308-3

3-loop Cha-Cha bracelet

By: Arbel Shemesh

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Materials Needed:

  • Swarvoski® smoky topaz crystal, bi-cone, 8mm – F14-1354CY
  • Swarvoski® tanzanite crystal, round, 6mm – F14-1582CY
  • Swarvoski® olivine AB crystal, round, 6mm – F14-1594CY
  • Swarvoski® smoke topaz crystal, round, 6mm – F14-1576CY
  • Swarvoski® erinite crystal, round, 6mm – F14-2838CY
  • Swarvoski® glass pearl gold, 6mm – F14-1018GP
  • Swarvoski® glass pearl bronze, 6mm – F14-1019GP
  • Swarvoski® glass pearl green, 6mm – F14-1020GP
  • Swarvoski® glass pearl bronze, 8mm – F14-1033GP
  • Swarvoski® glass pearl green, 8mm – F14-1034GP
  • Swarvoski® glass pearl gold, 8mm – F14-1032GP
  • Swarvoski® crystal purple AB, 8mm - 3 packs – F14-1305CY
  • Swarvoski® crystal smoky topaz, 8mm - 3 packs – F14-1353CY
  • Cha-Cha expandable bracelet – F14-6000JW
  • Headpins with ball - 3 packages of 100 – F14-4464FD
  • Hill-tribe silver 15mm flower shape – F14-6482MB
  • Hill-tribe silver flower on leaf – F14-6486MB
  • Sterling silver jump rings, 6mm – F14-2015FD
  • Round-nose pliers
  • 2 pair chain-nose pliers

Instructions
Designing your bracelet:
Pour a combination of beads onto your work surface; keep adding and subtracting beads of different colors until you have a combination that is pleasing to your eye, just like a painter’s pallet.

Your work station:
Stretch your bracelet base over a small display pillow (or similar item); this will keep both your hands free while you work. Place the display pillow in a vertical position in a little bowl or anything circular that will support it so that you can work on your bracelet without the pillow wiggling around.

Tips:
If you are right handed start adding beads to the bracelet from the left loop going to the right. If you are left handed, add beads from the right to the left. This will keep you from having to climb over the beads you just added as you add the next row. Also, it is most comfortable to add the beads going up the bracelet for the same reason; the beads you just added will lie down, keeping them out of your way.

Adding the beads:
1. Place a bead onto a headpin. Using round-nose pliers, make a hook at the end of the headpin and pass the hook through the left loop on the bracelet, working from the bottom of the loop to the top.
2. Using chain-nose pliers, hold the end of the wire and complete the loop. Continue to turn the loop, forming a second loop right next to the first, similar to a split ring or a key-chain ring. As you are forming the second loop make sure both loops are close together and going into the loop on the bracelet for a second time, this will give you peace of mind that you have a secure loop and the beads won’t fall off.
3. Keep attaching headpins with beads along the entire bracelet, filling in the places where the metal still shows through, and doubling up on the loops if you want a really full look.
It is good to attach a lot of the 8mm beads on the outside of the bracelet as they will do a better job of hiding the metal edge than the 6mm beads.

The silver Hill-tribe pieces are optional and when added will turn your cha-cha bracelet into a cha-cha charm bracelet.

4. Place a pair of chain- or flat-nose plier on each side of a jump ring. Open the jump ring by moving one plier away from you and holding the other one steady.

5. Bring the jump ring through the hole or loop on the Hill-tribe silver piece and through a loop on the bracelet; close the jump ring. When closing, slightly press the sides of the ring in toward each other to give tension at the joint when the ring is closed.

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