Bountiful Harvest Necklace

When summer comes to an end, the leaves begin to fall and the aroma of pumpkin spice fills the air, our thoughts turn to how thankful we are for the many blessings we have.

For jewellery makers, our colour palette takes on a change as the sun drenched shades of summer make way for the softer orange, brown and gold tones that radiate feelings of warmth and comfort.

This necklace is inspired by the bountiful harvest of late summer and early autumn, featuring beaded cobs of corn in autumnal colours and spicy pumpkin-shaped beads. No need to hide the beautiful leaf clasp at the back.... it deserves to be noticed and sits off to the side where it becomes part of this harvest-inspired design. Strung on soft brown velour tubing and with a collection of warm gold and copper charms to complement the autumnal colours, this is the perfect necklace to wear for Thanksgiving.

Velour necklace strung with seed bead corn cobs.

Here's what you'll need to make this design:

Seed beads in transparent gold, pumpkin, orange, green and aubergine - a rich mix of harvest colours.

Gold necklace memory wire
Brown velour tubing
Assorted seed beads in autumnal tones in sizes 6, 8 and 11 (see photo above)
5 orange toned faceted rondelles 10x12mm
5 10mm gold petal or leaf-shaped bead caps
4 3mm gold spacer beads
2 textured copper oblong rings 19x25mm
Selection of gold acorn and leaf charms
2 paisley gold leaf charms
2 copper leaf charms
30 gold eye pins
1 gold head pin
9 6mm gold jump rings
36 4mm gold jump rings
3 gold quick links
Gold grape leaf toggle clasp

Tools: Memory Wire shears, flush cutters, chain nose pliers, round nose pliers

Make the Corn Cobs

To make a corn cob, string two size 11 beads, two size 8 beads, 3 size 6, two size 8 and one or two size 11 beads on each of six eye pins. Each one should measure 2.2cm (7/8”).

Turn a simple loop on each eye pin.

Open a 6mm jump ring and hook on the six eye pins.

Open another 6mm jump ring and hook on three eye pins. Close the jump ring. For the remaining three, you will need to open the eye pins one at a time and hook them on individually. Tilt the jump ring upward to help slide the eye pins underneath. Make 3 more cobs of corn.

Cut a piece of velour tubing the same length as the corn cob. String a gold spacer bead and a piece of tubing on an eye pin.

String a corn cob over the tubing and add another spacer bead. Turn a simple loop.

Create one more velour corn cob component. You'll use the other two in the following steps.

Make the Centre Section of the Necklace

Cut 12cm (4.75”) of memory wire using the memory wire shears. Turn an outward facing loop at one end of the wire using round nose pliers.

Cut a 10cm (4”) length of velour tubing and thread it on the memory wire.

Turn a loop at the other end of the wire.

String the two remaining cobs of corn 6mm (¼”) from each end of the velour tubing. Hook a quick link on the centre of the velour tubing and gently squeeze it until it's secure but so that it doesn’t squash the tubing. Hook a copper ring on the other loop of the quick link and close it firmly. String an orange rondelle and a bead cap on the head pin and turn a loop. Connect the rondelle to the quick link with a 4mm jump ring (see photo below).

Make the Acorn Charm Dangle

Make a chain of six 4mm jump rings. On the bottom link, attach an acorn connector. Connect the bottom loop of the acorn and a copper leaf together with a 6mm jump ring.

Connect five jump rings together and attach a gold leaf charm.

Create a chain of a jump ring, an acorn connector, a jump ring and a copper leaf.

Make a chain of ten jump rings and then hook on a double acorn charm.

Connect a gold leaf charm to a jump ring.

Hook all these components onto a 6mm jump ring and attach it to the metal ring.

Assemble the Necklace Components

String the four rondelles and bead caps onto the remaining eye pins and turn a simple loop.

Cut 12.5cm (5”) velour tubing. Cut 14.5cm (5.75”) memory wire with the memory wire shears. Turn a loop at one end and thread on the tubing. Turn a loop on the other end.

Connect a rondelle to each end of the tubing with a jump ring. Connect a corn cob to each rondelle with a jump ring.

On one side of the velour tubing, attach the metal ring with a quick link. Add another quick link to the other side of the metal ring and attach another rondelle. Connect this to the centre section of the necklace with a jump ring.

On the other side, link together three jump rings and connect the corn cob to the toggle bar.

Attach the remaining rondelle to the other end of the center piece with a jump ring. Connect the rondelle to the leaf part of the toggle clasp with two jump rings.

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