How does a Crimp Bead Work?

That's right, I've jumped into the jewelry making craft.  I wanted to buy my sister some jewelry for Christmas, a matching set with a bracelet and necklace.  She is very into pink...bright pink...but pink is hard to find in the middle of the winter.  Instead of continuing to look (maybe going to a store that specializes in jewelry and accessories), I decided I should make her a set. 

How hard can it be?  I made plenty of jewelry as a kid...

I was off to my local Michael's with a basic idea of what I wanted...string/wire, closure, spacer beads, and of course pink beads.  Fortunately, our Michael's has a full bead section.  I left the store with all sorts of jewelry making items and $50 poorer....but it was going to be special (and easy, right?). 

After I put Lillian down for her nap, I got out the memory wire and decided I wanted a three strand bracelet.  I measured using my wrist, leaving extra room (my wrists are extremely small for a grown woman).  I decided on 3 patterns of beads, strung my beads, and was happy with the way they looked together.

Then came the tricky part...how was I going to get the fastener onto the end of the wire.  The closure set I bought had crimp beads with a lobster claw on the end, but it turns out that crimp beads are not very easy to work with.  So I went back to the store to buy bead glue (super glue?).  Turns out that it's very hard to use bead glue on such small pieces - like a crimp bead.  It made a mess of my other beads, so I was determined to find another way to close these beads.  I read up on using crimp beads online, but I couldn't get my wire through the beads (I think they were the wrong size).

Along comes my hero...my husband.  With just a few days left before we leave for our Christmas in Colorado, he says that we can try to sauter the pieces together.  With both of us working together, we were able to get both the bracelet and necklace ready for wrapping.  I hope my sister enjoys this jewelry!

Bracelet and necklace with magnetic closures.