Making Bead Dangles with Wire


Dangles can be easily made with head pins, but sometimes eye pins are not available in the size or color you desire. Sometimes the diameter of the headpin is too large to fit through beads with finer holes, such as pearls.  It is easy to make your own dangle of any length and gauge using wire using the following instructions:

Step 1:  Cut a length of wire a little over twice the length of dangle you desire.  String a "stopper bead" that will function as the head of the dangle, and bend the wire in half.

Step 2:  Holding the stopper bead, twist the wire.  It is much easier to use two pairs of pliers for this operation.

Be careful not to over-twist the wire.  Wire that is worked too much will break.

Step 3: Appearance of the wire "head pin", now ready for beads.
Step 4:  Stack beads on dangle in desired sequence.
Step 5:   Make a loop of desired size with round nose pliers, leaving a tiny throat under the loop to accommodate wire wrapping.  With flat nose pliers, grab the loop securely.
Step 6:   Tautly wrap the tail of the wire around the dangle at least 3 times.
Step 7:   Using wire cutters, cut the excess wire.
Step 8:   Use needle nose pliers to "crimp" wraps and bend tips of wires inward.
Step 8:   Use needle nose pliers to "crimp" wraps and bend tips of wires inward.