Spirals & Diamond Necklace

This necklace incorporates a "yoke" component that is half of a diamond with the other half replaced with a spiral.  Since I do not have a better name for the necklace, it will be the Spiral & Diamond necklace.  It could have been the Inverted Christmas tree necklace, but this did not sound too good either.  While we do not have a great sounding name for the necklace, the design is a very nice combination of jewelry wire and beads and should attract attention.  This is an advanced beginners jewelry making project. 

       Jewelry Making Supplies

Jewelry Tools Required

• 18 inches of medium purchased chain
• 7.5 inches of 18G soft wire
• 20 inches of 22 or 24G wire
• One 2" head pin
• 15 six mm beads
• One 2 or 2.5 mm round metal beads
• One purchased clasp

• Any WigJig Jewelry Jig
• Seven regular metal pegs
• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers or Bent chain nose pliers (2 pairs)
• Flush cutters
• Nylon jaw pliers
   
• 2-3 hours of free time

While this project is relatively easy to complete, and can be completed by anyone who can connect wire components using a wrapped bead link, there are several steps involved.  The first few steps are involved in making the yoke component shown at right. 
 

   

Spiral-Diamond Component
 

The spiral-diamond wire component can be made on any WigJig.  The particular piece made for the necklace shown here was made on the WigJig Cyclops using the peg pattern shown at right.  This pattern makes a 1/2 diamond based upon a 60 degree angle.  When using the Olympus, Olympus-Lite or Delphi, the peg pattern will be similar to the pattern shown at right, but will be based upon a 45 degree angle. 

The steps for making this necklace begin below.
 

Peg Pattern for WigJig Cyclops

Step 2:  Make a "P" loop in one end of this wire.

Step 4:  Make a loop around the peg on the right, as shown below, left.

Step 5:  Remove the wire from the jig and replace it in a mirror image position, keeping the bottom loop on the bottom peg and moving the loop you just made to the opposite peg, upper left.  See the picture below, center. 

Sept 6:  Now make a loop around the peg on the right again.  See the picture below, right.  As with making this component, in the next steps, we will continue this process of making a loop on the peg on the right, removing the wire and flipping it over and again making a loop on the peg on the right.

Step 3
 

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7:  Remove the wire from the jig and flip it over (mirror image).  See the picture below, right for the orientation of the wire.

Step 8:  Add two pegs to the jig and wrap the wire around the right most new peg as shown below, center.

Step 9:  Remove the wire from the jig and flip it over.  See the picture below, right for the orientation of the wire.

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10:  Add a peg to the pattern and wrap the wire around the top right peg, as shown below, left.

Step 11:  Remove the wire from the jig and flip it over so that is it orientated as shown in the picture, below center.  Add the last peg to the pattern. 

Step 12:  Wrap the wire around the top right peg in the pattern, as shown in the picture below, right.

Step 10

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13:  Remove the wire from the jig and reposition it as shown in the picture below left. 

Step 14:  Wrap the wire around the top right peg in the pattern as shown below center. 

Step 15:  Remove the wire from the jig and flatten the piece.  The best way to do this is with nylon jaw pliers, squeezing the wire in the jaws of the nylon jaw pliers in several different orientations.  This will set the wire in the 1/2 diamond shape and should have a wire tail about 3 inches long.

Step 16:  Make a spiral in the end of the wire.  This is done by making a "P" loop in the end of the wire and grasping this loop in your chain nose or bent chain nose pliers.  Bend the wire around the loop you just made in small increments, repositioning the loop in the jaws of your chain nose pliers as necessary.  Try to hold the spiral as your are building it toward the hinge in the chain nose pliers and away from the tip as much as possible.  This spreads the gripping force across a larger area in the jaws of your chain nose pliers and tends to minimize the marks on the wire from the pliers.  When completed, the wire component should appear as shown below, right.

