Over the rainbow

Transform bright crystals into Corrine Bradd's stunning jewellery!

Corinne Bradd, MJ Designer

These bright crystals look stunning when clustered together; use a mix of toning colours in different sizes for an eye-catching effect

This beautiful tassel-style pendant looks wonderfully complex, but is actually quite simple to achieve, by threading vibrant crystals onto eye pins, then suspending them from jump rings that are then linked to form a clustered chain. Create a pair of matching earrings, then use simple bead weaving to form a dazzling ring!

Necklace

1. Put aside the following crystals; 20, 3mm crystal honey, 24 3mm crystal venus, 12, 5mm crystal honey and four 8mm crystal honey rondells, as these will be strung on the wire of the pendant. Keep three jump rings separate to use with the clasp later.
2. Thread two 8mm crystal honey, three 8mm crystal venus and two 8mm blue zircon rondells onto individual eye pins. Trim each pin to 4mm from the base of the crystal and save the off-cuts. Bend each trimmed pin into a small flattened loop to secure the bead. Repeat with 11, 5mm crystal honey, five 5mm crystal venus, three 6mm fuchsia, three 5mm blue zircon and four 6mm sun rondells.
3. Create more eye pins by bending the off-cuts into a small loop at one end and use these to thread through three 4mm fuchsia and three 4mm sun rondells, securing as before. Put one 10mm crystal honey and crystal venus rondell to one side to use later.
4. Fit a jump ring into a crystal honey drop, then thread on a 4mm fuchsia drop before closing. Thread three more 4mm drops in assorted colours onto a second jump ring and attach to the first. Repeat with 11 more rings, gradually increasing the size of drop used and linking them in turn to the previous ring. The top two rings should contain two 8mm and a single 6mm crystal on each.
5. >Thread 60cm of silver beading wire through the top jump ring and allow the pendant to fall to the middle. Check the way the chain of crystals hangs and make any adjustments to the position of individual drops if desired. Slip the 10mm crystal honey and crystal venus drops on the wire, one either side of the pendant.
6. Thread each side of the wire with the honey coloured crystals that were put aside in Step 1. Place them in size order, beginning with the largest and alternate each one with a 3mm venus coloured crystal. As you reach the ends of each side of the wire, thread two 3mm honey crystals between each venus coloured one.
7. Pass each end of the wire through a crimp bead and a jump ring. Take the wire back through the crimp and pull until the ends of the necklace are the desired length. Squeeze the crimp closed and trim away the excess. Fit a bolt ring clasp to one secured jump ring and another ring to the other side.

Earrings

1. Thread the following crystals onto individual eye pins; two 8mm crystal honey, two 8mm crystal venus and two 8mm blue zircon rondells. Trim each pin to 4mm from the base of the bead and save the off-cuts. Bend each trimmed pin into a small flattened loop to secure. Repeat with six 5mm crystal honey, four 5mm crystal venus, two 6mm fuchsia, two 5mm blue zircon and two 6mm sun rondells.
2. Create more eye pins by bending the off-cuts into a small loop at one end and use these to thread through two 4mm fuchsia and two 4mm sun rondells, securing as before. Separate the pinned beads into two piles with the same assortment of colour and size in each.
3. Fit a jump ring into a crystal honey drop, slipping on two small rondells before closing. Thread two more small rondells in different colours onto a second jump ring and attach to the first. Repeat this process for three more jump rings, gradually increasing the size of crystal used and linking them in turn to the previous ring. The top ring should hold three 8mm crystals.
4. Fit the top jump ring onto an earwire and check the hang, making any adjustments necessary. Repeat to make a pair, paying close attention to the order and size of the crystals on each ring to ensure they match.

Ring

1. On each end of the monofilament, thread a 5mm blue zircon rondell, a seed bead, a 4mm sun rondell, a seed bead, a 5mm blue zircon, a seed bead, a 4mm fuchsia rondell and a seed bead. Lay both threads anti-clockwise around the main crystal and pass the ends through the first blue zircon on the opposite side. Cross the threads through the centre of the main crystal and pull tight.
2. Pass each end through the four adjacent seed beads on the left of the main crystal. Cross the monofilament through the middle of the fifth seed. Thread two seed beads onto each end before crossing the monofilament through the centre of the blue zircon on the left side of the main crystal. This will secure the frame on the left side.
3. Create the ring band by slipping three seed beads onto each thread. Add a fourth seed to one side and cross the other end through the middle of this. Make five more loops on the band by threading five beads onto each thread and crossing the ends through a sixth bead each time.
4. Finish the ring band by threading three seed beads onto each end of monofilament and crossing through the centre of the blue zircon on the right side of the main crystal. Add two seeds to each end and cross through the fifth bead of the frame on the right side of the main crystal. Pass the ends through the four seed beads on either side, then thread one end down through the main crystal so it meets the other.
5. Knot the two ends of monofilament together tightly and secure the knot with a dab of adhesive if required. If you have enough left, thread the ends through several adjacent beads on either side before trimming away the excess.