Introduction
They glisten, sparkle, and shine, but can also be matte, bumpy, or opaque. They have solid, striped, polka-dotted, or psychedelic patterns. Some you can find anywhere, and others you’ll kick yourself for not snatching up when you had the chance. And they are just like potato chips – you can’t stop at just one.

1,000 Wishes Fairy by Cynthia Thornton This asymmetrical design features a flower and leaf clasp on the side and a pewter fairy pendant. It is pictured on pages 1 and 28 of Stringing Style 2, but the instructions are only available on this website. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Stringing 101
Whether you’re new to beading or have been doing it for years, it’s a good idea to check your knowledge before beginning any project.

Bracelet Bonanza
Making a beaded bracelet is about as close to instant gratification as you get!  Because they average only seven to eight inches in length, bracelets can be strung quickly and don’t use up lots of materials.

Earring Euphoria
Most women don’t leave the house without putting on a pair of earrings first. Making your own is so easy; you’ll have no problem making a different pair for every day of the month. 

The Projects

BRACELETS

      Splash: This bracelet replicates the sparkle of the hot summer sun hitting the water’s surface. Graduation in scale and color makes this piece unique and dazzling.

Picture Window: A lineup of agate cut-outs is what gives this bracelet its sassy 1960s-style flavor. 

      Ice Storm:  Filled with glittering rhinestones, pearls, and silver, this bracelet is reminiscent of    seed heads and winter foliage covered with a sparkling layer of ice.

      Twofer:  Wear this piece as two bracelets and you’ve got a trendy combo; connect the bracelets’ ends, and you’ve got an outrageously cool necklace!
     
      Abacus:  This laddered pattern of luscious lamp-worked and sparkling crystal beads adds up to just one thing: beauty!

      Dewdrops in the Grass:  Mix as many colors and finishes into this bracelet as you like. Here, matte-finish dagger beads and sparkly fire-polished beads set off each other nicely.
     
      California Dreaming:  This bracelet is one way that beach lovers can keep the sea close to them, no matter where they are.
     
      Hot Summer Flowers:  This is a beaded interpretation of a garden in summer: lots of hot reds, pinks, oranges, and golds.

      Firecracker:  Named for the explosion of crystals on this bracelet, this sumptuous bracelet is a blaze of elegance as it detonates on your wrist.
     
      Tibetan Melody:  You might spy a local wearing this eclectic multistranded bracelet as you stroll through a Tibetan marketplace.

      Electric Light:  Combining smooth round pearls and angled bicone crystals, this innovative bracelet is an amazingly simple way to achieve an electric effect.

      Grace:  This chic bracelet is reminiscent of something that Grace Kelly would have worn in To Catch a Thief, in which she played a wealthy temptress whose heart of gold matched her riches.  No wonder she captivated the former jewel thief played by Cary Grant.

NECKLACES
      Czarina:  With its crown and scepter clasp and long dangly gems, you just need a coronation invitation as an excuse to wear this necklace.

      Purple Haze:  Purple – royal, rich, powerful, sultry, passionate. Vibrant purple turquoise mixed with crystals and silver is perfect for the darker shades of fall.

      Blue Shimmy:  When teardrop beads are strung together they like to swish back and forth on the wire. This movement is reflected in the wire coils of the enamel beads and the curvy shape of the glass pendant.

      Surf:  The rich, smooth look of the mother-of-pearl teardrops paired with the rough yet   scintillating tourmaline slices gives this necklace a definite oceanic flavor.

      Pinky Tuscadero:  The fire-polished beads added to this design lend just the right touch to       complement and accentuate the pink bits in the turquoise, a hefty nugget which feels oh, so good against your skin.
     
      Parlez-Vous Francais?:  This simple wireworked necklace features opalescent Swarovski crystals and beautiful handpainted silk beads adorned with French script. Delicate chain connects the brilliant components in this très chic piece.

      Minnesota Winter:  This necklace captures the effect of frost shimmering in the corner of a window, with clear bugle beads on an elegant multistrand necklace. Don’t worry about making all the strands identical – variety adds to the necklace’s charm.

      From the East:  Inspired by Japan’s famous pearls, this necklace uses Swarovski pearls, which give richness to the piece without the huge price tag. The asymmetrical design gives the illusion of the pearls “blowing” in from the east.

      Bubbles:  There is a baby in the Karen Village in Thailand who brings joy to all who meet her. This necklace is inspired by her ability to laugh at nearly anything. The rope rings were made by her mother especially for this piece.

      Zephyr:  This multistrand necklace features a melodious mixture of transparent and matte clear beads. The six strands are twisted together and finished with textured silver cones.

      Waterfall:  Fluid and flowing like a waterfall at dusk, this three-strand necklace expresses glitz and glamour like no other.

      Storm Winds:  Ancient civilizations, the dusky color of clouds before a thunderstorm, and the peace that follows a heavy rain are the inspirations for this necklace.
     
      Sweet Dream:  Cubic zirconia and crystal rounds, coupled with multiple strands of silver cubes, make this piece gorgeous, sparkly, and sophisticated.

      Icy Elegance:  Beautiful rainbow moonstone beads are the inspiration for this piece. Use the necklace to accent a little black dress for a holiday party or a silk shirt with a plunging neckline for a night at the ballet.

