Funky Jean Charms
You will need to be familiar with wire working, earring head pin finishing, and using two pliers simultaneously. Recently among the young and trendy, Jean Chain Jewelry is all the rage. These charms on chain are meant to be attached to the belt loop of your preferably low slung jeans or can be used as a fun accessory accent for hand bags. Long summer days are upon us, and this is a great project for bored teens on a rainy do nothing kind of day. I have created three different designs, but the possibilities are endless. I am a big recycler of jewelry components, and this is a great way to reuse charms and beads from last years (or yesteryears) trends. When the look gets old, just take these apart and use them for something new! 

MATERIALS
17 12.7mm SP Beadalon Headpins
Medium Curb Beadalon Steel Chain-1 Package
Elongated Beadalon Steel Chain-1 Package
20 Gauge SP Pink Colourcraft Wire (5")
20 Gauge Green Colourcraft Wire (2 3" Lengths)
1 Small SP Beadalon Toggle Clasp
2 Large SP Beadalon Spring Ring Clasps
2 SP Beadalon Eye Clasps
3 8mm Swarovski Pink A/B Bicones
5 4mm Faceted Clear Crystal Rounds
3 2mm Metallic Silver Faceted Czech Glass Rounds
2 12mm Faceted Red Transparent Czech Glass Rounds
2 ¾ " Frosted Clear Czech Glass Leaves
1 Tortoise Shell Glass Rectangle (1")
1 Tortoise Shell Glass Diamond (1/4")
Round Nose Beadalon Designer Pliers
Chain Nose Beadalon Designer Pliers
Flush Cutter Beadalon Designer Pliers
Beadalon Bead Board

INSTRUCTIONS:

Option #1-Vintage Cherries
1. Assemble your tools and materials. I always find it helpful to have a bead board handy to hold beads and materials and keep things organized. Begin by threading your red faceted beads on head pins and creating a loop at the top with round nose pliers, don't finish this off with coiling rather leave it as a loop for ease of attaching the stems. Next, thread your two leaves and again create the loop at the top cutting off the excess wire.  

2. Now to make your stems, you will need to use your nimble fingers to bend the wire into a snake or curved design to give some whimsy and movement to the look of your finished piece. See the photo for reference. Use your round nose pliers to loop off the top and bottom and your flush cutters to remove excess wire. Take care to cut the wire with the flush side to the good.

3. Attach your "cherries" to one end of your stems and add the leaves to the other end.

4. Next you will create the chain part of your design. I have used a 2 ¾" length of medium curb steel chain. I removed the length of chain using the round and chain nose pliers to open and to close the links. Attach one end of the chain to your spring ring clasp and the other to an eye clasp end securing the links with the two- plier method.  

5. Now add one 1" and one 1 3/8" length of chain to the bottom link of the eye clasp, this is how you will dangle your cherry charms.

6. Attach the top of your stems to the two lengths of wire. Now get out there and accessorize!

Option #2-Girly Girl
1. This is a variation of the first design. You will create the top part of your jean charm as you did in the last set of instructions using the medium curb chain in a 2 ¾" length and the spring ring and eye clasp.

2. Next you will need two lengths of elongated cable (one 1 7/8" and one 2 6/8".)   You will be attaching beaded eye pins to the chains. Attach preassembled faceted clear glass beaded eye pins on the top and fourth link of the shorter length with a beaded and coiled eye pin with a Swarovski bicone on the end link. Attach the clear eye pins to the 3rd, 6th, and 9th link of the longer chain with a coiled eye pin Swarovski bicone on the end.

3. Using your nimble fingers take a 5" length of pink SP 20 gauge Colourcraft wire and starting at one end bend the wire carefully to form the word "love" in lower case letters. Do some practice runs with the silver tone 20 gauge before you use the colored wire to get the technique down. I began by looping the wire into the "l" with the second stroke of the letter going underneath the first. Next I created the "o" by looping around with the wire crossing up around over itself and over top of the top part of the letter (see photo for clarification!)   Down and back up using fingers for tension control to make the "v" and looping under and back over for the top of the "e" with a nice swoop to the end. Adjust the word with your hands to make it pretty and flat. Now take your round nose pliers to form a loop at the top and bottom of the word and use your flush cutters to cut off any excess wire.  

4. Attach the top part of the word to the bottom of the eye clasp using your round or chain nose pliers to secure.   Add a coiled eye pin Swarovski bicone to the end of your word, again using pliers to help secure it closed.

Option 3#-Simply Elegant
1. The chain on top here is a little longer than in your two previous designs to balance the more streamlined look of these particular beads. You will need to remove a 4" length of medium curb steel chain and attach a small toggle clasp to the two ends. (You can opt for a larger or decorative toggle here if you should so desire.)  

2. Thread your smaller tortoise shell glass bead on a head pin and use your round nose pliers to form a loop at top and bottom cutting off excess wire with flush cutters. I then take two pairs of pliers and secure the top and bottom loops twisting the top loop so that it is facing side to side and the bottom loop is facing forward (180 degrees) This helps to keep the charms dangling nicely.

3. Now repeat this procedure with the larger tortoise shell glass bead and attach these two beads to one another using your pliers to open and close the loops.   (The smaller bead will be at the top of your design.)  

4. Attach the smaller bead to the ring on the round end of your toggle clasp using pliers to secure together.

5. Add one faceted metallic bead to each of three head pins and use your pliers to create a loop at the top of each, again cutting off any excess wire. Add these to the bottom loop of your large tortoise shell rectangle.  

Variations on a Theme:
You can embellish with spacer beads, connector beads, charms, multiple chains, Colourcraft wire creations, fancy clasps...let your imagine run free here. This is a quick and fun way to have a finished piece without hours of labor and a great way to use leftover beads or recycle unworn jewelry. A more industrial effect could be achieved using rubber tubing and wire, a more elegant look with glass pearls and crystals, earthy designs with suede and gemstones and so on...Happy Beading!

Designed by Margot Potter. Project reprinted courtesy of Beadalon.com