An essential technique to learn when using beads in jewellery making

A very powerful technique is that of turning loops, to make pendants. The loops are made with headpins and eyepins - metal posts which are the unseen skeleton underpinning most jewellery designs using beads. The main image above shows how the loops look when they have been made, you can see how the different beads are joined.

Getting started: You will need headpins,eyepins, and earring hooks. Also, round nose and snipe nose pliers. See the product links at the end.

STEP 1:Thread some beads on to a head pin(top left). After threading on the bead(s), trim the top of the pin to leave about 8mm or 1/3 " (use the cutting edge of a snipe nosed plier to do this). Press the base of the pin out on to your middle finger, and hold the beads firmly between your thumb and your index finger. This should stop everything swivelling around when you start bending the pin.

STEP 2 Using the round nosed piers, bend the pin back towards you at an angle of about 70 degrees(left). Make sure you do this just where the pin shows above the bead, otherwise you will start too high and leave a "neck", when what you want the loop to be right next to the bead. Its a good idea to use your thumbnail as a sort of "anvil" to work on whilst doing this and whilst doing step 3.

STEP 3Using the tip of the round nosed pliers and near the top of the trimmed pin (left, represented by the red line), curl the pin back in the other direction to make a loop. You should be twisting the pin end away from you, not towards you when you do this. Note, apply pressure to the base of the pin to stop if from being bent over causing a "sheperds crook". You should hold the pliers so that your index finger is ressting between the handles, thumb on one handle, middle finger on the other. You should see the back of your hand, not the palm as you are turning. Turn the loop very gradually: a bit at a time, then releasing your grip on the pliers, but not taking the pliers away from the loop, pivot your wrist back, grip the pin again, and then curl again. This way you will have very fine control over the shape and size of the loop.

Step 4 You should now have a beaded pendant, with a nice round loop to hang on to something. For an earring, you would then take an ear fitting, open the fitting's loop, and thread on your pendant you have just made. Or you could make a more complex design, by inserting a further beaded link as in the main picture. To do this, take an eyepin, open out its ready made loop, and thread on to the loop you have made. Now close the eyepin's loop, by squeezing shut with the snipe nose pliers. Thread a bead on to this pin, and then trim and turn a loop as before. Note: these pins are often made of a harder metal than headpins, so need a bit more effort to bend and shape.

You could of course take this pendant you have made, and use it for a necklace pendant, though usually you would use larger beads for a simple, single  pendant. But this is the basis for many necklace and bracelet styles too.

To find out more about how turning loops can be used in making jewellery, see the related articles, or follow these links:

chain linking www.rockingrabbit.co.uk/node/7047

earring styleswww.rockingrabbit.co.uk/node/7032

bracelets www.rockingrabbit.co.uk/node/7045