CRYSTAL CLEAR
CREATE A GEM OF A PENDANT THAT YOU CAN HANG AROUND YOUR NECK OR EVEN AT THE WINDOW
PENDANT NECKLACE
A few twists turn a crystal into a necklace with extra sparkle
you will need:
A crystal of your choice – we used a piece of quartz with a single point (from littlegemsrockshop.co.uk)
2 x 80cm pieces of 0.5mm silver-plated wire (24 gauge)
Pliers: round-nose, flat-nose and cutters
Necklace chain or piece of string/ ribbon to thread the pendant on to (wire, pliers and chain are all available at cooksongold.com)
1 Take the two pieces of wire and bend each one lightly in the middle as a mid-point reference.
2 Cross the pieces of wire over at the mid-point and hold them securely in one hand while tightly twisting them together with your other hand. It may take some practice to get them to wrap tightly and neatly. Wrap the two wires together for about six twists.
3 The two wires will now be attached with four free ends. Place the twisted part of the wire against the side of your crystal, close to the tip. Wrap the two wires nearest to the tip around your crystal.
4 Twist the two wires together tightly on the other side of the crystal about six times. This step will create the bottom of the ‘cage’ for your crystal to sit inside. Depending on the size and shape of your crystal, you will need to wrap and bend the wire to fit nicely against the side of the stone.
5 Take one wire from each twisted pair and bring these together along the side of the crystal. Twist together tightly about six times and repeat with the two wires left on the other side of the crystal. Repeat this pattern all the way up the crystal. Use the flat-nose pliers to help shape the wire as you go along. Once you have reached almost to the top of the pendant, twist all four wires together and make a couple of final twists to secure the crystal in place.
6 Trim two of the wires at the back of the pendant and tuck in using the round-nose pliers. Wrap the remaining two wires around the handle of your pliers, or any other thin, cylindrical object. Bring the ends around to the front to form the loop – you can adjust the shape with pliers or your fingers afterwards.
7 To finish the loop, wrap the remaining wires around the bottom of the loop, one at a time. Once you are happy with the wrapping, trim and bend the end of the wires underneath the loop to keep it neat and secure. Use your pliers to shape the bottom of the loop and compress everything to stop any of the wires from unravelling. You can then thread it on to a necklace chain or a piece of string/ribbon.