Illusion-style necklaces are always popular and it's easy to make them
yourself.
Illusion-style
necklaces feature beads that seem to float on the neck. They're similar
to knotted tin cup-style necklaces but you use crimp beads instead of
knots to hold the beaded sections in place. They look especially great
when used with gold or silver-plated beading wire.
To attach
a crimp bead, you'll need a special crimping tool. The inner jaws make
an indentation in the crimp bead or tube and the outer jaws fold the crimp
bead or tube so that it is slightly rounded. The crimping tool makes crimp
beads less noticeable in a design and gives you a more professional looking
finish. It's important to use a crimping tool instead of regular pliers.
When you use regular pliers, you can accidentally cut into the beading
wire.
To use the tool, place a crimp bead inside the inner jaws and squeeze
it hard. Remove the crimp bead, turn it 90 degrees and place it in the
outer jaws of the tool. Squeeze it gently to fold the crimp bead in half.
String a bead
onto the necklace, and then attach another crimp bead. The trickiest part
of making an illusion necklace is maintaining even spacing for the beaded
sections. We
recommend cutting a piece of rubber tubing or drinking straw to use as
a guide.
Slip the rubber tubing onto the wire. String a crimp bead and position
it next to the end. Use a crimping tool to crimp the crimp bead, and then
remove the rubber tubing.
You can leave the crimp bead as-is, or you can add a crimp cover. Crimp
covers are special sterling silver beads that hide the crimp bead and
add a more decorative look.
To open a crimp cover, place it on the tip of the bead opener tool. Place
it into the indentation in the top of the bead opener block. Press downward
to open the bead. Turn it over and open the other end of the bead. Place
the crimp cover over a crimp and use the outer jaws of a mighty crimp
tool to close it.
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