"One for the guys": Men's Bracelet

 Black and Silver-toned Men's Bracelet

Hi again! It's Dominique here with another jewellery design for Just Bead It. Today, I have created a triple-strand men's bracelet, with black and silver beads from Just Bead It.

Just Bead It products used:

• JBI32 - Black seed beads
• JBI86 - Alloy beads

Additional products:

• Beading wire
• Three-hole metal connector findings
• Three-strand metal bar end findings
• Toggle clasp
• Crimp beads
• Silver crimp covers
• Jumprings
• jewellery pliers

Materials you'll need for this project ( + jumprings not shown)

JBI32 black seed beads, and JBI86 alloy beads from Just Bead It

Firstly, attach the first length of beading wire to the middle loop in the bar end finding, and secure
one side with a crimp bead and crimp cover. As always, gently crimp the crimp bead with pliers, and neatly encase with a crimp cover.

Adding a crimp and crimp cover to secure the wire loop

You can now begin to thread a solid length of the JBI86 alloy beads onto the wire, remembering to add a couple of three-hole connector findings evenly throughout the length of wire. Make sure to thread the wire through the middle hole, and continue threading the beads. Keep in mind that the length of the bracelet should include the added length of the clasps on both ends. For this reason, I strung 15cm of beads, so that - with the added length of the clasps - the total length of the bracelet ended up being about 17.5cm.

Remember to tuck the excess wire into a few of the beads

Secondly, you can now go ahead and work on the last two strands. Again, secure the strands to the remaining loops on the bar end with crimps and crimp covers. As you're threading the black seed beads, make sure you thread the wires through the connector findings when you come to them. You can be a bit finnicky with measurements at this stage, to be certain that you have the right amount of beads before and after each connector. To check before fastening the design, tug on the end and make sure all the beads remain tight, and no little gaps appear. You can remedy this by simply adding or removing some beads until the design remains solid when pulled tight.

Thirdly, once all the beads are strung, and you are confident with the length of the bracelet, you can begin to secure the other end of the bracelet to the second bar end.

Securing the final wire to the bar end finding

Finally, attach a jumpring to the outer loop on both ends of the bracelet (when opening a link or jumpring, always use two pairs of pliers and twist into an "S" shape. Pulling into a "U" shape will make it much harder to close the jumpring easily and smoothly). On both jumprings, slide on both pieces of the toggle clasp to their respective sides, and gently close the jumprings back up (likewise, use two pairs of pliers to twist and close the jumpring back into its original shape).

And there you have it; a masculine, men's bracelet, handmade with the versatile beads from the Just Bead It range :)

I decided to go with a toggle clasp because it isn't as fussy as some of the other ones... Simple and easy is best :)

I decided to make this bracelet for my brother. It took some convincing to get him to be my model for the day, but I think he liked the end result :)

I hope you enjoyed this post - if you would like to view more of my designs, I also have an Etsy store called DominiquesWares which features more beaded jewellery. This particular men's bracelet will soon be uploaded to my store, so stay tuned for that :)

If interested, you can follow me on Twitter @DominiquesWares

or Instagram: dominiques_wares

You can also follow my Dominique'sWares blog

Thanks so much for reading - happy beading!

Gold-toned Elegant Choker Necklace

Hi everyone! It's Dominique again, coming to you with another beaded jewellery design for Just Bead It! Today I will be sharing with you this elegant gold-toned choker necklace. I hope you enjoy :)

Just Bead It products used:

• JBX43 - Bronze glass faceted beads
• JBX98 - Gold glass faceted beads
• JBI00 - Gold seed beads

Additional products:

• Beading wire
• Crimp beads
• Gold crimp covers
• Jewellery pliers
• 5-strand bar end findings
• Gold lobster clasp
• Gold extender chain

Firstly, cut five equal lengths of beading wire that have roughly 5cm of overhang on each side. Begin stringing the JBX43 and JBX98 on one of the strands in an alternate fashion... bronze, gold, bronze, gold, etc. Once the beads have reached your desired length, attach the strand to the middle loop of the 5-strand finding with a crimp and crimp cover. Make sure the thread is pulled fairly tight, as well as leaving some overhang for when it is time to crimp the other end of the wire.

Secondly, with the remaining four strands, simply thread  the JBI00 gold seed beads until the desired length is achieved. Then attach each strand to it's respective loop on the 5-strand bar end finding. At this point, when all the strands are attached on one side, you can add or remove beads in order to adjust the length.

Beginning the fourth strand

Lining up the strands - at this point you can add or remove beads from one end to adjust the length

Once each strand of wire has been fastened to one end of the clasp, and you are happy with the length, you can go ahead and attach the other end as well. At this point, the design is nearly finished.

Getting ready to crimp the other end

• NOTE: after I finished stringing all the strands of beads, I decided to change the large bronze beads (JBX29) seen in first few pics to the JBX98 small gold beads, for the sake of continuity(...plus, I think it looks better :)). As a result, however, the first few pictures will be inaccurate as they will show the large bronze beads. Please keep this in mind.

This is where I decided to change the bronze beads to smaller, gold beads (JBX98)

Lastly, attach a lobster clasp and extender chain to the outer loop on either bar end. This addition completes the choker and allows for a few centimetres of extension space to fit a variety of neck sizes. 

This lovely necklace sits daintily around the neck, and would suit many outfits for a variety of different occasions. I just love the subtle golds and bronze... I may just need to keep this one for myself! :)

If you would like to get more information on some basic jewellery-making techniques such as how to use crimp beads and covers, and attaching lobster clasps etc, you can refer to my more thorough jewellery tutorial on the Just Bead It blog.

