The pendant, with its chain mail bezel, is 11⁄2 x 13⁄8 in. (38 x 35 mm).

Don’t Fret – This Bezel is Easy

Weave a chain mail bezel with a built-in bail for a rockin’ guitar-pick pendant.

by John Wik

PICK UP

A NEW SKILL

Guitar picks are as variable and distinctive as a classic guitar riff. Both a tool and an accessory,

guitar picks are made in innumerable colors, materials, and shapes. For exam-ple, faux versions of mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and abalone are easy to find at local music shops and through online stores. You could easily swap the stainless steel pick and pair of plastic picks that are used in this project for something differ-ent — like picks that sport graphics, or

collectible picks made of stone, wood, bone, or amber.

To create the pendant, you’ll make a chain mail bezel to capture a stack of three guitar picks. The bezel also acts as a bail for the adjustable leather necklace cord. And because the pendant is revers-ible, it’s really two necklaces in one. Once you’ve learned to weave a bezel of jump rings, you can use the same technique to enclose any other flat objects you’d like to display.

beginner

chain mail

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©2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

Prepare the jump rings. Use two pairs of chainnose or flatnose pliers to open 66 brass 3 mm-inside-diameter (ID) jump rings. (How-Tos)

Close 11 brass 4 mm ID jump rings. Close 11 black anodized-aluminum 4 mm ID jump rings.

Make the chain loops. Thread a 3 mm brass jump ring through two 4 mm brass jump rings, and close it. Repeat with a second 3 mm brass ring. Separate the two 4 mm rings so that they’re on either side of

the two 3 mm rings, forming a 1+2+1 pattern.

Continue making this pattern until you’ve used all the 4 mm brass rings

and 22 of the 3 mm rings. Connect the ends of the chain to make a

loop. Make another 1+2+1 chain,

substituting the 4 mm black rings for the

4 mm brass rings. Connect

the ends of the chain to make a

loop [1].

Connect the two chain loops to make the bezel. Thread a 3 mm ring through a 4 mm brass ring in one chain loop and through a 4 mm black ring in the other chain loop. Close the 3 mm ring. Repeat with a second 3 mm ring.

Continue to add seven more pairs of 3 mm rings. On each chain loop, leave three consecutive 4 mm rings unconnect-ed [2] so you can insert guitar picks later.

Make a guitar-pick sandwich. Arrange your three guitar picks as shown [3]. Make sure that any logos face inward and that the white pick is sandwiched between the other two.

NOTE: When you stack the picks on top of each other, placing the white pick in the middle brightens the translucent faux-tortoiseshell pick.

For this pendant, I used two Fender 351 (standard) medium picks in two different colors and one Dunlop thin, stainless steel, standard pick.

TIP: In guitar-pick lingo,

“medium” refers to the

thickness (gauge) of the

pick. The term “standard”

refers to the pick’s shape.

I chose the trio of picks for this project

because they’re all the same shape and their combined thickness is just right for the size of the jump rings I wanted to use to make the bezel.

Insert the picks into the bezel. Align the picks and insert them pointed-end first into the opening of the bezel [4]. (I inserted mine so that the side of the bezel with all brass rings would lie against the tortoise-shell pick.)

It’s okay if the rings are a little floppy; just make sure that the points of the picks are centered directly opposite the opening in the bezel.

Stabilize the bezel. The bezel’s opening is made up of three pairs of unconnected 4 mm jump rings. Thread one 3 mm ring through the middle pair [5]. Close the 3 mm ring.

Although the bezel may feel a bit loose at this point, manipulate the jump rings so that they are aligned evenly around the guitar-pick sandwich. Make sure that the pointed ends of the picks line up across from the 3 mm ring you just added.

Add one 3 mm ring each to the remain-ing two pairs of unconnected 4 mm jump rings [6].

Adjust the bezel. I use a bent piece of scrap wire to manipulate the jump rings so that the bezel creates a snug capture for the guitar picks [7]. You could also use

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A stainless steel pick adds some flash to the reverse side of the pendant.

a paper clip, toothpick, or other pointed tool — just take care not to mar the sur-face of the guitar picks as you work.

Finish closing the bezel. After you’ve aligned the bezel to your liking, add another 3 mm ring to each of the 4 mm jump ring pairs at the short side of the assembly [8].

Add a leather cord. Starting at the pointed end of the picks, thread a 32-in. (81.3 cm) piece of 1.8 mm-thick leather cord through the pairs of 3 mm rings on the outside of the bezel. The pendant should look as shown [9].

You can add a crimp-closure clasp, or tie the ends of the cord to make an adjust-able necklace (see “The Long and the Short of It,” right).

materials ■ Brass jump rings:

■ 20-gauge (0.8 mm), 3 mm inside diameter (ID), 66

■ 18-gauge (1.0 mm), 4 mm ID, 11

■ Anodized-aluminum jump rings: 18-gauge (1.0 mm), black, 4 mm ID, 11

■ Guitar picks: ■ Fender 351 tortoiseshell, medium, standard, 1

■ Fender 351 white, medium, standard, 1

■ Dunlop stainless steel, thin, standard, 1

■ Leather cord: black, 1.8 mm thick, 32 in. (81.3 cm)

■ Crimp-closure clasp (optional)

tools & supplies ■ Pliers: 2 pairs of chainnose or flatnose

■ Scrap wire, toothpick, or paper clip

It’s always nice to have options. One way to add versatility to this necklace is to make the necklace cord adjustable by tying a pair of easy knots. Just follow this sequence of steps, and you’ll be set to rock out in a choker or go for a more subdued look with a longer necklace.

Pro

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oto

s by J

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n Wik.

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8 9 the long and the

short of it

A side view shows how the jump rings create a bail for the leather cord.

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