(copyright 2009 Deborah Roberti)
Materials:
- 2 yards waxed Nymo or C-Lon thread, size D,
or 6 lb. FireLine
- Approximately 60 size 11/0 seed beads: Miyuki Bronze 11-0457. Can be purchased online at Charlene's Beads, RedPandaBeads.com and WhimBeads.com.
- 16 size 3mm fire-polished beads: Czech Bronze on Topaz Base. Can be purchased at ShipwreckBeads.com.
- 18 size 4mm bicone crystals: Swarovski Crystal Copper. Can be purchased online at FireMountainGems.com.
- two small (2-4mm) jump rings
- a pair of ear wires, or whichever type of earring
finding you prefer
Step 1: Thread your needle with a yard of Fireline.
String a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed
bead, a bicone crystal, a seed bead,
a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a
fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal, three seed beads, a
bicone crystal, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead and a seed bead.
Leaving about a 6-inch tail, tie the beads in a circle with a double knot:
Step 2: Go back around through the beads that you
strung in the last step—through the seed bead, the fire-polished bead,
the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the three seed beads, the bicone
crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the
bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead,
the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead
and the bicone crystal:
Step 3: Go back up through
the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead:
Step 4: String two seed beads.
Go through the jump ring and then go back through the second seed bead that you just strung:
Step 5: String a seed bead.
Go all the way back around through the seed bead, the bicone
crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the
bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead,
the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed
bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the
seed bead, and the bicone crystal (all beads highlighted
in
RED):
Step 6: For extra reinforcement, go back up through the three seed beads, through the jump ring and back down through
the three seed beads (all beads highlighted in
RED):
Step 7: Go back down through the bicone crystal,
the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone
crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the
bicone crystal (all beads highlighted in
RED):
Step 8: String a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a
fire-polished bead, three seed beads, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead
and a bicone crystal.
Go around and across through the fire-polished bead, across
through the seed bead and down through the fire-polished bead
highlighted in
RED:
Step 9: To make the earring less floppy, go back
around through the beads that you added in the last step (the bicone
crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the three seed beads,
the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the bicone crystal) and then
go back across through the bicone crystal that you exited at the end of
the last step (all beads highlighted in
RED):
Step 10: Go back down through the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead and the seed bead (all beads highlighted in
RED):
Step 11: String three seed beads.
Go back up and around through the seed bead, the fire-polished
bead, the seed bead and the three bicone crystals highlighted in
RED:
Step 12: String a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal and a seed bead.
Go around and down through the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, and the two bicone crystals highlighted in
RED:
Step 13: String a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal and a seed bead.
Go around and down through the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the bicone crystal highlighted in
RED:
Weave your way back into the earring, knot and cut your thread.
Thread your needle with the tail from Step 1, weave your way into your earring, knot and cut your thread.
Attach your earring finding to the jump ring.
