Petite Black Choker and Earrings Set

Petite Black Choker and Earrings Set

Hi there. It's Dominique here, with a New Year's Eve themed choker and earrings set. It's sparkly, but  simple, for an effortless, yet effective look. I think this choker is also quite minimalist, which is a style that I love, and I think the lovely beads from Just Bead It work perfectly with the design, whilst remaining understated and elegant. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and hope that 2019 can be your best year yet!

For the choker:

Just Bead It products used:

• JBX75 - black faceted glass beads

Additional products used:

• silver eyepins
• silver lobster clasp
• silver extender chain
• bent-nose pliers
• round-nose pliers
• wire cutters

For the earrings:

Just Bead It products used:

• JBX68 - large black faceted glass beads
• JBX75 - black faceted glass beads
• JBX82 - small black faceted glass beads

Additional Products used:

• silver headpins
• silver eyepins
• silver hypo-allergenic surgical steel earring hooks
• wire cutters
• round-nose pliers
• bent-nose pliers

To make the choker, begin by threading an eyepin through a single JBX75 bead. Gently bend the tail into a 90 degree angle, and use wire cutters to trim the tail into roughly a centimetre in length. Next, using round-nose pliers, grip the tail and gently curl it inward, until it forms a tight loop. Take care when forming the loop, so that the pliers don't scrape the bead. Since it is made of glass, the bead can easily become damaged if you are too careless during this process. Process shown in pics below.

This is basically the extent of the technique I have used to create the necklace. This procedure is very simple, but extremely repetitive, since you will need to repeat this step about 30 times to form the entire necklace, depending on the desired length.

Nevertheless, as you make the double-sided "charms", use a pair of bent-nose pliers to open the links and attach them to their respective eyepin loops. Keep repeating these steps to form a long chain. When opening the links, be sure to twist the loops into an "S" shape, rather than pulling them into a "U" shape.

Once the choker has reached the desired length, simply attach a lobster clasp and extender chain to their respective ends.

Now, to make the matching earrings, the technique is essentially the same as the choker's. Using the larger JBX68 beads first, thread a single bead through an eyepin, and bend into a 90 degree angle. Trim the tail as before, and form a loop on the other end with round-nose pliers. Next, using the medium-sized JBX75 beads, repeat the exact same step with a single one of these beads. Now, using the small JBX82 beads, and a headpin this time, thread a single bead through the headpin, and perform the same process. You should have two double-sided "charms", and one single-sided one, formed by using a headpin. link all of these together; the larger bead on top, the medium in the middle, and the smallest one on the bottom. Lastly, attach the top bead to a silver earring hook. I always use surgical steel, hypo allergenic earring hooks, but this is optional. Repeat this process once more for the second earring.

And there you have it! A beautiful petite choker, with matching earrings, handmade using a very simple technique. I think this necklace looks best as a tight-fitting choker, so I have made it fairly short in length. Depending on preference, the necklace can be elongated to suit your individual style. I think this set is perfect for New Year's Eve, with just the right amount of sparkles and understated elegance.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and all the best for the New Year!!

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 set 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!