Gems & Colors - Beaded Bezel Gemstone Cab & Swarovski Rivoli Necklace and Earrings

Beaded Necklace with Gemstone Cabochons

CH0306

This necklace is handmade with a variety of gemstones cabochons (onyx, labradorite, agate) in various colors and strong together with Sterling Silver hand made components and links.  And the charming sparkle is provided by the delicious Swarovski Rivoli #1122 (Montana, 14mm).

Colorful Gemstones - Beaded Bezel Cab Necklace (CH0306)

First some quick and detailed views of the finished set.  Dangle matching beaded bezel gemstone earrings have also been created to arrive at a matching set.

Colorful Gemstones - Beaded Bezel Cab Necklace

Detailed view of Beaded Gemstone Cabs in Necklace

Beaded Bezel Gemstone Cab Earrings

Colorful Gemstones - Beaded Bezel Cab Necklace

How to Create a Beaded Necklace with Gemstone Cabochons

Below details some of the basic steps and concepts that went into the making of this cabochon jewelry set.  Though not complete from beginning to end, it will have enough for you to get the idea and make your own.

First the design: expriment and lay out the cabs till you are happy with the look.

lay out the gemstone cabs  - experiment till happy

Knowing that I will need to disensemble this layout, I drew a rough draft.  Of course I could have just relied on a photo (as per above) but drawing it out means I get a chance to put in the "connectors" that might be needed - which is helpful in having clarity as to where to attach those connectors or jump rings. And I certainly did rely on this sketch quite a bit as the work progressed.  Keep in mind though that this is just a draft and adjustments and modifications will likely happen as your work progresses.

Draw a sketch with placement of connectors that will be needed

The following pics are rather shoddy and rough.  I usually work by (very late) of night and it is almost always impossible to get clear good shots by the light of the homely lamps.

How to RAW Bead Bezel

Instead of the normal peyote stitch to create the bezel around the Swarovski rivolis, I decided to go with RAW (Right Angle Weave).

Tip: see the basic rule of thumb in determining how many 11/0 seed beads needed for various sizes of Swarovski Rivolis or round cabs.

I am using a size 14mm diameter Swarovski Rivoli here 1122 so I will need to have 16 center beads (or in ohter words, 16 'squares') to start the RAW band.

Always check before joining the first round of RAW band.  The RAW band should fit well around the rivoli.

Join the RAW band into a circle.  You will be working top and bottom of this band for the front and back of the rivoli.

When you clinch off one side (say the Bottom), it should form a nice kind of cup for your rivoli.  You don't need to sit your rivoli in yet to work the other side.  Just work another row of RAW for the other side (say the Top). Then just before you are ready to tighten the final rows with smaller 15/0 size seed beads, place the rivoli in and center nicely.

Some finished RAW beaded bezel Swarovski Rivoli and Gemstone cabs

Tip: whenever possible, when using jump rings as connectors, use closed jump rings so that there is zero chance of it slipping open.  The beaded loops here for the jump rings have been worked in ladder stitch (single bead row) and the thread is worked in multiple times to give it strength and durability.  The sketch (from earlier) proved most useful when deciding the placements of these beaded loops.

Bead Bezeling with RAW stitch gives a more open finish to the bezel than when using Peyote stitch.

FYI: some reference materials on Beaded Bezel