Step 13

Step 14

Step 16

Step 17:  At this point, we need to make the bead dangle to add to the bottom of spiral-diamond yoke as shown in the picture below, right.  Using a 1 1/2 or 2" head-pin, thread a 6mm bead and a 2.5mm metal bead onto the head-pin.  Make a wrapped loop in the bead dangle, or as discussed in greater detail in our online book, "Wire Design Basics".  Connect this bead dangle to the single loop in the bottom of the spiral-diamond yoke.  The loop in the bottom of the yoke can be opened to add the bead dangle then close the loop. 
 

Step 18:  Now cut 12 one inch or 10 1 1/2 inch segments of commercial chain.  (1 1/2 inch lengths of our chain, Item 2604, were used in the necklace shown in the picture above right.) 

Step 19:  Using the wrapped bead link technique discussed previously and 6mm beads, connect a segment of commercial chain to one side of the yoke.  Repeat the process on the other side of the yoke.  The beads used in the picture above right are our item 2745, Swarovski Cream Rose Lite Crystal Pearls.

Step 20:  Continue adding wrapped bead links to connect to the end segment of commercial chain on either side until you have six 1 inch or five 1 1/2 inch segments of chain on either side.  At this point, add your commercial clasp to each end of the commercial chain using another wrapped bead link.  For this last link, you can use 3 or 4mm metal beads instead of 6 mm beads if you want.  The clasp used on the necklace shown above right was a 6mm magnetic clasp, our item 0337 or item 0338.  Once the clasp has been added, the necklace is complete.

In the necklace at right, I added another decorative element to the necklace.  I added a link that we call a "Flemish Spiral" to the necklace chain after the second commercial chain segment on each side.  This component is shown below by itself and in the row below that close up as it was incorporated in the design. 

Flemish Spiral

This component is connected into the necklace chain the same way as a link of commercial chain would be connected.  This is also the same way the Spiral-Diamond component was connected. 

Delphi Pattern

Alternative Configuration:

Here is another alternative configuration for this jewelry making project using black onyx beads.  The yoke in the center of this necklace is the spiral-diamond component.  On either side of the necklace, a smaller version of the spiral-diamond component is also included.  This smaller component is made the same way as the larger one using 4.5 inches of 18G soft wire.  The difference is that you follow the prior instructions for steps 1 through step 10 and then proceed to make the spiral, step 16.  In the necklace at right, twelve 1 inch segments of commercial chain were used instead of the 1 1/2 inch chain used in the prior necklace. 

The beads used in this necklace are 15 of our 8mm round Black Onyx beads (item 2105 in our Internet store) sold in packages of five, the clasp is a 6mm magnetic clasp (Item 0337), and the chain is our medium flat figaro gold-filled chain (Item 2604). 

Alternative Designs:

Here is another alternative Spiral-Diamond jewelry making design.  This design makes earrings to match your necklace.  If you can make the small spiral-diamond component, and you can make the wrapped bead link required to make the previous necklaces, you will have no problem making these earrings.  I used 4.5 inches of 20G soft wire to make each small spiral-diamond wire component.  I used two 8mm round onyx beads, 5 inches of  24G 1/2 hard wire to make the wrapped bead link and a pair of 4mm Ear Wire with Post and Loop findings. 

Step 1: Make two spiral-diamond wire components using 4.5 inches of 20G soft wire, using the instructions from page 9.  Try to make the second of the two spiral-diamond components a mirror image of the first.

Step 2:  Using about 2.5 inches of 24G 1/2 hard wire and one of the 8mm round onyx beads to make a wrapped bead link.  Instructions for making this link can also be found in our jewelry making online book, "Wire Design Basics". 

Step 3:  Connect the loops in the wrapped bead link to the loop a the top of the spiral-diamond wire component and the opposite loop in the wrapped bead link to the loop in the ear wire with post and loop. 

Step 4:  Make a second earring using the above three steps.  Try to make the second small spiral-diamond component a mirror image of the first.