Getting Started

To make the necklace, select five different types of seed beads in a blue/green color palette. Use the same size beads and vary their finishes (shiny, matte, translucent, opaque, and iridescent) to add interest. You don’t want the beads to be too light, or their colors will be watered down when they’re spaced around the balls.

Work with 24" to 36" (61 cm to 91.4 cm) lengths of wire; each length yields two or three balls, depending on their size. Small balls—about 1⁄4" (6 mm) in diameter—take 10" to 12" (25.4 cm to 30.5 cm) each.

A good design process for this piece is to make two or three balls of each bead color, without thinking much about size. Next, lay out the balls so they are graduated from small (at the clasp ends) to large toward the center, arranging the bead colors randomly. Fill in any size or color gaps by making specific balls for specific locations in the necklace. Make some extra-small balls for the very ends of the necklace and extra-large balls for the center, so the size transition is smooth and noticeable, and the necklace reaches 16" to 17" (40.6 cm to 43.2 cm) in length.