And so can you!!! I was inspired bygone other than pinterest!! I saw THIS necklace and said "I can make that!!" So... I did. I had left over seed beads and jewelry supplies so I didn't have to make a run to the store. t made my own version and wanted a thicker strand so for the first time ever I did a 5 strand braid. I looked up how to make a 5 strand braid HERE and picked a braid that I liked. First I played around with the different braids and ended up braiding the second example.
Step One.
I used seed beads, chain, a clasp, three jump rings, fishing line, 10 clam shells, and jewelry glue.
Step Two.
Measure and cut your fishline. I cut my fishline really long because I wasn't sure how long I wanted my necklace.
Step Three.
Tie three or four knots at one end of your fish line.
Step Four.
String a clam shell to your line. Imagine the clam is eating the knot.
Step Five.
Start stringing your beads!!! String as many beads as you want your necklace long. This was the longest step for me. To string these tiny beads I found it easiest to just fish for the beads by holding the line close to the end for stability and "hooking" it into the beads as I tilted the cup.
Step Six.
When you are finished stringing your first line, string another clam shell and tie three-four knots. Leave minimal gaps between seed beads so they are pretty tight on the line.
Step Seven.
Once you have made your first string with a clam on each end, add another string of beads by following step two-six. EXCEPT you are using the same two clams as your first strand.
By the end of step seven you will have two strands of beads together.
Step Eight.
Repeat step two-seven four more times so you have a total of five double strands.
Step Nine.
Add glue to each clam "mouth" where the knots are and close with pliers.
Step Ten.
Add a jump ring to your chain.
Step Eleven.
Add five clam shells to the jump ring. Use pliers to close each hook.
It should look like this.
I then taped the chain to a surface to braid.
Step Twelve.
Start Braiding!! Once again I learned here to braid. I started out with this herringbone braid but wanted something thicker. So I chose the second example they show.
Step Thirteen.
Once I got to the end I'm not gonna lie...I got a little worried. I ended my braid as far to the end as possible.
Step Fourteen.
I then Closed all the clam shells on a jump ring. It looked really messy, but because it's just braided I fixed it by loosening it backward. If that doesn't make sense then it's like I was working backward to make the whole necklace even.
Step Fifteen.
With your last jump ring, open it and add both a clasp and the jump ring at the end of your braid.
Once you cut your chain to the desired length you are done!!
Tadaaaa!!
Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I am happy to answer any questions.
-katie
