DIY Life

For a few weeks now, the promise of springtime has had me thinking green -- green necklaces, green earrings, green bath salts. Now that Spring has finally arrived, I'm all aglow with pink.

I'm dreaming of the pink perennials that will soon come to life in my gardens, the rosy hue of the tulips, and planting the cheery impatiens and petunias.

Since I still have until May to wait for my happy pink gardens, I thought I'd create a pink rhodonite necklace in the meantime. This stone is said to promote emotional and mental balance: who couldn't use some of that?

This is the first time I have created a design using gemstone chips, so I was excited to begin. I still felt the need to have some round beads in there, but I think it turned out to be a nice balance of free-form and shaped beads.

To create this approximately 18-inch necklace, you'll need these supplies:

• 27 rhodonite chips
• (28) 4mm round silver beads
• (140) #11 seed beads, matte olive rose
• approximately 20 inches Accu-Flex beading wire, 21 strand, .019-inch diameter
• 2 crimp beads
• 1 sterling silver 19 gage 5mm closed jumpring
• clasp of your choice (I used lobster claw)
• crimping pliers

Read on for instructions on how to assemble this rhodonite necklace.

Start by threading the crimp bead and the clasp onto your beading wire. Thread the end of the wire through the crimp bead, so that you have formed a loop that holds the clasp, as in the picture in the gallery. Leave about a quarter inch of the end of the wire after the crimp. Then, crimp the clasp using the crimping pliers. For detailed crimping instructions, see About.com's tutorial.

Now you are ready to begin stringing your beads: start with one silver round bead, and make sure that both ends of the wire go through this first bead. (You are not only stringing this first bead onto the wire that will become the necklace, but also onto the end of the wire left from the crimp.)

Next, trim the short end of the wire, because the two strands of wire will not fit through the seed beads. Hiding the end of the wire not only creates a neat and tidy look, but also makes your necklace stronger and more secure.

Begin stringing the beads to make your necklace. Here is the order:

• 10 seed beads
• 1 silver round bead
• 3 rhodonite chips
• 1 silver round bead
• 10 seed beads
• 1 silver round bead
• 1 rhodonite chip
• 1 silver round bead

Then simply repeat until you've used all of your beads.

One more step before you can wear your new rhodonite necklace. String a crimp bead, and then the closed jumpring, onto the end of the beading wire. Thread the end of the wire though the crimp bead, so that you form a loop of wire to hold the jumpring in place. Crimp, then work the end of the wire through the silver round bead and trim.

You're finished! Enjoy wearing your beautiful pink necklace, made by you, creating emotional balance, conjuring thoughts of pink gardens, pink flowers, pink Spring.