DIY-Swarovski-Jewelry-SetThis past weekend, I finally got around to the arts & crafts aspect of LiveWellBeFabulous. I’m super about returning to my crafty roots.

 

 

 

 

I have a stack of books waiting I just checked out at the library and each one covers various subjects: scrapbooking, metal jewelry clay and bead work (my fav).

Craft-Books-LiWBF

With my son/photographer/sanity check’s critical eye, we put together a few crafty little pieces we’ll be able to enjoy for years to come.



Which brings me to my next subject. I’m super excited to finally have the chance to get back to drawing and designing pieces for my new jewelry line. I’ve been working on developing the concept for almost a decade now.  Each piece will be super duperly fun to wear and will contain the four colors of the LiWBF brand: pink, red, white and black… life, love, happiness, and strength.

AC Moore

In this first set I’ve created, the one I’ll be showing you how to make in this post was inspired by Valentine’s Day, my love of the the Mediterranean, and an obsession with all things French, including Carla Bruni and Nouvelle Vague songs. Who knows. You might find yourself inspired enough to tackle a release of your own line after taking a peek at how much fun I had while creating this set.

Carla Bruni Image Credit

On to this week’s project. For this tutorial, I’ll be showing you how to create a Swarovski earring and necklace set.

Swarovski-Jewelry-8-Easy-Steps1. Gather your materials. I used Swarovski elements. As soon as I found these little goodies at AC Moore, I immediately knew these were going to be the anchor elements of the design. The clasps (jump rings) need to be at least 8mm. Anything smaller and the diameter won’t be large enough to hold the heart and other charms we’ll be adding.

ABM_14239286422. Choose your accents -The pieces need to be able to move freely. The French are known for blending simplicity and elegance together, creating unforgettable pieces that last throughout the years. I chose a simple flower clasp and a set of European style silver hearts. I cannot wait to show you how they came out.

Swarovski-Jewelry-heart3. Use a small set of needle-nosed pliers to open the clasp wide enough to fit through the heart. Now add the silver heart on the same ring, making sure the red heart sits in front, the pattern on the silver heart facing forward. This will be important in the next step because you’ll want to make sure the charms are facing forward when hanging in your ears.

Swarovski-Jewelry-LiWBF

4. Attach the Swarovski heart set to the hook on the flower clasp and use the pliers to closer the jump ring, making sure the ends are even. You don’t want strands of hair to get caught up in the clasp which is exactly what’ll happen if you don’t close them correctly.

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5. Repeat the process for the other ear. Very important: make sure the hearts face forward when looking into the mirror. If not, then readjust the attachment until they do. The right earring will need to be positioned one way while the left earring will need to be turned in the opposite direction. Use these same steps for the necklace pendant, making sure to pick larger charms to anchor the Swarovski crystal.

6. Now, enjoy your new  jewelry set and wait for the compliments to roll in.

KayLeigh-wearing-Mystikal-Jewelry