(Components list at bottom of page)

by: Jennifer Tough

I became completely smitten with our Magic Meadow boro swoops. They have such a gorgeous earthy luminescence! I also really like the way they click and clack when allowed to flow freely. Our cocoa wire lace seemed like a perfect match for a delicate look. The wire lace is of course thin enough, that all manner of beads are easily strung on.

A few tips for working with the 1mm wire lace. Some of you may have difficulty stringing beads on. Personally, I don't mind futzing with it, and whenever it started to 'fray', I just re-twisted the ends.  You can also use a bit of hypo-cement on the ends, and allow to dry. This will keep the end tight, and needle-like.

You will also find that wire lace knots really easily. I didn't bother to use any crimps on these necklaces, and simply knotted them at the ends - then trimmed off the excess. You could certainly use crimps if you prefer.

I ended up making two versions of this necklace - the first, a simple single strand of wire lace was strung with 5 wrapped Swarovski crystals, 7 boro swoops, and then 5 more Swarovski crystals.

To close of the necklace - String on one Swarovski, bring the wire lace through the hole on the toggle clasp, go back through the swarovski (yes, this part was fiddly!), and then knot.  Do the same thing for the other end of the necklace. You can of course make this any length that you like. I generally don't mention how long a necklace should be. I do make most of my necklaces in the 18-20" range. I'm not little, and a choker length necklace makes me look like I'm being strangled :-) That said, this would look quite nice as a choker (14-16")

email to a friend

My second version of the necklace was a bit of an experiment. Same idea, but I decided to use three strands of the wire lace. Knowing that my knots wold be bigger, I decided to use some cones. Some of you will notice that my cones are 'backwards'. That was actually on purpose, as I planned to make the back a little more interesting by adding extra dangles. In the end, I didn't bother as I felt it looked quite nice the way it was.
For this one I used 10 boro swoops strung onto all three wires. Separating the wires, string 3 Swarovski crystals onto each wire - repeat on the other side.

Tip - you can leave these loose and free flowing like I did. The wire has a bit of a 'catch' to it, and the beads will sort of stay put. If you want them to stay in a specific spot, you can glue the holes with hypo-cement.

To finish off, thread on a cone, a jumpring, and then bring the wires back through the cone,then knot. I used a length of artistic wire to attach the clasp.

Components Clicking on components links will open a new window so that you don't lose this page.
		tc94-5684-18 Cone Hammered - 8mm - Antique Copper	Price: $ 1.50 per	In Stock
		2818526122096 Handmade Boro Lampwork - 8x11mm Teardrop Swoops - Magical Meadow Glitter (strand 25)	Price: $ 13.42 per	Sorry - this item is unavailable.
	Qty: 2	22801016-02 Jump Rings Open - 5mm - Antique Copper (5 gram)	Price: $ 1.00 per	In Stock
		s20422 Stringing - 1mm Wire Lace Ribbon - Cocoa (Spool)	Price: $ 17.85 per	Sorry - this item is unavailable.
		27753011657238 Swarovski Bead - 4mm Faceted Bicone (5301/5328) - Chrysolite Satin (36)	Price: $ 5.68 per	Sorry - this item is unavailable.
		27753011291221 Swarovski Bead - 4mm Faceted Bicone (5301/5328) - Light Smoky Topaz (36)	Price: $ 4.88 per	Sorry - this item is unavailable.
	Qty: 1	tc94-6115-18 Toggle Clasp - Hammered Teardrop - Antique Copper	Price: $ 4.55 per	Sorry - this item is unavailable.
	Qty: 1	tc94-6142-18 Toggle Clasp - Spirals Ring and Bar - Antique Copper	Price: $ 3.75 per	Sorry - this item is unavailable.