I made something similar in the past but the crimp tubes all got black from tarnish because they were silver. Be careful about this. Necklace is beautiful thank you for your great instructions.
Great tip Vivian. We like to use silver or silver-plate but it's terrible when you have so many little crimps to have them tarnish. Have you ever tried baking soda and aluminum foil to untarnish silver? It works great for jewelry with dozens of tiny silver beads or crimps you wouldn't want to polish by hand. Here's a video from HGTV ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A2mevl7e1R8.html Let us know if you try it and how you like it! J&K
What about when the wire gets an awkward bend to it and you can't straighten it back out? It loses its illusion once the wire is "crimped." any suggestions on how to fix that?
Great question. Once the wire gets a bend or a crimp it's nearly impossible to fix it. You could try to hide the bend under one of the beads. Or start over with fresh wire. Hope that helps! J&K
+vimpihyd Tigertail is a brand name of bead stringing wire. It would work for this necklace. It is stronger and cheaper, but not as flexible as other bead stringing wires. Hope that helps!
Where do you live Jean? There are lots of great stores online if you can't find a bead shop nearby. You can also watch for bead shows. They are like quilting shows or sewing shows. They come to town once or twice a year and rent out a big hall. Lots of vendors. So much fun! J&K
No we don't cover the crimp tubes in this design. You certainly can if you want, but we like the smaller size of the crimp beads without covers. Here's the how-to on our blog: runningwithsisters.com/how-to-bead-a-crystal-illusion-necklace-2/ Cheers, Jennifer & Kitty
You can also,use pearls. Another video for a somewhat similar necklace is at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i-RexwDhqH0.html. I think this one is more detailed.
