How to Make a Dangle

Filed under Art Projects, Design Team, Jewelry, Tutorials

I love the little charm-like dangles that Rhea created for her Gypsy Charm Bracelet (out of beads and beadcaps — and even washers as rondelles!). They’re so pretty and quick to make. See the photo at right for how one grows. And if you need help on how to finish that pin running through the middle of your group, Teri did a Wire Wrapping Tutorial a while back, with just that info.

Now that you see how easy it to make a bead dangle, you can simply attach ear wires and you have a lovely pair of earrings!

And these little dangles work great on non-jewelry projects, too. They can hang from a loop or a ribbon on a collage (or a group of them can hang off a hook or loop like fringe). Or they can be tied into fibers binding a hand-made book.

Whatever you use them for, to entice you to try your hand at making some, the ENTIRE beads section is on sale (now through Wednesday night, July 4th)! That’s actually two sections:
Beads: Miscellaneous and
Beads: Flowers/Leaves

That includes ALL the beads (not just glass beads, but also metal beads, and beads shaped like flowers or leaves… or even skulls!)

By the way, here’s the list of things Rhea used for the dangles shown in the picture above:

– Cathedral Beads

– Cone Bead Caps

– Amber Gypsy Bead Mix in Bottle

– 1-1/2 Inch Pearl Head Pins

Oh yes, Rhea supplied some helpful hints, too:

• Odd numbers always look better
• Frame out your focal bead for a balanced look
• Experiment, you may be surprised at what looks good. “I did not think the red cathedral beads would work on my dangle because of the silver detail and brass findings, but it did.”
• Bead caps automatically make a perfect simple bead dangle, you can’t go wrong with these.
• When making a charm bracelet, more is better: fill it up!