****THIS TUTORIAL NEEDS NEW PICS… but the general information is accurate. Stay tuned for an update.****

Step 1

To make this bracelet, start with a bracelet blank and your focal beads, certainly MY flowers work best in this design! Certainly you can use your own chain and clasp for this project as well.”>

To make this bracelet, start with a bracelet blank and your focal beads, certainly MY flowers work best in this design! (Heehee.) You can use your own chain and clasp for this project as well.

 

Step 2

Choose your accent beads. I generally try to have a wide variety of sizes and shapes to start with… Time to dig into that stash!!

A. AB White star beads

B. Leaves

C. Gemstone rectangles

D. 6/0 seed beads

E. Swarovski crystals

F. 8/0 seed beads

G. Pressed glass flowers

H. Variety of 11/0 seed beads

I. 6/0 seed beads

J. Square pearls

K. Fire polished beads

 

Step 3

Here are the tools that I use to add the beads to the bracelet.

A. Pliers from Rio Grande

B. Signature tag (optional) available from Rio Grande

C. Daisy sterling spacers

D. 24g sterling silver wire dead soft

E. Swarovski Chaton headpins

F. 1” sterling silver head pins

 

Step 4

Equally space your focal flowers or beads along the bracelet chain. I used star spacers and Swarovski chaton headpins to attach the focal lampwork beads for this bracelet.

 

Step 5

Here you can see that I have evenly spaced the focal beads and I have left enough chain at the end to work for the toggle clasp. I often add small seed beads to this end chain to completely embellish the bracelet…

 

Step 6

Next I begin to add the accent beads. Here I have added the leaves on the other side of each flower. Then I evenly added pearl beads between each lampwork focal. This is my general strategy in adding beads so that they pleasantly accent the lampwork and are nicely spaced along the chain. I continue to divide the empty space in half by adding new beads until the chain has one bead in each link.

 

Step 7

               
Here you can clearly see the space that I divided in two when I added the next bead. (NOTE… none of these divisions are exact, no one is going to count your links to check your spacing! Just have fun and make it pretty!)

 

Step 8

I just keep dividing the empty space and adding beads until it is full, then I go and add one more bead to each link, these are usually smaller beads to help add that lush quality that I like in my bracelets. I like one bead hanging off the chain on each side of the link. Certainly you can stop at any time! Sometimes less is more… but generally I think more is better! Heehee… But of course there are no rules.

 

Ta-dah! All done!