Crystal in Bloom Jewellery Set by Margot Potter for BeadsDirect UK

Crystal in Bloom Jewelry Set

Margot Potter for BeadsDirectUK

Lovely Lucite flowers in a panoply of pastels dance and swing around the neck, wrists and ears while prisms of light refract from faceted SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS in this decidedly feminine, flirty and (retro)fabulous design.  Inspired by the chain and charm costume jewelry necklaces popular in the 1930s, Author and Designer Margot Potter adds a new twist with copper wire and findings to a lovely effect.  All of the components to make this simply stunning jewelry set can be found at BeadsDirectUK.

Materials

15 large multi-color pastel Lucite flowers

63 small multi-color pastel Lucite flowers

63 4mm SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal rounds or bicones in various coordinating pastel shades

Double link copper tone double loops link chain (cut a 16” length, 7” length, 2 4 double link lengths)

Copper toggle clasp

2 copper earwires

63 copper headpins

35 copper jump rings

Tools

Round nose pliers

2 pairs chain nose pliers

Flush cutters

1.  Each large Lucite flower has a headpin threaded into the center with a smaller flower and a 5mm crystal.  The colors are arranged as you wish; this is meant to be an intuitive process.  Create a coiled and looped dangle at the back of the flower. 

2.  Grasp wire tail with round nose pliers.  Bend to a 90 degree angle.  Wrap headpin over pliers until it can’t move further.  Bend pliers ½ turn and finish loop.  Bend pliers another half turn.  Grasp wire tail with chain nose pliers, wrapping tightly around bottom of loop to top of bead, be gentle as you can break the flowers or crystals if you rush.  Cut off excess wire and gently tuck tail into bottom of coil with chain nose pliers. 

3.  Gently press coiled loop flush to back of bead, this will allow the flower to hang flat facing forward when the necklace is worn.  Repeat this for all of your large flowers.  There are six on the bracelet, seven on the necklace and two matching flowers for earrings.

4.  Make coiled top dangles with your small flowers.  Thread a crystal on a head pin into the center of your bead.  Make a coiled and looped dangle leaving the coil straight up and down so the flower will hang straight down from the chain.  These are hung in groups of three.  There are three on the earrings, eighteen on the bracelet and twenty four on the necklace.

5.  To put it all together, attach a toggle clasp to the necklace ends, bar on one end and toggle on the other using jump rings opened and closed with two chain nose pliers.  (Watch the Crafty Quickies Jump Ring video to learn how to properly open and close jump rings with tension, no one likes to lose their dangles.)

6.  The dangles are attached every fourth link (three open links between each dangle.)  For the necklace, begin from the center.  Attach a large flower on the center link using a jump ring.  Attach a group of three small flowers on jump rings on both sides of the flower skipping three links.  Repeat alternating between large flowers and groups of small flowers until you have seven large flowers and eight groups of three small beads.  (When attaching dangles to chains, be sure all dangles are falling from the bottom of each link group.  Keep the necklace flat while working to ensure this.)

7.  For the bracelet, skip the first four links and add three flower dangles, skip three and add a large flower and repeat alternating between large flowers and small flowers until you reach the sixth large flower. 

8.  Attach a toggle clasp to the bracelet ends as with the necklace before using jump rings.

9.  To make the earrings, hang the smallest chain segments on a jump ring attached to the bottom of each ear wire, thread three beaded small flowers on each jump ring before securing closed.  Attach a large flower to the bottom of each small chain segment using a jump ring. 

10.  Check back through the pieces to be sure all jump rings are properly closed.  Toss on a pretty sundress, a cardigan, some espadrilles and head off into the world feeling like the fabulous flower you are, Buttercup.