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Paint the Town Prom Make prom night sparkle without spending your college fund! From "Creative Juice" episode DCRJ-513

(Continued from page 1)

What's a great gown without the right accessories? Striking lariat and freshwater-pearl necklaces make every dress sparkle.

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Layered Bead and Freshwater-Pearl Necklace

Layered Bead and Freshwater-Pearl Necklace

Materials:

beading wire cut into three lengths: 25", 23-1/2" and 22"
bead board
18 freshwater pearls
36 size-1 tubular crimp beads
magnetic clasp
2 size-3 crimp beads
round-nose jewelry pliers
flat jewelry pliers
crimping tool
clasp findings

1. Place the 25" wire in one of the bead-board channels (figure A). Thread on a crimp tube, then a pearl, then a crimp tube. Repeat until there are 7 pearls and 14 crimp tubes on the wire (figure B).

2. Adjust the center pearl so that it lies at the 0 mark of the bead board. Use flat pliers to crimp the two crimp tubes on either side of it to secure it in the center of the wire (figure C).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

3. Slide the other pearls along the wire to their desired location. Secure by crimping the crimp tubes on either side of them, as you did for the center pearl.

4. Place the 23-1/2" wire in a smaller channel of the bead board. Thread on a crimp tube, then a pearl, then a crimp tube. Repeat until there are 6 pearls and 12 crimp tubes on the wire.

5. Slide the pearls on the wire so that they fall in between the pearls on the first wire length (figure D). Secure by crimping the crimp tubes on either side of them, as you did for the first wire length.

6. Repeat these steps for the 22" wire with the last 5 pearls and 10 crimp tubes.

7. To attach the clasp, thread one end of all three wire lengths through a size-3 crimp tube and through the loop of a magnetic clasp. Thread the wire ends back through the crimp tube (figure E). Crimp flat with the bottom portion of a crimping tool. Fold and crimp the tube by using the top portion of the crimping tool. Trim the wires with a jewelry cutter (figure F).

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

8. Keeping the wire lengths in the channels of the bead board so that the strands do not tangle, attach the other end of the magnetic clasp as you did the first end.

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