CHANDELIER EARRINGS

(©2009 Deborah Roberti)

Materials:
• 2 yards waxed Nymo or C-Lon thread, size D, or 6 lb. FireLine
• About 60 size 11/0 seed beads
• 16 size 3mm fire-polished beads
• 18 size 4mm bicone crystals
• two small (2-4mm) jump rings
• a pair of ear wires, or whichever type of earring finding you prefer

Step 1: Thread your needle with a yard of Fireline.

String a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal, three seed beads, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead and a seed bead.

Leaving about a 6-inch tail, tie the beads in a circle with a double knot:

Step 2: Go back around through the beads that you strung in the last step—through the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the three seed beads, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the bicone crystal:

Step 3: Go back up through the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal and the seed bead:

Step 4: String two seed beads. Go through the jump ring and then go back through the second seed bead that you just strung:

Step 5: String a seed bead. Go all the way back around through the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, and the bicone crystal (all beads highlighted in RED):

Step 6: For extra reinforcement, go back up through the three seed beads, through the jump ring and back down through the three seed beads (all beads highlighted in RED):

Step 7: Go back down through the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the bicone crystal (all beads highlighted in RED):

Step 8: String a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, three seed beads, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead and a bicone crystal.

Go around and across through the fire-polished bead, across through the seed bead and down through the fire-polished bead highlighted in RED:

Step 9: To make the earring less floppy, go back around through the beads that you added in the last step (the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the three seed beads, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the bicone crystal) and then go back across through the bicone crystal that you exited at the end of the last step (all beads highlighted in RED):

Step 10: Go back down through the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead and the seed bead (all beads highlighted in RED):

Step 11: String three seed beads. Go back up and around through the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the three bicone crystals highlighted in RED:

Step 12: String a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal and a seed bead. Go around and down through the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, and the two bicone crystals highlighted in RED:

Step 13: String a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a bicone crystal and a seed bead. Go around and down through the fire-polished bead, the seed bead and the bicone crystal highlighted in RED:

Weave your way back into the earring, knot and cut your thread. Thread your needle with the tail from Step 1, weave your way into your earring, knot and cut your thread. Attach your earring finding to the jump ring.