Making Pendants Necklaces and Earrings Jewelry Making Project -- Page 1

This jewelry making project uses larger cut and faceted gemstone pendants or briolettes to make pendant necklaces and earrings.  This technique works for pendants with either a front to back hole as shown at right, or with a side to side hole as shown at left.  The technique is relatively simple and is therefore suitable for beginners. 

This technique does not require one of our WigJig Jewelry Making Jigs, but does use the techniques for making a wrapped loop in jewelry wire.  For this technique, we recommend 22 or 24 gauge wire and preferably half-hard wire if available. 

The two gemstones shown here may appear to be colored glass, but they are actually cut and faceted cubic zirconia gemstones.  The reason that using a material like cubic zirconia is better than using cut glass is that glass has the same hardness as sand and dust and can therefore lose its polish while cubic zirconia is much harder than dust and sand and therefore is resistant to losing its polish. 

Skills Required:

• Ability to make a loop in wire.
• Ability to cut wire with with a flush cutter.
• Ability to straighten wire with nylon jaw pliers.
• Ability to make a wrapped loop by wrapping wire around itself.