BETSY'S CUPOLA EARRINGS (©2016 Deborah Roberti)
MATERIALS Step 1: Thread your needle with about a yard of FireLine or thread. String a fire-polished bead, two seed beads, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead and a seed bead. Leaving about a 6-inch tail that you can weave in and make disappear at any time, tie the beads together with a double knot: Step 2: Go back around through the beads highlighted in RED: Step 3: String a seed bead. Go down through the left side of a Hex Beadstud. String a seed bead, a fire-polished bead and a seed bead. Go around and up through the right side of the Hex Beadstud that you just strung. String a seed bead and go across through the fire-polished bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED): Step 4: The Hex Beadstuds are heavy so go back around through the beads that you added in the last step (highlighted in RED): Step 5: Go back down and around through the seed bead, the left side of the Hex Beadstud, the seed bead and the fire-polished bead highlighted in RED: Step 6: String a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead, a seed bead, a fire-polished bead and a seed bead. Go around and back across through the fire-polished bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED): Step 7: Go back around through the beads that you added in the last step (highlighted in RED): Step 8: Go back down and around through the beads highlighted in RED: You’ve just created a base circle of seed beads and fire-polished beads. Now you’ll add a layer of seed beads and bicone crystals that will sit on top of this base. Step 9: String a seed bead, a bicone crystal, a seed bead, a bicone crystal and a seed bead. Step 10: String a seed bead and a bicone crystal. Go back down through the seed highlighted in RED, drawing the seed bead toward the center so that the bicone crystals start to form an “x”: Step 11: String a bicone crystal and a seed bead. Go back across through the fire-polished bead highlighted in RED. Pull tight so the bicone crystals form an “x”: Step 12: Go back up and around through the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead, the bicone crystal, the seed bead and the fire-polished bead highlighted in RED: Step 13: Go back up and around through the seed bead, the right side of the Hex Beadstud, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead, the seed bead, the fire-polished bead and the seed bead highlighted in RED: Step 14: String two seed beads. Go through the jump ring and then back down through the second seed bead that you just strung: Step 15: String another seed bead. Go around through the beads highlighted in RED: Step 16: Go back around through the beads highlighted in RED and the jump ring: Weave your way back into your earring, reinforce in places where the beading seems loose or in need of strengthening, knot and cut your thread. Attach your earring finding to the jump ring. Size 12mm Pyramid Beadstuds will also work wonderfully with this design: My free matching Cupola Bracelet pattern can be foundby clicking on the image below:
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