Make a Pendant for Valentine's Day

Giving jewelry for Valentine's Day is a well-established tradition. Many women hope that they will be surprised with the perfect piece of jewelry on Valentine's Day. But figuring out what type of jewelry and being able to afford it make this difficult for most guys. This Valentine's Day, you can surprise your sweetheart with a necklace. These are made in the popular chunky style of art jewelry. Because of the popularity of this kind of jewelry, it will appeal to a lot of women. Here are the secrets you need to know to make this piece of jewelry for your loved one.

First, find a large bead that suits your girlfriend or wife's taste. Pay attention to the color of clothing that she wears most often, or choose a color that you like for her to wear. Pick a bead that is about 3/4 of an inch across in at least one direction. It does not have to be a sphere, and it can even be asymmetrical. The important part is that it have a hole through it.

Get some half hard wire at a craft store. This wire is best suited for this design, because it will hold its shape fairly well, but is still flexible enough to work with. Do not use any wire other than jewelry making wire, because it is not well-suited to making jewelry. You should get a fairly thin gauge, such as 20 or 22. The gauge refers to the thickness of the wire.

Measure a section of wire that is about 2 feet long. Slide the bead onto the wire. Loop the ends of the wire around each other, so that they fit back into the ends of the bead. If the hole in the bead is not big enough, you can purchase a tool called a bead reamer, that is a rounded file. It will allow you to make the hole bigger. Be extra careful if you are using it on a glass bead because it will create glass dust and also because the bead can break. Once you have looped the ends through the ends of the bead again, file the ends so that they are rounded and not sharp, and wrap them around the wire so that they form spirals.