For something so simple, this necklace sure took a lot of work!

You may recognize this citrine bead as a match to the bracelet and earrings I made not long ago. It is the second-to-last citrine from that strand, so I have one left to play with.  Anyhow, I wanted to make a simple drop pendant with this one, and thought it would be fun to dress it up with some nice bead caps.  I bought these at a local bead shop in the fall, and love the filigree look to them.  I got them out, and they seemed like a good fit for the citrine bead, but quickly realized that I would have some technical difficulties.   Typically, bead caps have a hole in them through which you can pass your wire or thread, so you can string them into a larger piece, like a bracelet or necklace.  These bead caps, however, have a small hole that is covered by a small loop.  Huh!  I had to puzzle through how to A) get them connected to the bead and B) have both the ends look nice.  I wrestled with three different attempts before getting this one to work.  I ended up threading some fine wire through a bead cap and wrapped it around the loop, added the bead and second cap, and then wrapped around the other side, careful to leave enough of the cap’s loop exposed to hang it from a ring, which would attach it to the chain.  Success!  It ended up being a lot of work for a simple-looking necklace, but it was worth it in the end.  🙂 -Robyn