Birthstone Dangles

[Russ Nobbs]

I'm a little dense tonight, sorry...

What part of our site were you reading? Give us an idea of what kind of birthstone crystal dangle you are trying to make. An earring or pendant? Using what kind and size of crystal?

[Polly]

Your 5 and 6mm beads will work fine, all by themselves, or in combination with other beads.

Personally, I like having a few different lengths of dangles. When using multiple beads I usually prefer a kind of "triangular" design - that is, larger beads at the bottom.  One dangle might simply be 5mm bead at the top, with a 6mm bead at the bottom.  The next, depending on the surrounding charms and space I want to fill, might be simply an 8mm bead.  Or an 8mm bead with a coordinating seed bead "anchor" at the bottom, or a few stacked above to make the dangle longer without more mass at the top.

When using spacers or anchors, I like Japanese seed beads.  Their size and shape are quite regular, and they come in just about any color you might need.

When you *don't* want color, then flat metal "heishi" beads, or 2mm or 3mm round metal beads can be great.

For some ideas of dangles we've made, take a look at the glass "charm" bracelet on the bottom of our catalog's page 60:
http://www.rings-things.com/Catalog_Pages/060.htm.

For something quite a bit simpler, take a look at the 12 Days of Christmas necklace, page 58:
http://www.rings-things.com/Catalog_Pages/058.htm.

Experiment a bit, and see what combinations you like on your bracelets.

Even if you use Sterling or GF for the real bracelets that you're selling, you can experiment using basemetal head pins, then cut up the head pins when you're done experimenting and make your real designs with your genuine material findings.

--Polly

[Polly]

Yes, you can use a jump ring without soldering.  However, split rings are more secure than unsoldered (or poorly soldered) jump rings.

Inexpensive items don't usually justify the (time) expense of soldering.  The more valuable the item being dangled, the more you should make it secure by using split rings, or soldering your jump rings, or by doing a little wire wrapped attachment.

--Polly

[soupandcoop]

I am very new to the jewelry making scene so excuse me if I don't catch on to instructions right away.  I am definitely a show me in person type of person.  I read on this site how to make a dangle using a crystal but am just a little confused.  Could someone explain again?  Sorry.

[soupandcoop]

Hi Russ,
I found the instructions for charm dangles under Filigree & Crystal Choker.  Actually, I think I figured it out.  Your instructions were very clear, again, I'm new to this so it wasn't until I played around a bit that I got it.  But you raise a good question about size.  I am devoting the majority of my time making mother's/name bracelets and adding charms.  I like the look of having a birthstone crystal dangle and couldn't find them anywhere on the web until I found this site and realized you need to make them yourself.  So with that information I guess now my question is what size bead should I use for the birthstone dangle?  (I primarily use 5 and 6 mm beads.)  Could I put more than one bead on the dangle, should I separate each bead with a spacer of some kind (for appearance sake).  I so want to make my new hobby/interest successful, but have tons of questions.  Your site is the only one I found so far that has clear instructions as far as understanding the how to's.  Thank you.

[workout932]

When attaching the dangles, can you use a jump ring without soldering it? Or would a split ring be better?  Thanks! Rose