Use Earring Wire For Odd Shaped Stones and Beads

I wanted to make a necklace, but the layout of the stones wasn't functioning well on the grooved necklace board from the craft shop. The doughnut shaped stones with a hole in the middle kept on falling over onto their flat sides. I needed to nest the stones together so they would seem as one unit and not resemble jagged teeth.

In a flash of inspiration, I temporarily strung the turquoise nuggets onto straight earring wires then laid them out on the necklace board, placing the better stones in the front and re-balancing the units by adding some stones and removing others. It worked!

The picture shows the completed necklace and a demo of 2 working units of stones. I found that a strand of turquoise nuggets from the craft store did not provide me with enough quality nuggets for a necklace, so I opted for this design.

By Holly from Richardson, TX