SNOWBERRY BRACELET

Winter berries can be ever so beautiful and I often wish I could wear them, much like a string of pearls. There are certain gemstones that perfectly echo such berries and which can make pretty pieces of jewellery. Crafted from natural pink freshwater pearls and Prehnite beads, this bracelet is inspired by the elegant pink snowberry.

YOU WILL NEED

GEMSTONE AND/OR PEARL BEADS

BALL HEAD PINS: SILVER-PLATED OR STERLING SILVER LENGTHS OF WIRE 25-38MM LONG AND 0.5MM IN DIAMETER, EACH WITH A TINY BALL (OR A CLUSTER OF BALLS) AT ONE END

ROUND-NOSED OR TAPERED PLIERS WITH A CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION

SNIPE-NOSED PLIERS WITH POINTED, TAPERED GRIPS

DELICATE SILVER OR SILVER-PLATED BRACELET WITH INDIVIDUAL LINKS BETWEEN 2-4MM WIDE. SEARCH FOR ‘MINIBELCHER’ WHEN ORDERING ONLINE

WIRE CUTTERS

1 Arrange the gems/beads in a pleasing order and thread a ball head pin through each of them.

2 Grip the top of a ball head pin attached to one of the gems/ beads with your round-nosed pliers.

3 Hold your round-nosed pliers so you are looking down their ‘noses’.

4 Push the straight ball head pin below the pliers to the left slightly – so that it sits at a right angle at the base of the gem/bead.

5 Push the straight wire end of the head pin fairly tightly around the right-hand rounded ‘nose’ of the pliers so that it passes in front of the gem/bead to create a loop.

6 Take the looped ball head pin and gem/bead off the pliers and hook the straight wire end of the ball head pin through the link in the middle of the chain. Pull it so that the loop you have made is sitting in that link.

7 Using your snipe-nosed pliers, grip the wire loop you have made across its centre, ensuring the chain is draping freely behind the loop.

8 Secure the loop you have made by twisting the end of the ball head pin round the central wire of the pin to form a tight spiral. Continue making the spiral until the wire just touches the top of the bead.

9 Use your wire cutters to snip the excess wire around the end of the ball head pin away from the gem/bead.

10 Use your snipe-nosed pliers to pinch the end of the wire a little, so that it doesn’t scratch or catch when worn.

11 Repeat steps 2-10 for the next bead, inserting it a few chain links away from your central gem/bead. Cluster the gems/ beads together to look like leaves and rows of berries – the final design doesn’t need to be symmetrical.

12 If you’re making the bracelet for yourself, try it on as you go, looking at it in a mirror to see if you’re happy with the overall look and design.