https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/bleeding-heart-bracelet • Posted by GMC Group
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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