OrangePendant

Beaded Orange Circular Pendant by Eni Oken

This tutorial shows how to create a pendant constructed over a circular armature fabricated with 18 ga (or 16 ga) wire. Over this armature, 28 ga wire is used to attach several beads using three different methods.
	Step 1: Shape the circle Using 18 gauge wire, a simple 0.5 inch circle was constructed by wrapping it around a wooden dowel or a thick knitting needle. A tail of approximately 0.35" was left for the loop.
Step 2: Form the loop Using the round nose pliers, create a small loop at the top of the circle. Notice how a small portion of the circle is overlapped. The direction of the loop and the circle are also important, the overlap should remain to your left if you are right handed (and reversed if you are left handed).
	Step 3: Flatten the shape Using a chasing (ball-peen) metallic hammer over an anvil, flatten the entire piece a bit, making the structure more rigid. Open the shape a bit to have access to all portions of the armature.
Step 4: Re-shape the armature and attach thin wire Cut a 2 feet long piece of 28 ga wire (you can use 26 also, but it's a bit trickier to work and beads need to have large holes). Attach the wire to the left of the loop (if you are right-handed) by coiling it around the armature two or three times. You will work in clockwise direction.
	Step 5: String in two beads Slip in one larger bead (shown in copper) and one smaller bead (shown in silver). Take the wire back through the large copper bead, forming a loop.
Step 6: Pull tightly to form a picot Now comes the tricky part -- the wire must be pulled tightly, without letting the beads loose. To do so, hold the two beads as closely as possible to the armature with your left hand, while pulling the wire tightly with your right hand (if you are right handed). This forms a *picot, which is placed usually around the edge of an armature. Pass the wire behind the armature, to form the next picot.*
	Step 7: Form the second picot Form another picot right next to the first one. Keep them as close together as possible.
*Step 8: Form picots* around the entire circle** Form picots around the entire edge of the circle. It is preferable to have an even number of picots however, it is not fundamental. Sometimes the size of the armature (as in this case) does not allow for even picots.
	Step 9: Start attaching the second row of beads When you reach the beginning, start a new layer of beads: string in one pearl and wrap the wire around the armature, slipping it between the loop and the first picot and pulling tightly.
Step 10: Attach another pearl String in another pearl and wrap the wire around the armature, slipping it through the first and second picots.
	Step 11: Complete a full circle of pearls Attach a full circle of pearls around the armature. Depending on the size of the pearls, you may require less pearls than copper beads. To compensate for the smaller size of the inner circle of pearls, skip one or two copper beads. When you reach the beginning, coil the wire around the armature once or twice to secure it.
Step 12: Add a third row of beads Start attaching the smaller seed beads in between the pearls and copper beads. String in 4 or 5 seed beads (amount depends on size of seed beads and pearls) and slip the wire carefully through the loop of the pearl. Gently pull the wire tight. How many seeds are required? You should form a nice, rounded scallop shape around the pearl. If you added too little or too much, don't worry: you can compensate on the second and last scallops by adding or subtracting one seed bead.
	Step 13: Form a full row of scallops A full row of beads was then attached to the armature.
Step 14: Attach the center bead To finish up the scalloped seed bead row, coil the wire around the armature a few times, taking the wire to the very top, under the loop. Slip the large focal bead to the center and attach the wire to the bottom portion of the armature by coiling a few times.
	Step 15: Finish up and trim the wire Bring the wire to the front of the pendant and trim it closely. Add a hand-made bail to the loop and all done!
This article has been reprinted her with the kind permission of the artist Eni Oken and originally appears on her website - Eni Oken's Jewelry. She is a multi-talented artist and you can see many more jewelry tutorials on her web site - please take a look at her wide range of work.

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