African Christmas Bead Wire Statement Necklace Tutorial

Again and again I come back to these fun and color African Christmas beads from Happy Mango Beads.  I don't know about you, but I tend to wear a lot of black and neutrals, so these beads add fun and color to my outfit.This necklace is similar to the fringe necklaces I made before, but with a little twist.Here's how to make it:Tools and Materials:

• African Christmas Beads from Happy Mango beads, 1 strand.
• 20 gauge wire
• 18 gauge wire *
• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Bent nose pliers (or a second pair of pliers you're comfortable with)
• Wire Cutters

*When I made this necklace, I used 20 gauge for everything, but I would suggest using 18 gauge for the wire that holds all the dangles.Step #1Cut a piece of 18 gauge wire approximately 8 inches long.  You can, of course, customize this to whatever size you like.Step #2We're going to make a spiral on each end.  I want it to have a bigger center, so I started it more in the middle of my round nose pliers.Hold the wire in your round nose pliers.  The wire should be at the top, but not poking through the pliers.  You can run your finger over it to check.Twist your wrist away from you as far as you can starting to form a loop.  When you have gone as far as your wrist will allow you, readjust your pliers and do the same thing completing the loop.Step #3Repeat on each side so they look like the photo.Step #4Make each loop into a spiral.  Hold the loop in chain nose pliers and wrap around the original loop.  I went around 2 times.Step #4Repeat for the other side.Step #5I decided to go for a hammered look, so I hammered the entire thing with my chasing hammer.  If you prefer a non-hammered look, use nylon or a rawhide hammer.I curved it a little more before I started hammering.Step #6Cut wire for the dangles.  I used 1 - 5 inch wire, 2 - 4 inch wires and 8 - 3 inch wires.Step #7Make spiral head pins.  Watch ECT TV Episode 34 for how to do this.Step #8Hammer just the spiral part of the headpins.Step #9Add African Christmas beads to each wire.  Obviously the longer wire will have more and then less beads working out to each end.Step #10We're now going to make these into bead dangles to attach to the first wire.Hold the wire in your round nose pliers and begin to make a loop.  Straighten the loop so it's directly on top of the wire.Step #11Slide the bead dangle onto the first wire you made.Step #12Hold the loop in chain nose pliers.  Continue wrapping in the same direction as you started. Hold the structure wire off to the side.Step #13Finish the wrap, cut off any excess wire and make sure the end is not poking up.Step #14Repeat for all of the dangles.Step #15Make a bead link and attach it to one of the spirals from the original wire.  Repeat for each side.Step #16Keep adding bead links in a chain for as long as you like.  I finished my necklace with chain, but you can do bead links all the way around.Add a clasp and you're done!Note:  Upon wearing this necklace, I curved the original wire that holds the dangles even more so it's more like a U shape.  It keeps the beads from shifting the necklace.If you're just getting started wire wrapping and want to learn some more basics, I would recommend my Wire Wrapping for Beginners book.  There are lots of step-by-step projects that teach you the basics while you make gorgeous jewelry.  You can choose either the eBook for instant gratification or the print version if you love having a book in your hands!