DYI: Dragonfly Necklace

Hello lovelies, I have something a bit new for you today and I’m so excited!

 

When I was writing down my blogging goals for 2015, one of the most important things for me to focus on this year for Simply Angela was incorporating more of what I do and who I am into the blog.

 

Since a huge part of my free time is devoted to designing and creating jewelry, which I absolutely love, I thought a DIY Jewelry Tutorial would be a fun post to start with. As this is my first jewelry post, I’m going to start with something simple that doesn’t require a lot of steps, materials, or knowledge of jewelry making. Future posts will vary in skill level.

 

So. Today I will be showing you how to create a lovely little Dragonfly Necklace. The steps are fairly simple, although if you have any questions feel free to pop me an email angela.simmons86@yahoo.com or leave them in the comments.

Skill Level: Beginner, Time: 40 minutes

 

Supplies:

1—2 inch Silver Head Pin

1—2 inch Silver Eye Pin

1—4 inch piece of gold wire

3—4 mm jump rings

2—11 inch pieces of chain

1—Spring Clasp and tab

4—3 or 4 mm round gemstone beads (I used turquoise)

5—3 or 4 mm round silver beads (I used Bali Silver)

2—Teardrop-shaped gemstone beads (I used 13x10 mm blue magnesite)

Tools:

3-in-1 Pliers (contains wire cutters, flat pliers, and round nose pliers in one tool)

2 pairs of Needle Nose or Round Nose Pliers to open the jump rings

 

First, we’re going to start with the chain.

For this, you’ll be using 2 pairs of Needle Nose Pliers, 2 11-inch pieces of Chain, 1 Jump Ring, 1 Spring Closure with tab.

 

Step1—Open the eyehook of the Spring Clasp with a pair of needle nose pliers

Step 2—Add 1 chain and close the eyehook

Step 3—Open the jump ring and slide on the tab (make sure you use the small hole)

Step 4—Add the second chain and close the jump ring

Step 5—Connect the tab to the Spring Clasp as you would when fastening a necklace and set aside

 

 

Now were going to assemble the body of the dragonfly.

 

For this, you’ll be using the 3-in-1 Pliers, the Head Pin, 5 Round Silver Beads, and 4 Round Turquoise Beads.

Step 1—Make sure your head pin has a circular flat head

Step 2—Start adding your beads starting with a Silver bead (S) then add a Turquoise bead (T). Your pattern should be STSTSTSTS

Step 3—With your finger, bend the remaining wire in a 90° angle

Step 4—With your round nose pliers bend the tail of the wire into a loop. Set aside.

 

Now we’re going to build the wings.

For this you’ll need 1 Eye pin, 2 Magnesite Teardrop beads, the beaded body from the previous step, and round nose pliers.

 

Step 1—Make sure that the loop of the eye pin is closed

Step 2—Add 1 of the Magnesite Teardrop beads. Make sure you have the rounded bottom of the bead flush with the loop of the eye pin

Step 3—Slide the eye pin through the loop of the beaded body

Step 4—Add the last Magnesite Teardrop bead. This time make sure the ‘point’ of the teardrop faces inward. With your finger, bend the remaining wire in a 90° angle then form a loop with the round nose pliers. Set aside.

 

At this point, your Dragonfly should look like this. To get the look of the curved tail, slightly bend the tail between your thumb and forefinger.

 

 

We’re going to make the antenna’s now.

If you have a pile of scrap wire (or a box, in my case), this is the perfect time to dig into it. What you’ll need for the next few steps is a 4 inch piece of Gold Wire and Wire Cutters.

 

Step 1—Cut a 4 inch length of Gold Wire

Step 2—Bend the wire into a V-Shape

Step 3—Open the wire slightly

 

Okay, lovelies, we’re nearly finished. We just have to attach the antenna to this wee beauty. What you’ll need for this is a pair of Wire Cutters and Needle Nose Pliers.

Step 1—Hold the ‘V’ of the antenna against the middle of the wings

Step 2—Wrap the wire twice between the loop of the eye hook and the teardrop bead. Do the same with the left side

Step 3—Trim the wire to 1/2 inch in length
Step 4—Using the round nose pliers, curl the ends of the wire, then twist the wire together at the base

 

So, your wee lovely should look like this. Isn’t it darling?

 

 

Now we’re going to attach the dragonfly to the necklace.

You’ll need 2 Jump Rings, the Chain, and Needle Nose Pliers.

 

Step 1—Open the Jump Ring—NEVER open the loops of the eye pin, it will make the beads too loose—and add the loop on the side of the wing, the bottom of the chain, then close.

Step 2—Repeat step 1 on the opposite side

 

Now your wee dragonfly is ready to wear!