June 28, 2012

DIY Murano Glass Bubble Necklace

My glass is always completely full of air! Well, my glass jewelry at least. I stumbled upon this current Murano glass bubble jewelry fetish when I discovered the bubble necklace by the Sent sisters at the MOMA store. Bubbles floating around my neck? SWOON! But I soon discovered that I wanted bigger bubbles and more colorful bubbles (totally normal urge for a 32-year-old to have) so I set out to make my own.

Here’s what you need:

1. Jewelry wire (you will need the .024” which is the sturdiest for glass beads)

2. Crimps (2mm)

3. Crimping pliers

4. Wire protector (optional but if you do get them you will need .031”)

5. Clasp

6. Murano glass beads

DIY Murano Glass Bubble Necklace — Clockwise from top: lobster clasp, wire protector, jewelry wire, crimps, crimp covers (optional).

You can find all the supplies at Venetian Bead Shop here. I should point out that all the findings (clasp, crimp, jewelry wire, etc.) will probably cost you less than $10 but the Murano glass beads will run up your bill so feel free to scour the internet for large plastic beads for a similar look without breaking the piggy bank.

The process is exceedingly simple. Cut a length of jewelry wire long enough for your neck plus a couple extra inches. Slip on the crimp followed by the wire protector and pull the jewelry wire back through the crimp.

After you’ve guided the end of the jewelry wire back through the crimp, crimp it. Here is a video tutorial. Now string on your beads and finish the other end the same was as you started but this time remember to also loop the clasp around the wire protector. The finished ends should look like this:

And poof! You now have your very own Murano glass bubble necklace! I chose to leave off one of the glass tubes to keep my necklace a bit shorter and also to give me the option of wearing it asymmetrically with the peridot tube off to one side to add a little visual interest.