Make a Memory Wire Necklace from Rubber and Sterling Silver Orphan Beads

I don't love memory wire. We have a lot of the stuff around, because it just isn't my favorite beading material. I've tried to use memory wire because I have friends who really love it... but memory wire just is not one of my "go to" materials. With that said, memory wire is easy to work with and is a great material to use if you need a fast gift or an emergency "make in a few minutes" accessory to complete your outfit.

Memory wire bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

For this project, my daughter and I arranged some leftover sterling silver beads. We decided to highlight the beads using black rubber tubing to cover the remainder of the memory wire.

Materials
Sterling silver beads
Rubber tubing
Memory wire for necklace

Tools
Wire cutters
Round nose pliers

Step 1
Select the beads and use a plate or beadboard to design the pattern.

Step 2
Cut the memory wire to choker length using wire cutters designed especially for memory wire.  

Warning: do not use wire cutters used for wire wrapping or other jewelry making (and do not use your favorite wire cutters!) as the memory wire will dull and perhaps damage the wire cutters.

Step 3
Feed the sterling silver beads on the wire so the beads are centered.

Step 4
Cut the rubber tubing into two long pieces. Cut the tubing to the length needed to cover the remainder of the wire.

Step 5
Slide the rubber tubing onto the wire.

Step 6
Use round nose pliers to make a loop at each end of the wire to hold the rubber tubing in place.

Related Tutorials
Make Paper and Rubber Earrings

Further Reading
"Memory Wire Magic, 20 Ideas for Jewelry and Home Decorating"; Katie Hacker
Bead And Wire Jewelry Exposed: 50 Designer Projects Featuring Beadalon And Swarovski; Margot Potter, Katie Hacker, Fernando Dasilva; 2009.


Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: leftover craft materials
New Jewelry a Day.