Free Friday Project

My fellow jewelry designer Candie Cooper went to her local Hobby Lobby last Wednesday and took the picture bellow. There is a big poster advertising "Modern Expressions"  on both entrances to the store and copies of the books are displayed on top shelves. I was thrilled with that,  and I told her that I actually had not seen my book in the shelves yet.
I will be posting free step by step projects every Friday and I'd like to begin with a  project of a pair of earrings featured in the book. This highlight of this design is an unexpected use of velour tubing and Quick Links. I mixed gemstones, fresh water pearls and dichroic glass beads but you can use any beads you want.
Enjoy it !

Friday Free Jewelry Project
From the book "Modern Expressions - creating fabulous and fashionable jewelry"  by North Light Books.

Parquet Earrings
By Fernando Dasilva© 2010 

Material:

2 7x9mm amethyst faceted tear drops

2 dichroic blue with silver chips cube beads

2 dichroic blue with silver chips tube beads

10 8mm light grey fresh water baroque pearls

16 12/0 gold-lustered hexagon delica seed beads

4pcs 1¾ “ black velour tubing

4 silver plated square diamond cut Quick links™

1 pr silver plated back loop ear wire

2 9mm silver plated jump rings

8 4mm silver plated jump rings

2 silver plated jump rings

10 silver plated 2” head pins

4” silver plated 24 gauge German style wire

Tools:

flush cutter

chain nose pliers

round nose pliers

Instructions:

1.  Cut a 3" lengths of German style. Make a drop with this wire and an amethyst briolette. String a dichroic tube and 5 seed beads onto it and make simple loop at the end and trim excess wire.

2. Slide a pearl onto a head pin, make a wrapped loop and trim the excess wire. Attach a 4mm jump ring to wrapped loop and close it gently. Reepat this step 3 more times to cerate four pearl drops.

3. Slide a pearl,  a dichroic cube and 5 seed beads onto a head pin. Make a simple loop at the end and trim the excess wire.

4. Using flush cutters,  cut one of the corners of a quick link. Cut about 1/8” (3mm) of metal on each side of the corner to remove the entire corner from the link.  Repeat this with a second quick link.

5. Cut four pieces of velour tubing , each measuring  1 3/4 (4.5cm). Slide a piece of tubing onto the cut end of a quick link piece so that it covers  the cut-out corner of the link. Repet this step with other cut quick link.

6. Open a 9mm jump ring and slide on the following: pearl drop + amethyst/dichroic tube drop + pearl  drop + quick link (metal side). Before closing the jump ring, slip the 2nd quick link (tubing side) into the jump ring. Close the jump ring gently.

7. Open 6mm jump ring and slide the following: pearl drop + pearl/dichroic cube drop + pearl drop. Before closing, attach this jump ring to the top quick link (metal side).

8. Open a 4mm jump ring and slide on an ear wire. Attach the 4mm jump ring to the 6mm jump ring.   Repeat steps 1-8 to make a 2nd earring.

Sources: 

1 - German style wire, black velour tubing, silver-plated Quick Links and all metal findings by Beadalon.

2 - Hexagon seed beads by John Bead Corportation.

3 - Dichroic glass beads by Paula Radke.

4 - Amethyst briolettes and grey fresh water baroque pearls by Bijoux Collections.

Photo by Christine Polomsky for North Light Books. Copyright © 2010.