Hello beady friends!
I love cup chain. It's sparkly, dainty, beautiful and just makes me so happy. However, one of my biggest challenges has always been finishing it off cleanly and easily. Cup chain ends are hard to come by, and I'm not always the biggest fan of how they look. Another popular technique is to wire wrap around the last cup in the chain, but there's always a loose cup at the join. I've spent years amassing all kinds of cup chain, and just as long searching for the best way to finish them off.......until now!
My beady friend Sarah at Jesse James Beads sent me their new Love Yourself collection and in the Follow Your Heart Mix, there is the smallest Daisy Spacer I've ever seen! That tiny spacer got me thinking....one thing led to another led to me digging through my beading supplies like a madwoman, and then, there was the "eureka" moment! Cup Chain + Daisy Spacer + Headpin +7mm Crimp Cover = perfect finishing technique!
Materials:
Flat Head Pin
7mm Crimp Cover
3mm Daisy Spacer
3mm Cup Chain
Directions:
Thread a daisy spacer onto a headpin.
STEP 2
Place the headpin with the daisy spacer into the crimp cover.
STEP 3
Place the first cup of the cup chain into the bottom of the crimp cover. Make sure it is flat against the daisy spacer. They should both fit just perfectly.
Use chain nose pliers to close the crimp cover.
STEP 5
I like to finish the top of the headpin with a 4mm bead and a wrapped loop. Then, you can use a jump ring to attach your clasp, and the possibilities abound with what you can do next!
What do you think? If you tried this technique, join and post your design in the Jewelry Making with Beadalon Facebook Group. You can also download these (and lots of other) instructions from the Beadalon Learning Center.
Watch the whole Facebook Live video to see the projects that inspired this discovery.
Until next time - happy beading!
Meredith
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