A Frayed Heart Necklace

Designer Cynthia Deis

Create a neck wire from 16 gauge wire and soften it with wrapped and bound frayed dupioni silk ribbon. The variety of thread colors in the plaid dupioni show up when the edges are frayed, displaying unexpected hues and tones. This silk-coved neckwire is the perfect home for a LORiOLA glass heart bead…

Ingredients

- 1 blue frosted jelly LORiOLA glass heart
- 22 inches Sea Gala plaid dupioni silk ribbon
- 22 inches non-tarnish silver plated wire, 16 gauge
- 10 inches non-tarnish silver plated wire, 20 gauge
- 44 inches non-tarnish silver plated wire, 24 gauge
- 1 antique silver smooth bead cone
- Double sided tape

Tools:

- Wire cutters
- Round nose pliers
- Round/Flat pliers

1. Using your round/flat pliers create a hook on one end of the 16 gauge wire. Using your round nose pliers create a loop on the other end of the wire. Using your chasing hammer and a bench block flatten the hook and loop slightly as shown. You have created a neck wire.

2. Fray the edges of your ribbon by pulling and stretching the ribbon with your fingers until you have created fuzzy, ruffled edges on the ribbon.

3. Wrap the double-sided tape around the 16 gauge wire just under the loop. Gather the end of the silk ribbon around the tape, taking care that the frayed edges are not covered. Loop the 24 gauge wire around the ribbon tightly, tucking the end of the wire under the wrapped wire. Continue wrapping the 24 gauge wire around the silk and the 16 gauge neck wire to bind the silk to the neck wire. Pay attention to the position of the silk, retwisting from time to time to keep the frayed edges evenly distributed. When you have wrapped the wire and silk to the end of the neck wire trim off the excess silk (around 2 ") and set aside. Using the remaining 24 gauge wire, wrap the end of the silk tightly, tucking the end of the gauge wire under the wrap.

4. Using your round nose pliers create a loop on the end of the 20 gauge wire. Thread the other end of the wire through the center of the small piece of excess silk, through the smooth bead cone and through the base of the glass heart. Loop the 20 gauge wire around the neck wire and loosely wrap at the top of the heart.

Click here for a printable version of this tutorial

Other color option: