Rainy Days are Beautiful Necklace

I learned to make this necklace in a class at Ladybug Beads in St. Louis.  We used a 6-step bail making pliers to make the different sized loops.  The loops go over and under each other, and there are 5 different sizes of loops.  We didn't use the smallest post of the pliers.

                                                      Rainy Days are Beautiful Necklace

We used 16 gauge silver-plated craft wire for the loops, and 24 gauge silver plated (Artistic Wire)  to attach the beads, which are small crystals. I used about 7" of chain on each side of the center, and the clasp is a lobster claw and jump ring.  The 5 crystal dangles are attached onto short segments of chain with wire wrapped loops and jump rings at the top.

Shawl Pins

Making shawl pins with wire is a lot of fun.  These are my first tries.  I had only 20 gauge wire to work with, and they are quite fragile, so next time I would try making them with thicker wire.  One problem is that the beads I like may not fit on much thicker wire. 

                                                Shawl Pin using 20 gauge wire and beads

I used a pen to shape the coil end of the pin, and I did 2 wraps.  I didn't sharpen the end with a file because the pin is meant for a loosely woven, knitted, or crocheted shawl. 

This was my first try at making a pin.  It turned out small, so I didn't have much room to add beads to it. 

Two good tutorials are these:
Fibula--Shawl pins--step by step by Deborah Read
Safety pin Style Shawl pin by Shala Kerrigan at Bella Online