The document provides instructions for making jewelry using large briolettes. It describes making casual wire wraps around briolettes to give the necklace a less formal, more free-form look. Simple designs are presented that involve stringing briolettes on chain or wire without complicated wraps. Instructions are given for techniques like making briolette units and attaching clasps. Materials needed for the projects are listed.

1. storycover
Little lessons on letting loose
by Naomi Fujimoto
I’m fanatical about wrapped loops — their lollipop roundness,
their wraps symmetrically aligned on the stem. But,
playing around with oversized briolettes,
I challenged myself to design something less
traditional — and more consistent with chunky
industrial-looking chain. So, for the design on page
46, I wrapped the briolettes casually. I like the look — and as
a bonus, these wraps take less time than more formal wraps.
The necklace on page 45 is even easier to make: simply string
the big briolettes and attach them to a chain.
1
necklace
Use heavy-duty
wire cutters to
cut a piece of
chain to the
finished length.
2
Cut a 13-in. (33 cm)
piece of beading
wire. Center the
largest briolette.
3
On each end,
alternate a spacer
with a briolette,
until you’ve strung
all the briolettes.
4
Attach each end to
the chain and crimp
the crimp bead
(Basics, p. 94).
5
On one end, use
a jump ring (Basics)
to attach a lobster
claw clasp. On the
other end, attach
a round-bead unit.
BIG
BOLDBRIOLETTES
44 BEADSTYLE | JANUARY 2009

2. Technique: Make a briolette unit
1. Cut a 16-in. (41 cm)
piece of 22-gauge wire or
a 20-in. (51 cm) piece of
24-gauge wire. Center a
briolette on the wire and
bend the ends upward.
2. About 1⁄2 in. (1.3 cm)
from the briolette, bend
the wires over your
roundnose pliers. This is
the first half of a briolette
unit.
3. Grasping the loop with
chainnose pliers, wrap
the wires around the
stem. For a free-form
look, separate the wires
slightly before you wrap.
4. Trim the excess wire
and tuck the ends with
chainnose pliers.
1. Cut a 12-in. (30 cm)
piece of 20-gauge wire.
Wrap the end around
your roundnose pliers.
About 3⁄4 in. (1.9 cm)
from the first curve,
make another curve.
2. Attach two chain links
(or a link and a clasp).
3. Wrap the wire through
the two chain links twice,
placing your roundnose
pliers in the curves as a
guide.
4. Wrap the wire several
times around the center
of the link you’ve made.
Trim the excess wire
and tuck the ends with
chainnose pliers.
www.BeadStyleMag.com 47
1necklace
Use heavy-duty
wire cutters to cut
a piece of chain to
the finished length.
2
With 22-gauge wire,
make the first half of
five briolette units
(Techniques, p. 47).
Attach the largest
briolette unit to the
center link of chain.
On each side, attach
two briolette units.
3
With 20-gauge
wire, make a
link (Techniques),
attaching a lobster
claw clasp.
earrings
For each earring:
With 24-gauge wire,
make a briolette unit
(Techniques, p. 47).
Attach an earring wire.
1bracelet
Use heavy-duty
wire cutters to cut
two uneven pieces
of chain that add
up to the finished
length.
2
With 20-gauge
wire, make a
link (Techniques,
below), attaching
the chains.
3
Make another
link, attaching
a lobster claw
clasp and one
end of chain.
4
With 22-gauge wire,
make the first half
of a briolette unit
(Techniques).
Attach the briolette
unit to the other
end of chain.
Buying briolettes
Large (25–40 mm) briolettes are typically
sold by weight, strung on short strands of
seven to 11 beads.
46 BEADSTYLE | JANUARY 2009
Technique: Make a wire link

3. Supplies
blue necklace 19 in. (48 cm)
◆ 11–13 25–40 mm briolettes
◆ 10 mm round bead
◆ 14–16 3–4 mm spacers
◆ flexible beading wire, .018 or .019
◆ 17–21 in. (43–53 cm) chain,
10–14 mm links
◆ 2-in. (5 cm) decorative head pin
◆ 7–10 mm 16- or 18-gauge jump
ring
◆ 2 crimp beads
◆ 20–24 mm lobster claw clasp
◆ chainnose and roundnose pliers
◆ diagonal wire cutters
◆ heavy-duty wire cutters
◆ crimping pliers (optional)
clear earrings
◆ 2 25–30 mm briolettes
◆ 40 in. (1 m) 24-gauge half-hard
wire
◆ pair of earring wires
◆ chainnose and roundnose pliers
◆ diagonal wire cutters
clear necklace 17 in. (43 cm)
◆ 5 25–30 mm briolettes
◆ 12 in. (30 cm) 20-gauge half-hard
wire
◆ 80 in. (2 m) 22-gauge half-hard
wire
◆ 15–19 in. (38–48 cm) chain,
15–18 mm links
◆ 24 mm lobster claw clasp
◆ chainnose and roundnose pliers
◆ diagonal wire cutters
◆ heavy-duty wire cutters
clear bracelet
◆ 25–30 mm briolette
◆ 24 in. (61 cm) 20-gauge half-hard
wire
◆ 16 in. (41 cm) 22-gauge half-hard
wire
◆ 6–8 in. (15–20 cm) chain,
15–18 mm links
◆ 20–24 mm lobster claw clasp
◆ chainnose and roundnose pliers
◆ diagonal wire cutters
◆ heavy-duty wire cutters
Blue briolettes from Oriental
Gemco, 888.900.4367,
orientalgemco.com. Clear
briolettes from Dakota Stones,
866.871.1990, dakotastones.com.
Chain from Kipuka Trading,
512.228.8029, kipukatrading.com.
Clasps from Chelsea’s Beads,
847.433.3451, chelseasbeads.com.
Check your local bead store for
supplies. To find the nearest store,
visit beadshopfinder.com.
48 BEADSTYLE | JANUARY 2009
Naomi Fujimoto
Naomi loves big earrings and
delicate charm necklaces. She’ll
also wear huge necklaces when the
mood strikes her. Contact Naomi at
nfujimoto@beadstylemag.com.
Design alternative
If you have inexpensive briolettes that don’t have a consistent
shape, string them in a bracelet.
Tips
• The thinner the wire, the longer the piece
you’ll need to create prominent wraps.
• If you don’t have heavy-duty wire cutters,
you can use two pairs of chainnose pliers
to open and remove links of chain. If you
opt to use pliers, use household pliers
(rather than your jewelry pliers).
“By clustering big
briolettes or making free-
form wire wraps, you
can give your necklace
an architectural feel.
”