sides with a pink beaded eye pin. Add the last donut pendant and blue beaded eye pin to mirror the first.
4. Cut two 15cm lengths of heavy chain and attach one to each side of the blue beaded eye pins with a jump ring. Attach a jump ring to one end of the chain and a jump ring with trigger clasp to the other.

Double-Strand Necklace

1. Thread a turquoise pearl onto an eye pin and make a loop. Repeat with four more pearls and five wood beads. Cut two 18cm lengths of chain. Attach a wooden beaded eye pin to one end of a length.
2. Add a jump ring to the bottom of the eye pin, thread an eye pin through the loop of a square donut pendant, bend it in half and attach to the jump ring. Secure a beaded pearl eye pin to the other 18cm length and add a square donut in the same way.
3. Cut 20cm of aqua wire. Halfway along the length, bend into a figure of eight with round-nosed pliers. Repeat until the bent part of the wire covers the bottom half of the donut. Thread the straight section through the middle of the donut and twist together underneath the shape. Make a loop at the end of the wire. Repeat on the other pendant.
4. Attach a wooden bead underneath one donut and a pearl under the second. Attach 7cm of chain to each, followed by a wooden bead on one side and a pearl on the other. Cut 10cm of chain and join the two sections together. Put this aside. Cut two 12cm sections of chain. Attach a wooden beaded eye pin to one end of a length and a pearl to the second.
5. Attach a 7cm length of chain to each followed by a wood bead on one and a pearl on the other. Attach a round pendant to each and add the wire decoration. Join with a 16cm length of wire. Link one end of each section with a jump ring and add a trigger clasp to one side.