This is the 2nd post in my “Rondelle Radiance” series, where I challenged myself to design a matching bracelet, earrings, and necklace set using a single package of rondelle crystals of different sizes.
I wanted to utilize all four rondelle sizes for the earrings, so this is the design I came up with. Making both earrings requires six 8x10mm, six 6x8mm, four 4x6mm, and ten 3x4mm rondelles, plus 11/0 TOHO seed beads and two 8/0 seed beads to connect ear hooks via jump rings. I hope you enjoy this design series, and this free beading pattern. Stay tuned for another upcoming free pattern for the Rondelle Radiance Necklace!
Click on the photos below (or the free beading pattern) to zoom in.
If you wish to print the pattern, download it in PDF format:
This design series was inspired by a sale at Michaels on rondelle crystals, packaged in four 7-inch strands of different sized rondelles (8x10mm, 6x8mm, 4x6mm, and 3x4mm). I bought them in several different colors (purple shown here). The packages varied slightly in the number of beads for each size, but generally all packages had a minimum of 23 8x10mm, 29 6x8mm, 37 4x6mm, and 54 3x4mm rondelles.
I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to design a matching bracelet, earrings, and necklace set, using all the beads in the 4 strands (or nearly all). Here is a sneak peak of what I came up with.
FREE beading patterns: Rondelle Radiance matching set
I will post patterns as I finish diagraming them out, but I’ll start with the bracelet (which is my first cuff bracelet design). This bracelet was too wide to close with a traditional lobster clasp, so I tried a 31mm 5-loop slide lock bar clasp (connecting via 3 jump rings to the outer and middle loops). The connection points did not line up perfectly to the loops, but that was solved by using a smaller jump ring to connect to the middle loop, and slightly larger jump rings to connect to the outside loops.
This pattern requires 20 6x8mm, 18 4x6mm, and 40 3x4mm rondelles, plus 11/0 seed beads and six 8/0 seed beads for the jump rings to go through at either end. To finish, you will need a 31mm 5-loop slide lock bar clasp with 2 smaller jump rings (~3mm) and 4 larger jump rings (~6mm). (I created the 3mm jump rings from my 6mm jump rings by snipping about half off and using round nose pliers to close it smaller). This design is constructed with alternating “main” and “secondary” rows, starting and ending with the “main” row. 10 main and 9 secondary rows will make a 7-1/2″ bracelet when using larger/TOHO 11/0 seed beads (like the purple and gold piece). It will be slightly shorter if using smaller Czech 11/0 beads (like the copper/aqua piece, which came out to 7″). I made the light blue piece with 9 main rows and 8 secondary rows for my own smaller wrist, which ended up being also 7″ using TOHO 11/0 beads. You can add alternating rows for length, as long as you end with a “main” row. I hope you enjoy this design series, and this free beading pattern!
Click on the photos below (or the free beading pattern) to zoom in.
If you wish to print the pattern, download it in PDF format:
This is a bracelet design to coordinate with the FREE beading pattern for Floral Butterfly Necklace in my last post. It requires the same materials as the necklace: Superduos and 4mm round beads of the same color (to form the mini-butterflies), and 3 colors of 11/0 seed beads: one color for diamonds (or “leaves”), one for the flower petals, and one for the flower center. You also need a clasp and jump rings to connect through the 8/0 seed bead at both ends. This bracelet pattern makes a small bracelet about 7 1/4″ long (including clasp), which can be extended by continuing the pattern to desired length, ending with an 8/0 seed bead for the jump ring to go through. I think this bracelet would also work nicely as a wrap bracelet (doubling or tripling the length).
I used 6lb Fireline for these bracelets, and found that the thread shows a tiny bit, so smoke/dark Fireline (as in the blue/green and olive/rust pieces) looked a little better than the white/crystal Fireline (in the pink/red piece). Clear thread of some kind would also probably be good. I hope you enjoy this free beading pattern!
FREE beading pattern: Floral Butterfly Bracelet
More Photos and Demo Video
Floral Butterfly Bracelet
Click on the photos below (or the free beading pattern) to zoom in.
Video Tutorial
BeadDiagrams.com has introduced video tutorials! I plan to create tutorials not only for new designs, but for some of my favorite previous designs as well. Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can be notified when new video tutorials are posted! Leave a comment on the Discussion tab of my YouTube channel to request tutorials of any of my previous designs — I’m taking requests!
Click on the image below to view the video tutorial for this design:
Video tutorial: Floral Butterfly bracelet
PDF Download
If you wish to print the pattern, download it in PDF format:
This is a stunning yet simple design, which encases a 14mm Rivoli crystal inside a cage made of #5 and #3 bugle beads, 11/0 TOHO seed beads (2 colors), and 15/0 seed beads (plus a 6/0 or 8/0 seed bead for the jump ring to go through). I probably made 10 different versions of this concept before arriving at the right geometry, that would hold the rivoli in place securely, and keep the cage from moving/skewing too much at the joints. All bugle beads used (#5 and #3) are from Hobby Lobby. The metalic TOHO beads are from FireMountan Gems (Permafinish galvanized, to resist tarnishing). The accent color TOHO beads are from Michaels (matte black for the purple/silver piece, silver-lined aqua for the aqua/silver piece, and clear rose peach for the peach/gold piece). Finally, the 14mm Rivoli crystals are from FireMountan Gems. The thing I like best about this particular pattern is how relatively fast they are to make. I hope you enjoy this free beading pattern!
More photos and demo video
Click on the photos below (or the free beading pattern) to zoom in.
Video Tutorial
BeadDiagrams.com has introduced video tutorials! BeadDiagrams.com tutorials have an advantage over other video tutorials, offering a printable PDF to accompany each tutorial, to help and follow along with. Subscribe to my YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/c/BeadDiagramsTutorials) to be notified of new tutorials. I am not only posting tutorials for new designs, but also for previously posted designs!
Click on the image below to view the video tutorial for this design:
Download PDF
If you wish to print the pattern, download it in PDF format:
This pendant pattern requires five 6x8mm rondelle crystals, 11/0 seed beads, and a bail or jump ring. You can use either larger TOHO 11/0 seed beads (like the gold/silver pieces) or smaller Czech 11/0 seed beads (like the black hematite pieces), but there is a slight difference noted in the pattern for each (in blue text, at steps 3 and 5). I used 6 lb Fireline, which seemed to work well to sufficiently “stiffen” the piece at the last step. There is also an “Earring Variation” included in the pattern that instructs how to modify the pattern to make a smaller version of the piece using 5x6mm rondelle crystals instead (still with 11/0 seed beads). An example of the earrings is shown with the light blue piece below. I hope you enjoy this free beading pattern!
FREE beading pattern: Rondelle Cross Pendant
For all pieces, I used faceted rondelle crystals from Michael’s. For the gold and silver pieces, I used Galvanized Permafinish TOHO 11/0 seed beads (aluminum and starlight) from Firemountain Gems. I like using these because they don’t tarnish over time. (A sample of the earring variation is shown in the light blue and silver piece below). For the black pieces, I used smaller Czech 11/0 seed beads.
Click on the photos below (or the free beading pattern) to zoom in.
If you wish to print the pattern, download it in PDF format:
