Seeds of change

Combine shimmering beads and wire balls to form deborah millsop's elegant accessories!

Deborah Millsop, MJ Designer

“I love combining these small traditional delicas with the latest fire-polished beads and wire balls to create a contemporary twist”

This elegant multi-strand necklace combines autumn greens, golds and purples, contrasting tiny delica beads with richly coloured fire-polished gems and large wire balls. It looks very complex but is quite straightforward to make and has a striking appearance, combined with matching drop earrings. Why not try a bracelet in silver and mauve shades, or any colour combination you like.

Necklace

1. Cut nine 1.25m lengths of beading thread, pass all the strands through a giltplated calotte and tie a double knot. Close the calotte over the knot and attach a lobster clasp. Start making the stranded section, using a big eye curved needle and Junior Spin-n-Bead for the quickest results.
2. Slip 20cm of teal delica beads onto a strand, then repeat with the rest of the threads. Use a piece of sticky tape or a bead stopper to secure the seeds on the strands temporarily until they are all threaded.
3. Take all the strands through a green 12mm fire-polished bead, a gold wire ball, a 12mm green firepolished bead, a gold wire ball and a third green 12mm firepolished bead. Pass the threads through on a needle, to ensure that they all enter and leave the wire balls in the same place. Tie all the strands together close to the last bead, so that they are secure but the knot is hidden.
4. Start working on the plaited section, using mixed silver-lined gold and metallic purple/gold iris delica beads to create a twotone effect. Pass 28cm of delicas onto a strand and tie a knot at the end to keep the small beads in place when making the plait. Repeat for the rest of the threads.
5. Divide the strands into three and plait the whole length. Taping it to a firm surface or asking someone to hold the end down will make it easier to get a good tension as you braid them together. To finish, tie an overhand knot with all the strands.
6. Thread on three 12mm green firepolished beads and two gold wire balls as before, then repeat the 20cm teal delica sequence. Finish with a gilt-plated calotte and attach a 5mm jump ring at each side, then a clasp. This makes a necklace 82cm long.

Green Earrings

1. Thread a teal delica, an 8mm green firepolished bead, a mix of four more delicas, another 8mm green fire-polished bead and a final silver-lined delica onto a head pin. Make a plain loop and attach to a fish hook earwire. Repeat to make a pair.

Bracelet

1. Cut ten 50cm lengths of beading thread. Pass all the strands through a silver calotte and tie a double knot as before. Close the calotte over the knot and add a lobster clasp with a ring.
2. Using a beading needle or a big eye curved needle, thread one strand with 8cm of violet and purple/bronze mix delicas, as before. Repeat for the remaining threads, then pass them all through a 12mm vitrail medium firepolished bead, a wire ball and another 12mm vitrail medium bead.
3. Repeat the delica sequence by threading each strand with another 8cm of delicas as before. Finish with a silver calotte and a jump ring for the end of the clasp as before. This makes a bracelet 20cm long.

Silver Earrings

1. Thread two delica beads from the colours used for the bracelet, and an 18mm rhodium wire ball on a head pin and make a plain loop. Attach an eye pin to the loop and add a 12mm vitrail medium fire-polished bead, a delica and an 8mm vitrail medium fire-polished bead. Make a plain loop and attach to a French post fitting. Repeat to make a pair.