      Stone Cold:  Cool weather can’t compare to the cool design of this frosty necklace.  Labradorite and onyx beads trickle down the sides to meet a large quartz teardrop that’s a real hunk of ice.
     
      Aquatic Petroglyphs:  Colors and shapes harmonize in this piece like a message to   the fish from a sandy shore. The pyrite in the New Mexico turquoise picks up the textures of the lampworked glass beads. 
     
      Skipping Stones:  Handmade tubular beads in varying shades of blue resemble the way that water ripples when stones bounce across it, with crystals dangling like sparkling droplets.
     
      ChChChains:  Much like the experience of listening to Aretha’s famous song, this jumble of chains and stones visually dances with its vibrant and random patterning.

      Khumbu Icefall:  Khumbu Icefall, an eerie place on the Everest glacier where climbers often tumble, is the inspiration for this icicle-encrusted necklace. 

      Under the Sea:  Design inspiration can come from anywhere, and in this case it came from a handful of fanciful lampworked beads. 

      Midnight Sea:  Based on its texture alone, this dramatic silver toggle clasp looks like it might have rested on the ocean’s floor until found by some lucky diver. The kelplike color of the jade and the blue-black of the pearls add to the watery feel of this necklace, while the mottled lampworked beads mirror the toggle’s rough beauty.

      Tourmaline Tango:  Multicolored tourmaline is interesting to work with – no two beads are exactly alike, and each individual nugget or chip can reveal an array of colors.  Detailed pewter donuts create an attractive centerpiece, which can be removed for a lighter dance step.

      Vine:  Organic and flowing, this lovely necklace wraps around your neck in a    graceful, beautiful way, and is much easier to make than it looks.

      My Ántonia:  Named for one of Jamie Hogsett’s favorite books, this necklace represents the beauty of the land in a way that only author Willa Cather could describe.

      Caspian Mermaid:  When you wear this multistranded necklace, you may just fancy   yourself a beautiful water nymph emerging from cold Caspian seawaters. 

      Sweetheart:  Pearls are always perfect for nuptials, and the black chain and wire make the piece both dramatic and romantic.

      Purple Reign:  This substantial piece is an adornment fit for a member of royalty. Royalty that might ride a purple motorcycle, for instance.

      Watermelon Slice:  A simple necklace design like this one is the perfect platform for featuring beautiful materials. The gradated tourmaline and sparkling crystals paired with the delicious slice of pink tourmaline are a feast for the eyes.

      Ferngirl:  The colors and materials in this simple necklace – watery blue, grass green, and earthy stone – combine to create the effect of a dewy forest floor.

      (Red) Gold and Green:  Because the beautifully striated turquoise focal bead in this   necklace hardly needs embellishment, Dustin Wedekind has chosen low-key green seed beads mixed with gold daisy spacers to complement the stone, like a chameleon in the grass.

      Slow and Steady Wins:  You don’t see gold and turquoise paired too often in modern jewelry, but this color scheme was a favorite with the ancient Egyptians as well as those who subscribed to Rococo.

      Darling Clementine:  Bursting with colorful glass beads, this striking necklace will become an integral accessory to you summer wardrobe. 

      Rings of Fire:  This necklace has a mythic look, as if its fiery design could protect the wearer. 

      Lazy Jane Chain:  With the skin-tingling pink, amber, and yellow hues of Swarovski crystals, a variety of crystal shapes, and a large flat curb chain, this necklace gives a new spin to the common wire-wrapped necklace. 

      Indian Summer:  This necklace is a perfect addition to a casual outfit of jeans and a sweater.  The silver tube with loops is a great showcase for art beads and fun charms.

      Fall Fusion:  A fusion of colors and shapes sets off the lovely focal bead in this necklace. It’s a great project for using up those cherished leftover beads in your stash.

      Cinnamon Green Tea:  What better to do on a chilly autumn day than sit down with a hot cup of tea and your favorite beads to create something that speaks to the colors of the season…like this two-strand necklace of unakite, red jasper, and hairpipe beads.

      Dragon Summer:  This necklace plays host to whimsical glass beads, several different shapes of crystals, and Thai silver beads.  Make the piece your own by stringing the flower    charms in any order you please.

      Lascaux:  Like drawings in an ancient cave, the lines in this glass pendant are echoed by the earthly scribblings in the jasper beads.

      Sunset in Kyoto:  The inspiration for this piece is the fabulously large gold toggle that serves as both pendant and clasp. 

      Hail to the Queen:  With its three strands of toasty brown and gold-toned crystals and pearls, this necklace will make you feel like royalty.

      Helena:  This necklace, like the Greek belly dancer it is named for, is subtle, flirty, elegant, and timeless. Opa!

      Sediment:  Natural rock formations seen on a recent trip to the western United States inspired this timeless necklace. The earthy tones and natural materials mimic the colorful layers of soil and sediment found in those formations.

      Spirit Sent:  This substantial piece features banana-leaf beads, amazonite, and Mexican “miracle” charms, or Milagros.  Putting it on instantly brings one to another time, another place.

      Blue Ice Lariat:  The tiny seed beads between the larger beads in this lariat take on the look   of knots, and the Swarovski crystals give the design super sparkle.  But the stars of this necklace are the delicate ice blue cloisonné beads.

      Kelli’s Key West Fest:  This necklace captures the essence of a special sunny afternoon in Key West. You, too, can keep dreams and memories around your neck by stringing them into a beautiful piece of jewelry.     

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