Description
About the Beaded Locket Pattern
I named this beaded locket pattern my ‘lucky locket’. It was designed for my second show on Jewellery Maker TV and I had a theme of ‘A Day at the Races’. So I was thinking about the sort of things that might relate to the theme.
Of course I was making jewellery and I thought that anyone going to the races might appreciate a bit of luck to make sure their horses win! I had also just finished writing my ‘Keepsake Cards‘ book and as part of that project I had made a more complicated locket. So, I had this idea in mind. I thought a locket would be a perfect way of carrying a special picture as a lucky charm. I created a design that can be worn either way around. So you can show off your photo, or keep the photo tucked secretly against your skin and the locket will look like a decorative pendant.
The bead kit I was sent included three different colours of True2 beads. I have done a few experiments with them and discovered that, in size, they are comparable to size 11 seed beads. So I was keen to see how they would translate into the kind of projects that I would normally make from seed beads. I thought I would try using these for my locket.
Techniques and tips
You will be working entirely in even count Peyote stitch, so this is a basic version of the technique. The beads sit together beautifully and they just sparkle, so they will really catch the light on a sunny day!
The beaded locket pattern assumes that you are familiar with even count Peyote. If this is not the case, you can download a free tutorial here. The pattern I created for my beaded locket back is very simple. But if you feel adventurous, you could experiment with something a little more complex. The beaded locket is suspended on a simple bail and I just strung this on a gold chain. It would also look great on a beaded rope. You will have some spare True2 beads so you could incorporate them into a rope if you wished.
