My recent trip to Florida as part of the 2015 Cousin Corporation Ambassador Retreat totally inspired me to create my latest tutorial - my Sparkle Shells Anklet! If you read my last post, you'll see why I decided to make this beachy-glam accessory; the shells I used were the ones I picked while walking up and down the sandy shores of North Redington!
It was great these shells already had holes in them, which made it super easy to create jewelry from. Instead of using the shells in their natural form, I decided to gild them in gold for this piece. And, if that wasn't enough shine, rimming them with aqua crystal flat backs completes the totally luxe look.
After that, it's simple stringing to create the finished look. All of the beads, findings and stringing materials are Cousin brand, of course. This is a perfect summer accessory to wear on the beach, out to dinner, out shopping, anywhere, really. Bring the fun of the ocean everywhere you go!
Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are round nose pliers (and wire cutters), gold 4mm closed jump rings, gold crimps, crystals (I used 10mm Cousin Aqua faceted mirror beads and 6mm Cousin green faceted mirror beads), shells, Cousin .45mm gold beading wire, Cousin M'bellish crystal aqua flat backs, Cousin 26g gold wire (not shown, I used wire scraps from other projects!) and E6000 glue (or superglue if gluing on the INSIDE of the shells). If you want to gild your shells with gold, you will also need gold spray paint.
Step 2: Lightly spray and cover your shells with spray paint and let dry. Then create wrapped loop charms out of them with the gold 26g wire. I made 5 charms total.
Step 3: With your E6000 glue, rim the edges of the shell and then press in your flat backs. This tackier glue is better for gluing on the outside of shells - if you wanted to glue on the inside, you can use superglue (this might create a white haze, but rub off with nailpolish remover to fix).
I rimmed all five of my shells with the crystals.
Step 4: With a piece of beading wire 1.5 times your desired anklet length, slide on a crimp, jumpring, then back through the crimp. Flatten to secure. Then, alternating crystals, bead on your faceted rounds (I used closed gold jump rings as spacers, to bring out the gold color) and shells until your desired length and pattern is reached. Finish by adding a crimp, jumpring, then thread back through the crimp. Flatten to secure, and add a lobster clasp to close.
I obviously stuck with a green and blue scheme here, to mimic the colors of the ocean waves. Pick any color story you like!
If you have extra shells, make matching earrings or even a pendant necklace. This is where you could glue rhinestones to the inside of the shell, creating a glasslike surface. This works better for single pendants because the sparkle factor is super intense!
Whatever you choose to do, happy crafting! If you follow this tutorial, be sure to post your final project to Instagram and tag me @quietlioncreations. I'll repost you!
All photos copyright Allison Beth Cooling. Do not post or reuse without crediting and linking to me!
