Okay, so I’ve been wanting to make a rainbow sapphire tennis necklace for, like, forever. I finally decided to just go for it! It seemed super intimidating at first, but I broke it down into steps, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my materials. This was probably the longest part, honestly. I needed:
- A whole bunch of tiny rainbow sapphires (I went with 2mm ones).
- Some strong beading wire (I chose a flexible one).
- A clasp (I picked a simple lobster clasp).
- Crimp beads (tiny ones!).
- Crimping pliers (super important!).
- Wire cutters.
- A beading needle (optional, but helpful).
The Process
I started by laying out all my sapphires in the order I wanted them. This took some time, playing around with the colors until I was happy with the rainbow gradient. It was like making a tiny, sparkly puzzle!
Then, I cut a length of beading wire. I made it a bit longer than I thought I’d need, just in case. Better safe than sorry, right?
Next, I threaded one end of the wire through a crimp bead and then through one half of the clasp. Then, I looped the wire back through the crimp bead, making a small loop to secure the clasp. I used the crimping pliers to squish the crimp bead really, really tight. This part was a little nerve-wracking, but I just took it slow.
Now for the fun part! I started stringing the sapphires onto the wire, one by one, following my pre-arranged rainbow pattern. I used a beading needle to help me, as the sapphires was small and a pain without a needle.
Once all the sapphires were on, I repeated the crimping process on the other end with the other half of the clasp. Again, squish that crimp bead super tight!
Finishing Up
I trimmed off any excess wire with the wire cutters, making sure to get as close to the crimp bead as possible without cutting the loop.
And that’s it! My very own rainbow sapphire tennis necklace! It took a few hours, and my fingers were a little sore, but it was totally worth it. I’m so proud of how it turned out, and I can’t wait to wear it!