Tribal-themed Necklace and Earrings Set

Tribal-themed Necklace and Earrings Set

Hello! Today, I am going to share with you my most recent jewellery design - a modern tribal-themed necklace with matching earrings. At first, I was intimidated by the spike beads, and wasn't quite sure how I could use them in a project since they are not beads that I would typically gravitate towards. However, it's always good to go outside your comfort zone, and so I decided to give them a go. I'm pleased to say that I love the end result, and am very excited to share the finished piece with you today on the blog :)

Just Bead It products used:

• JBI94 - glass ivory seed beads
• JBI59 - metal spacer beads
• JBI02 - howlite spike beads
  

Additional products:

• crimp beads
• silver crimp covers
• silver Tibetan-style 3-hole connecter beads
• beading wire
• wire cutters
• crimping pliers
• metal 3-hole bar end
• silver lobster clasp
• silver extender chain
• round-nose pliers
• bent-nose pliers
• surgical steel earring hooks

JBI59 metal spacer beads not shown, as I decided to add them later (as well as some other materials). Therefore, picture above is a general guideline, not exact. See full materials list above for an accurate list of products used.

NOTE: Although I usually provide in-depth instructionals with step-by-step processes, I was unable to do that this time since I pretty much adapted my design as I went along. As such, some pics may be less in-depth and accurate, due to certain changes in the design, but I will still accurately describe what I did to complete the necklace set.

To begin, start by threading the JBI02 howlite spike beads onto a length of wire. Don't tie off one end with a crimp bead, since you will need to add beads onto both sides of the wire, and add and take away, depending on the desired length. Also, set aside two of the spike beads for the earrings later on.

Next, add a silver connector bead onto both ends of the wire, making sure to thread the wire through the bottom-most rung on the connector.

Add the JBI94 seed beads on both sides of the connectors until you have reached the desired length.

Starting on the second strand, thread a long stream of JBI94 seed beads until you have reached the length of the spike beads. I used a bead board during all these steps, so that the bottom strand could be slightly curved into the shape it would roughly be in when worn, in order to more accurately measure the correct amount of beads needed to complete a necklace that sits nicely on the neck.

Once the seed beads line up with the length of spike beads, add one JB59 metal spacer bead on either side of the middle strand. You will probably need to take a few seed beads off, so that the quantity of beads once again lines up with the length of spike beads on the bottom strand. Then, thread the wire through the second hole on the metal connector bead on either side. Continue adding seed beads on the other side of the connectors until the length lines up with the bottom strand of seed beads.

For the third and final strand, thread an appropriate amount of seed beads until the length lines up with the other strands, and snugly thread it through the metal connector. Continue stringing the beads until the desired length is reached.

Now, you can begin to tie off the design, by attaching the strands to a 3-hole bar end. I took extra care at this part to make sure that the length was exactly right, and that the necklace would fall properly without gaps in between the bottom two sections of seed beads above the spears. Start with the bottom strand with the spear beads, as this is the heaviest and most concrete part of the design.

As usual, use crimping pliers to attach a crimp and crimp cover, and trim the excess wire after tucking the tail through some beads first for extra security.

Do the same with the other two strands of wire, attaching them securely to their respective loops on the bar end.

Lastly, attach a silver lobster clasp and extender chain to their respective sides of the necklace.

And the necklace is now finished!

For the matching earrings, you will need to use the two spike beads that were saved when making the necklace, as well as two of the JBI59 metal spacers.

Simply thread an eyepin through the horizontal drill-hole on one of the spike beads, leaving about a centimetre of wire between the bead and the loop of the eyepin.

Next, bend the loop of the eyepin upwards, so that the loop rests above the top of the spike bead.

Finally, taking the other side of the eyepin, twist the excess wire around the top of the eyepin about three times so that it neatly secures the loop in place. Trim the wire as close as possible to the loop, to make sure there are no rough edges poking out. Repeat this step one more time for the second earring.

Next, take an eyepin and thread it through the JBI59 spacer bead, forming a loop on the top and bottom. Attach this to the loop on top of the spike bead, and then attach this to an earring hook. Repeat with the other earring.

And there you have it! I went a little out of my comfort zone this time with a design that is fairly different to what I would typically make. However, I really love how this turned out, proving that it's good to step outside your creative boundaries from time to time, and experiment with new ideas! I even tried a bit of basic wire wrapping for the first time with the earrings... Not as easy as it looks I must say! But the end result worked out pretty well, so I'm pleased at that at least :)

I hope this inspired you to have a go at trying some of the Just Bead It beads. Thanks for reading! Happy beading!

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 tribal necklace and earrings set will soon be uploaded to my store, so stay tuned for that :)

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