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This type of necklace can be dated back to at least the 5th century
A.D.
It seems to have been a fairly common technique with the Romans.
The wire typically used was gold, although I tend to use gold-tone
craft
wire for economic reasons. The beads on this necklace are
freshwater
pearl and glass, both of which were used. Semi-precious gemstones
were also used. Several examples of this technique can be found
at
the British Museum.
While I don't know how
exactly this was done originally, these days these necklaces can be
made
using three simple tools: rosary pliers (round-tipped), flat nosed
pliers,
and small wire clippers. Rosary/round-nosed pliers are so called
because they are used in the making of rosaries, using a technique like
this one. (In fact, when I lived in Korea, I was sitting in a
local
pizza restaurant, waiting for my food and making a necklace. The
owner's wife saw what I was doing and showed me the rosary they had
hanging
on the wall, which was made with this same method.)
The above wire technique was one technique I used in making this
handflower.
The bracelet is a four-in-one mail technique. (The jumprings
and clasp were store-bought.) The ring is admittedly haphazard, a
length of wire wrapped and twisted until it made a ring. Although
both the mail and the wire links are both historically accurate, I
do not know how accurate the combination of the two is. In making
something like this, be careful of what type of beads you use;
somewhere
along the line, at least one of these beads has been knocked into and
chipped.
Handknotting is a technique that can take a while, but when using nice
beads, it is very practical. The knots both keep the beads from
hitting
each other and scratching or chipping, but if the strand breaks, only
one
or two beads will fall off. Again, this is a period technique,
although
not as far back as the wire necklaces. It can be dated back to
the
16th century. This necklace is freshwater pearls and
garnets.
As you can see in the larger image, some of the garnets' coloring has
come
off on the beading thread, so I assume that these beads have been
color-enhanced.
I do not have documentation for the garnet charm on the necklace, but I
thought it looked nice. The clasp is, again, store-bought.
Tools are simple for this: needle and thread, and (my preference) a beading awl. Needles or pins can be used in place of an awl, but I prefer to use something less sharp. Once a bead has been strung, a loose knot is tied above it in the thread. The awl is placed in the knot and used to guide it down to the bead. This takes some practice, and it is important to keep the knot loose, or you won't be able to move it to the bead.
This may or may not be a period technique. It is a form of
beadweaving
known as peyote stitch. It is done without a loom. The
weave
makes it very flexible, although the wearer needs to be very careful to
keep the thread from breaking; if it breaks, a lot of work has to be
undone
to fix it.
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