Beaded necklaces can be as simple or as varied as you desire. While it's possible to simply string some beads and call it a day, the following free patterns can help you unlock your creativity and get you started on some new ideas.
Chunky and Dramatic
This necklace pattern is deceptively simple. Mix together, metal, quartz and stone beads in a repeating pattern:
- Metal bead
- Clear quartz
- Metal bead
- Small blue stone
- Amethyst
- Large blue stone
- Amethyst
- Small blue stone
- Metal bead
Thread the beads onto a piece of wire cord, and loop each end of the cord through a toggle clasp and secure with crimp beads. Use just as many beads as needed to hit a few inches below your collar bone; such a chunky necklace gets heavy quickly if it gets any longer.
Find the quartz, amethyst and stone beads to complete this necklace at Fire Mountain Gems.
Wire Links
Add space and dimension to any beaded necklace by placing some metal links between the beads. Combine any beads you like, in either random or repeating patterns to create this unique look.
To make the wire spacers:
- Cut 18 gauge wire into 1-inch pieces.
- Bend the end of one piece of wire into a small loop, then thread a bead on.
- Trim the wire to size and bend over the other end to trap the bead.
- Insert the end of a second piece of wire through one of the loops on the first.
- Bend over the end of the second wire to connect them.
- Thread on a second bead and repeat until the necklace is the length you desire.
Give the necklace a little dimension and interest by mixing different types of glass beads, such as the variety found at Art Beads onto the same wire.
Jump Ring Chain
Create a shorter necklace with a focal point at the bottom using the wire link method with a little variation at the end. Rather than connecting the links into one long necklace, make two shorter halves, then add the focal point.
- Connect together 10 or 12 jump rings into two short chains of equal size.
- Thread a decorative wire end through a large bead and connect it to a loose jump ring.
- Connect both jump ring chains to either side of the single jump ring, then connect up both sides of the necklace to the two chains.
Keep this necklace on the shorter side so the large bead truly catches and focuses the eye.
Find something unique for your center bead at Accent Beads.
Extra Spaces
Give your wire connectors between the beads a little extra space by placing a small, clear bead on either side of your decorative beads. This will fool the eye into thinking there is more dimension in the necklace. For extra dimension, use colored glass beads beside the clear ones, and add a metal accent at the end for contrast.
Floating Disks
Make a multi-strand necklace that is perfect for a summer day at the beach with some mother-of-pearl disks, pearls and flexible wire cord.
- Cut three pieces of wire cord approximately 12 to 15 inches in length. Be sure to vary the size of each piece slightly.
- Thread a crimp bead onto one cord and crimp. Follow it with a mother-of-pearl disk and a second crimp bead to hold it in place.
- Thread another crimp bead onto the cord in a different location and follow it with a small pearl bead that matches the color of the disks.
- Repeat with more crimp, pearl and mother-of-pearl beads at varying heights on the three wires.
- Secure the three wires together with a large crimp bead and a toggle clasp to hold.
Find a wide selection of mother-of-pearl beads to work with for this necklace at Shipwreck Beads.
Purple Pattern
Create a deceptively simple necklace out of several different sizes and shapes of one color of bead.
- Start with square, oval, rectangle and several different sizes of round beads.
- Thread the beads onto flexible wire alternating square, large round, rectangle, medium round and oval with small, round beads between them.
- Thread multiples of the small beads onto the center of the necklace and anchor a charm there before continuing with the pattern. Make sure that whichever charm you choose is both heavy enough to weigh down the end of the necklace, and is a variation of the color used throughout the rest of the necklace.
Get beads in lots of shapes and sizes in one color from Earthly Adornments.
Simply Charming
This fast and easy necklace uses seed beads as a backdrop for the charm at the bottom. It works at nearly any length and can incorporate any number of different charms.
- Cut a piece of flexible wire to the length you want and thread your charm onto one end.
- Hold both ends of the wire together so the charm settles into the center.
- Thread a few seed beads onto either side of the charm to give the wire some weight in the middle.
- Place a piece of masking tape on top of the beads on one side of the necklace to keep them in place while you add beads to the other side. Once the first side of the necklace is filled, remove the tape and thread the beads onto the other side.
- Thread the ends of the wire through either side of a toggle clasp and secure with crimp beads to finish.
Find both a wide selection of seed beads and charms to use with them at Auntie's Beads.
Create Your Own Unique Look
Use any of these free beaded necklace patterns as a jumping off point to create your own unique look. Make one or make them all and get started on your own beading adventure.