I hope you enjoyed this post - if you would like to view more of my designs, I also have an Etsy store called DominiquesWares which features more beaded jewellery. This particular choker will soon be uploaded to my store, so stay tuned for that :)

If interested, you can follow me on Twitter @DominiquesWares

or Instagram: dominiques_wares

You can also follow my Dominique'sWares blog

Thanks so much for reading - happy beading!

Breezy Boho Bracelet

Breezy Boho Bracelet

Hi everyone! It's Dominique here, coming to you with my very first blog post for Just Bead It!
Today, I am excited to share with you a breezy boho bracelet design, with silky white seed beads, ceramic starfish statement beads, and accented with silver spacer beads. I hope you enjoy!

Just Bead It products used:

• JBZ28 - Ceramic Starfish Beads
• JBI18 - White Glass Seed Beads
• JBI93 - Alloy Spacer Beads

Additional products:

• Silver beading wire
• Silver crimp beads
• Silver crimp covers
• Silver 5-strand filigree bar ends
• Silver extender chain
• Silver lobster-claw clasp
• Jewellery pliers (wire-cutters, crimping pliers, bent-nose pliers)

Firstly, start by cutting five equal lengths of beading wire. To decide what length you need for each strand, measure your wrist, and then add about 10cm of overhang (5 cm each side). For this project, I cut 25cm of wire for each strand.

Materials you'll need for this project

To begin making the bracelet, thread a crimp bead onto one of the lengths of wire, through the
middle-hole of the bar-end, and back through the crimp, forming a loop. Gently pull the beads close to the end of the wire, and use the crimping pliers to make an indent on the crimp, being gentle but firm. Then, fold the crimp over itself by using the rounded part of the crimping pliers. Lastly, gently close a silver crimp cover over the top of the crimp bead, and use the rounded edge of the crimping pliers to round the bead into a sphere.

Threading the crimp onto the wire and forming a loop

Next, crimp the bead and fold it over onto itself for extra security

The addition of a crimp cover adds a stylish touch which flows with the rest of the design

You can now begin to thread the JBZ28 ceramic starfish beads from Just Bead It, onto the length of wire you just prepared. This will be the middle, focal strand of the bracelet. Also, make sure to thread the extra wire that was poking out from the crimp through one of the starfish so that it is tucked out of sight.

The beginning stages of the bracelet... make sure to tuck the excess wire into a couple of the beads!

Secondly, begin threading the second wire onto the bar-end as before.

Beginning the second strand

Next, thread the JBI18 white seed beads along the length of the wire, making sure to spirodically dot certain parts of the wire with the JBI93 alloy spacer beads. This breaks up the design and adds a bit of interest to an otherwise purely white strand of beads. Repeat these steps for the remaining strands of beads. Make sure to align each beaded strand with the others, in order to mark out where you will need to place the spacer beads. They should be fairly random, but close any large block of white left by a previous strand of seed beads. Refer to pictures below to see what I mean.

* When working with multiple strands, I find it easier to use some sort of clip or clamping tool to hold the strands in place as I work on each one individually.

Second strand finished!

Align the strands next to eachother so that you can mark out where the spacers should be

Third strand done! I love my handy-dandy reindeer clamping tool!

Just keep beading... (channel your inner Dory!) The design is coming together!

To begin attaching the other sides of the wires to the clasp, start with the furthermost strand, and once again, place a crimp bead on one end of the wire, and thread the wire through the respective loop on the silver bar end, and again through the crimp bead, forming a loop. Again, pull the strand tight, and use the crimping pliers to crimp the bead and slightly round the edges. Lastly, add a crimp cover over the top of the crimp bead, and use crimping pliers again to close the gap and round the bead. To summarise more clearly,

1. thread crimp onto wire
2. thread wire through loop on bar-end
3. thread wire back through crimp
4. use crimping pliers to crimp the bead and round slightly
5. add crimp cover on top of bead and use crimping pliers to close the gap and round the bead

Repeat this step with the remaining four strands of beads, making sure to arrange the strands so that the alloy spacers aren't directly on top of one another, but clearly spaced apart. This is a breezy boho bracelet afterall, and should look effortless and slightly random. :)

Remember to tuck a couple of centimetres of overhanging wire through some of the beads, and trim any excess wire.

The bracelet is almost finished! After tucking a little bit of wire through a few of the beads, you will need to trim the excess.

Finally, once all the bead strands have been attached, and the excess has been trimmed, we need to add the lobster clasp and extender chain. Remove one link of the extender chain with a pair of jewellery pliers and place the lobster clasp onto the link. Attach to the outer loop of the bar end, and gently close the link. Attach the rest of the extender chain to the other side of the bracelet, and again, gently close the link. You want to open and close the loop in an "S" shape, do not open like a "U", or this will be difficult to close and won't look as refined.

Attach one link from the chain onto the lobster clasp. Open in an "S" shape, not a "U"!

Attach the lobster clasp onto the outer loop on the bar-end

It's as simple as that!

Likewise, open a link on the extender chain and attach onto the outer loop of the other bar-end

I love these silver extender chains! They add an elegant touch, as well as practicality to the finished design!

* Alternatively, feel free to use a series of jumprings to create your own extender chain, but I had already bought these ones and would prefer to use them instead because I like the look of the added teardrop on the end of the chain. I just think it looks more refined and sophisticated.

And, voila! I love the finished design... It just exudes relaxed beach vibes.

And there you have it! A beautiful, handmade boho bracelet, perfect for vacation-wear or a day at the beach. I hope you have enjoyed my first blog post for Just Bead It, and I can't wait to share more of my designs with you in the future. I'm so glad to be a part of the team :)

The silky-smooth look of the white seed beads remind me so much of meringue ❤

This cute extender chain is so practical, yet so elegant!