Create a beautiful drop stone beaded bezel pendant using seed beads and Delicas around a teardrop or pearl shaped stone. The elegant bezelled pendant uses circular Peyote stitch around the central crystal stone.
Tools and Materials
- 1 x 18x13mm 4320 SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS drop stone or 18x13mm Preciosa Baroque Pear Stone
- 1g x Size 11 Miyuki delica beads
- 0.5g x Size 8 Czech glass seed beads
- 1g x Size 11 Czech glass seed beads
- 1g x Size 15 Czech glass seed beads (size 13 should also work)
- Beading thread (Nymo, 0.15 wildfire, fireline or SoNo)
- Size 10/12 & 15 beading needles
How to make a Drop Stone Beaded Bezel
1.Cut a long manageable length of thread, leaving a long tail of thread (approx. 30cm). Pick up 36 size 11 delica beads. Join the beads in a circle by going through the first bead in the same direction.
2. Complete 1 row of peyote stitch; pick up 1 new bead and thread through the second bead along the original row of beads. Pick up another new bead and thread through the next alternate bead. Continue adding a new bead and anchoring through every alternate bead (18 new beads in total. Finish by exiting out of the first new bead added (step up).
Swap the needle to the tail end of thread, we are going to work on the back for the next step.
3.Now working on the inside edge complete another row of peyote stitch; take the tail thread though the next bead so that it is exiting out of an outer edge bead. Pick up 1 new delica bead and thread through the next bead sticking out along the edge. Continue adding new beads in the until you reach the last ‘gap’ do not add a bead here but simply miss it out and take the needle through the next bead, step up through the first of the new beads in this step.
4.On this next row of peyote stitch you are going to adding size 15 seed beads, you will need to use a size 15 beading needle too. Work all the way around the edge adding a size 15 seed bead in every gap. When you reach the top (at the internal point) just add one bead in this gap, when the thread it pulled tight this will help shape the bezel. Finish by stepping up though the first size 15 added and fasten off this tail end.
Re-thread your size 10 needle on to the long working end of thread.
5.Increase row – add another row of delica beads, at the top point where the gap is bigger add 2 beads here. Finish the row by stepping up through the first bead added in this step.
6.Add another row of peyote stitch and the top, where two beads were added in step 5, add 1 single bead in the middle of the pair of beads.
7.Swap to your small needle. Add a row of size 15 seed beads to the front of the bezel, this is the final row. The beading of on the diagram has been kept flat to make it easy to see where the beads go, however your beading should be curling around at the edges.
Put the drop stone into the bezel and pull the thread tight to secure it, it may need a slight wiggling to get it in the right position (point at the top). Weave around the inside edge until you get around to the top, this will also reinforce the bezel.
8. The trickiest part of the next step is locating the right bead to be exiting out of. With the bezel front facing you, locate the centre point at the top and count 2 size 15 beads along the edge (highlighted with a red arrow) you need to be exiting out of the second delica bead behind it (blue arrow).
Pick up 1 size 11 seed bead, this will sit over the next delica bead on the outside edge, thread through the delica bead after it to anchor in place. Keep adding size 11 seed beads around the outside edge anchoring them to the delica beads. It is important to ensure the beads are added on the same row all the way around. Once you have added 16 beads, weave your thread though the beads on the back at the top so that you are exiting out of the first size 11 seed bead added.
9. Starting from the first size 11 seed bead add a new size 11 seed bead and then anchor through the next bead, pick up a size 8 seed bead and anchor through the next size 11 seed bead, continue with size 8 in each gap until the last one and add another size 11 here. Weave the thread around to the beginning again and thread straight through the edge beads until you exit the second size 8 seed bead.
10. Pick up 4 size 11 seed beads and anchor through the second size 8 seed bead along the outside edge, next pick up 6 size 11 seed beads and anchor through the second size 8 along the edge, the 8 beads, 6 beads and 4mm, anchoring through the alternate size 8 beads. At the end weave around the beads so that you are coming back on your self and exit out of the first 2 of the 4 seed beads.
Always be careful when weaving though beads to follow the existing thread path, as this will hide all your thread and keep the tension neat.
11. Pick up 1 new size 11 seed bead and thread through the remaining 2 beads of the set of 4 followed by the size 8 seed bead and the first 3 of the next 6, pick up a new size 11 seed beads and thread down the next 3 size 11 beads, size 8 and 2 size 11 and add a new size 11 at the centre of the set of 8 beads. Continue in this way adding 1 new bead in the centre of each set to create a point.
12. Finish by thread back up to the top of the bezel, exiting out of the bead high lighted on the photo.
13. Creating a hanging loop; pick up 2 size 11 seed beads and anchor through the delica bead over the gap, weave through the delica beads indicated on the diagram (just below the new beads) and exit by come up out of the first new bead.
14. Pick up two new size 11 seed beads and anchor down through the second of the previous beads. Go up the first bead added in step 13 followed by the first new one, connecting the new pair of bead to the previous pair (like square stitch).
15. Continue in this way until you have at least 12 pair of beads. This will give you a large enough loop for you to hang the pendant from ribbon, Kumihimo braiding or chunky cord.
16. Curl the beading around to the front and attach the end of the beading to the delica bead at the front, anchoring back up through the other bead at the end. This will join the loop, secure it by weaving around a few times.
17.As a lot of the thread is exposed on the bail part you can disguise this by adding an additional row of decorative beads. The diagram shows it flat so that you can see the thread path; thread up through the first bead on the right, pick up 1 new size 11 seed bead and thread up, diagonally through the second bead on the left. Pick up a new bead and go through the next bead on the right. Continue zig-zagging back and forth adding beads until you reach the end. Fasten off the threads and you are finished!
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