Bleeding Heart Bracelet

Jewelry For All Seasons

Posted by GMC Group

About

These dainty little heart-shaped flowers, with their striking bright
pink colors, look so pretty strung along the branches of this shrub
in spring. I wanted to make a really “pretty-in-pink” bracelet,
so chose wire, beads, and chain all in coordinating shades.

A word about wire thickness: to make a sturdy clasp, US
18-gauge (SWG 19, 1mm) wire is most suitable. However,
you can use thinner gauges if you hammer the wire loops
on a steel block after forming them—don’t hammer the
wrapped loopy parts though, as you will distort them.

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You Will Need (10 things)

  • 7 x Fuchsia acrylic heart Bead(s) , 14mm
  • 24 x Fuchsia Czech glass heart Bead(s) , 6mm
  • 38 x Fuchsia acrylic bicone Crystal Beads , 4mm
  • 7 in (175mm) length of flat Chain , plus some links for jumprings
  • US 18-gauge (SWG 19, 1mm) magenta-colored Wire (to make the hook and eye clasp)
  • US 20-gauge (SWG 21, 0.8mm) magenta-colored Wire
  • Round Nose Pliers
  • Wire Cutters
  • Chain Nose Pliers
  • Bent Nose Pliers

Steps (6 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    Cut the chain to bracelet length using wire cutters, or simply
    undo the links using bent-nose and chain-nose pliers. My chain
    was 7in (175mm) long; it could be cut to any length to suit, but
    remember that the clasp will add on a few inches (depending how
    big you make it) and that you need some slack to be able to fasten it.

  2. 2

    Using round-nose pliers and 3in (75mm) sections of US 20-gauge (SWG 21, 0.8mm) wire, make a tiny loop using the smallest part of the pliers’ jaw to make an eyepin. Repeat to make an eyepin for each dangle.

  3. 3

    On your eyepins, thread on a 4mm bicone crystal, then a 14mm acrylic heart, then another 4mm bicone crystal. Repeat for
    each of the seven acrylic hearts. Make these into wrapped loop
    dangles - http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/wrapped-loops-and-connectors

  4. 4

    Now make wrapped loops with all 24 of the 6mm hearts. Add a 4mm bicone crystal onto each eyepin, then a 6mm heart, and make wrapped loop dangles as before.

  5. 5

    Using chain link to act as jumprings, attach each wrapped loop dangle to the chain. Find the center point first and add a 14mm acrylic heart here, then add equal numbers of dangles to either side.

  6. 6

    Make the hook and eye clasp from US 18-gauge (SWG 19, 1mm) wire, and add to each end of the chain using chain links as jumprings.

    Sometimes it is tricky to find the exact color of eyepin you require.
    Making your own is easy, and using chain links from colored chain is a great way to match up jumprings if you are working with a less
    common color - http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/hook-and-eye-clasps