DIY Beaded Jumbo Jump Chain Bracelet

There are lots of really easy ways that you can make jewelry. But when I talk to people who would like to start making jewelry, they’re intimidated by any kind of beading.

And I totally get that because I’m often intimidated by myself. There are so many tools and so many techniques and sometimes you spend so much time on something that doesn’t look right in the end. But it’s a learning process just like any other hobby or craft.

And I’m told that once you get it down, you GET IT DOWN. Now seeing as how I DID forget how to ride a bike (there was lots of screaming involved when I tried again at 30 years old – perhaps because I started by going down a hill?) I’ll probably have to continually use it so that I don’t lose it, but that’s something I can handle.

Because making your own jewelry is fun and it’s rewarding. It’s so nice hearing people compliment something you made yourself and with the jewelry you can really easily avoid the whole “handmade ugly” thing that you often find in DIY ceramics and paintings and whatnot.

So today we’re going to dip our big toe into beading without having to mess with beading wire or thread and crimp beads and all of that. Today, we’re going to bead up some jumbo jump rings.

For this project you will need:

• 10, 15mm sized open jump rings
• 34, 6mm sized open jump rings
• Size 6/0 seed beads (it’s the smallest number but the largest seed bead, FYI)
• jewelry pliers
• clasp of your choice – I used a lobster clasp though I tend to prefer magnetic clasps for ease of putting on alone

Now, 15 mm is a large jump ring and they’re really easy to open and close.  You can use your fingers or a pair of pliers to slightly pry open.

Run your beads onto a few of your jump rings and close up. Now the bigger they are the harder time I have getting them to close back together nice and flush, which can mean opening up and things falling off. So, I take my jump ring and force it to bend further than it needs to close. The ends will run alongside one another. When you let go, it will pop back into place and the fit is much, much tighter.

Connect each two large jump rings together with three of the smaller ones. Continue this until you’ve used up all of your beaded jumbo jump rings, or when you get the length you need for a bracelet.

At the ends, attach your clasp with a single jump ring.

A lot of closures will have two sides, but a lobster clasp will not. Take a few of your smaller jump rings and make a chain as long as you need to have the lobster clasp close the bracelet around your wrist and fit comfortably. I like to put a few extra because I like the dangle, but that’s a personal preference.

Before you shut the project down, always try on your piece to make sure you’re happy with the fit.

And you’re done! From beginning to end, you can knock one of these simple beauties out in about 20-30 minutes.

I think that they’d be gorgeous stacked together in arm candy in complementing colors, so I plan to make a few more…  Until next week!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.