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Vitrial Decadence Earrings
Project E660
Designer: Julie Bean
Show off your beading skills in these elaborately designed bead woven earrings. Swarovski crystal beads have been strategically placed to add sparkle and the asymmetrical design makes these earrings stand out as something truly unique.
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What You'll Need
Purchase All Supplies
Specialized Tools
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Instructions:
Remember to double these instructions to make your matched pair of earrings. Also, make sure to work in a well lit area for this project, you are doing some intricate bead weaving and good light is imperative. This is what I would consider an intermediate to advanced project, please consider this when beginning.
- To start, please watch the video on How to Circular Brick Stitch Around A Ring.
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Thread a size 12 needle with 5 feet of Wildfire beading thread. You will need to run the tail of the thread between your thumb's fingernail and the pad of your index finger to flatten the tip so that it is thin enough to go through the eye of your needle.
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Following what you learned in the video, begin to circular brick stitch around one of your 20mm diamond cut quick link rounds using 11/0 Toho round seed beads in metallic amethyst gun metal. Stitch 13 beads. Next, continuing around the ring, switch to using Miyuki Delica 11/0 seed beads in silver lined mauve until you reach the first bead you started with and have completed the round.
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Next, begin to stitch a second row of the silver lined mauve beads on top of the 13 metallic amethyst gun metal beads. If you need to, add an extra bead in this row so that you have an even number stitched, even if this means your second row overlaps on top of some of the mauve first row beads in addition to the amethyst ones. After this row, stitch a decorative edge using 1 mauve bead, 1 amethyst bead, and 1 mauve bead for each picot edge. When done, tie off your thread and incorporate the thread into your beadwork.
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Thread your needle with 3 feet of Wildfire beading thread. Take 1 Swarovski 6mm flower margarita bead in vitrial and bead weave 1 row of Toho round seed beads in metallic amethyst gunmetal around the edge. You will do this the same way you would bead weave around a ring, going in and out of the hole and around the edge. After you have completed the first row, bead weave a second row using Miyuki Delica beads in silver lined mauve. Tie off your thread.
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We are now going to add the interior asymmetrical beads, attach the round we just made, and make a small loop at the top of our ring. See photo. To do this, string 3 feet of Wildfire thread onto a size 12 needle. Holding the beaded ring with the decorative edge facing downward, find the top center bead. Now, move over one bead, and going from the bottom up, stitch through that bead so your thread with the needle comes out the top of the bead. Make sure to leave at least a 6 inch tail. String 1 Toho amethyst bead, 2 Miyuki mauve beads, and 1 more Toho amethyst bead. Skip over that direct middle bead and stitch down through the next bead. Stitch in and out of several beads along the edge of the ring. Look at the photo of this project to see the placement of the round you created in the last step. Stitch this to the interior of your ring, off center. Just stitch through the beads in the round and those on the ring to attach it. Once it is secure, continue stitching in and out of beads on your ring, until you get about 1/3 along your ring, and then you will need to add the beads in the interior.
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Exiting one of the beads in the direction of the interior, string 1 Miyuki mauve bead, 1 4mm Swarovski round bead in vitrial, and another mauve bead. See photo. Now run the tip of the needle under one of the thread bridges along the interior edge of the ring, pull all the way through so that the beads you just strung form a gentle arch around the interior. Repeat this step another time. Repeat this step again but use a 6mm Swarovski round bead in vitrial instead of the 4mm. And finally, repeat this step another time but go back to the 4mm round.
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Tie off your thread and incorporate the thread into the bead work.
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Thread your needle with 3 feet of Wildfire beading thread. Take 1 Swarovski 6mm flower margarita bead in vitrial and bead weave 1 row of Toho round seed beads in metallic amethyst gunmetal around the edge. You will do this the same way you bead weave around a ring, going in and out of the hole and around the edge. After you have completed the first row, bead weave a second row using Miyuki Delica beads in silver lined mauve. For the third row, create a decorative edge using 1 Miyuki Delica 11/0 seed beads in silver lined mauve, 1 11/0 Toho round seed beads in metallic amethyst gun metal, and another Miyuki Delica 11/0 seed beads in silver lined mauve for each segment. Go around your entire edge. For the last step, go through your bead work so that you exit one of the metallic amethyst beads along the edge. String onto your thread 2 mauve beads and then pass your needle back down through the metallic amethyst bead on the decorative edge segment next to the one you started from. Work your needle and thread through your beadwork to make sure your loops are secure. Tie off your thread.
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At this point you have two separate bead woven components and now we need to link them together with a jump ring and add an earring hook.
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Open a 3mm sterling silver jump ring and use it to attach the two bead woven pieces. Please see photo for the area of attachment.
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Carefully thread the end of your sterling silver ear wire through one of the decorative edge loops on your smaller bead woven piece, opposite where the jump ring is placed. Pull the earring hook through so the bead woven components sit properly on it.
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Whew! Making this earring was a lot of work but the result is worth it!
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Variations
There are hundreds of different color combinations you can use to make this pair of earrings.
When substituting in items, pay attention to sizes and styles to make sure all your pieces will fit together.
Tip: Check package quantities for each component. You may have extra material to make more than one finished project, or will have leftovers for other projects. In some cases, adding on just one more package of a component may be all you need to make multiple pieces.
All designs © Beadaholique Inc.
You may use our designs to make items for personal use or gifts.
Sale of our designs, whether in written form or assembled, is prohibited.
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