‘Pearls among hearts’ necklace

Thinking of the next beading tutorial, I wanted to embody a few ideas in a single item:
- at first, I wanted to make a beaded item for Valentine’s Day,
- at second, I wanted to make an item of beaded jewelry and most of all, a necklace,
- at third, that beaded item should be quite simple and shouldn’t need complicated weaving techniques and a large variety of materials,
- at fourth, despite of the above mentioned simplicity that beaded item should be original, elegant and attractive.

As a result, I made a necklace with heart-shaped elements and pearl beads. I called it the ‘Pearls among hearts’ necklace.

To make this necklace I used the beading technique of cubic right angle weave (CRAW) and a very simple range of materials:
- red color Czech seed beads of two sizes: 10/0 and 8/0,
- 10 mm pearl beads of white color,
- clasp for a necklace,
- nylon fishing line 0.2 mm thick and one or two beading needles (depends on the stringing method you use for making CRAW).


This bracelet consists of heart shaped elements, connected together with pearl beads. First of all, you should make 11 such single elements out of small red seed beads. To make them, follow this tutorial. For the each heart use a line 150 cm long (it’s a bit longer than is needed for the element, but you will use the tails later for connecting the elements to each other).

Before you start connecting the hearts to each other, you should learn a trick that is used for attaching a round bead to a CRAW rope. We used such a trick earlier, you can find and learn it here.
In fact, all the further work will be conducted this way; each time we will attach a round pearl bead between two selected seed beads in the hearts. All those seed beads lie in the central line of the outer perimeter of the heart. To help you select the right seed bead in the heart each time, let’s count all those seed beads. The seed bead number 1 is the one that lies in the tip of the heart. The seed bead number 2 is the next seed bead in the central line of the outer perimeter of the heart, and so on as it is shown on the next photo. In this way you should number the beads on both sides of the heart: to the right from the seed bead number 1 as well as to the left from that seed bead.

Now put aside 2 of the 11 hearts, we will need them a bit later. To the tip of the each of the other 9 hearts attach a pearl bead. To do it, use an additional seed bead (I used size 8/0 seed bead due to a large hole in the pearl bead). In fact, you should attach the pearl bead between two seed beads: the first seed bead is the seed bead number 1 in the heart and the second seed bead is the additional seed bead.

Next, start connecting the hearts to each other to get the basic part of the necklace.

Start with two hearts without pearl beads on the tip. These hearts will from the very central part of the necklace.

Connect them together using one pearl bead. Attach this pearl bead to the seed beads number 6 in the central line of the outer perimeter of the each heart.

Next, below those hearts attach one more heart.

Use two pearl beads. Attach them to the seed beads number 2 in the upper hearts and to the seed beads number 8 on both sides of the third heart.

We’ve got the central part of the necklace. Now proceed with the side parts, make them one after another symmetrically with respect to the center of the necklace.

Each side part of the necklace consists of 4 hearts; attach them successively. Each time use the following rule: attach the pearl bead to the seed bead number 7 in the heart that is already connected to the necklace and to the seed bead number 6 in the heart that is to be connected to the necklace.

Thus, the each new heart turns slightly upward and toward the center of the necklace, giving to the necklace its typical rounded shape.

To complete the necklace, make additional CRAW ropes at both sides of the necklace. To start weaving a rope, choose on the extreme heart a 4-bead unit that contains the seed beads number 6 and 7.

The length of the CRAW rope should be determined by try-on, depending on the desired size of the necklace. For my necklace I made a rope of 25 cubes at one side and a rope of 23 cubes at the other side (I needed a small difference due to an asymmetric clasp).

Now attach the clasp. I used the same method that had been used here.

Choosing a specific way of attaching the clasp, make sure the buttoned clasp lies on the neck and doesn’t stand sideways.

At last, secure and trim all the remaining tips of the line. The necklace is finished!

P.S. If you like this tutorial, share it with your friends on social networks using the buttons below the post.

Don't want to miss new tutorials? Subscribe for email notifications of site updates or follow us on Twitter!