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September 08

DIY: Sarape Necklaces

Make gorgeous necklaces inspired by the traditional Mexican shawl!

By Lindsay López-Isa Lamken

What You’ll Need:

6mm clay beads (also called “Heishi beads”) in assorted colors (we used light pink, fuchsia, red, sky blue, light blue, yellow, white, and black)
Bead stringing wire (gold color, 7 strand, 0.15in diameter)
2 lobster clasps & 2 jump rings
4 crimp tubes (4 mm) & 4 crimp tube covers
A jewelry crimp tool
Lateenz necklace patterns (see below)
Invisible (“Scotch”) tape
Scissors

Let’s Get This Party Started:

Cut a piece of the bead stringing wire approximately 2 feet long.

Fold a piece of tape around one end of the wire.

Take the clay beads and begin stringing them on the non-taped end of the wire, following the pattern for the necklace you want to make.

Once you have strung all the beads, add a crimp tube and then a lobster clasp.

Take the loose end of the wire and pass it back through the crimp tube.

Pull the loose end of the wire until the crimp tube and lobster clasp are fairly close to the end bead.

Get the crimp tool. You’ll notice that it has two notches. The second notch (which is closest to the handle) has what looks like a point coming down in the middle of the notch. Put the crimp bead in that notch and squeeze. This should give the crimp bead a slightly “u” shape. Then, put the crimp bead in the first notch of the crimp tool (closest to the tip), tilt the bead up on its side, and squeeze the crimp tool again. This should cause the “u” shape to fold together.

At this point, the crimp bead should look somewhat curled/rounded. Pull on the wire to make sure the crimp bead is tight and the wire doesn’t slip through. (If not, repeat the crimping process.) Then cut off the excess wire at the end of the crimp.

Place a crimp tube cover around the crimp tube. Gently press the cover closed with the tip of the crimp tool or a set of flat pliers.

Take the tape off the beading wire on the other side of the wire. Add a crimp tube and a jump ring, and thread the loose end of the wire back through the crimp tube.