For awhile now, I've noticed finished jewelry made with mixed metals (silver and brass, gunmetal and gold, pewter and brass, etc.). It's a trend that seems to keep growing, which is great since I love the look of it all. Here's a necklace that's mostly silver with just touches of gold mixed in, in the forms of wire and crimp findings. Garnet stones in round and faceted shapes and simple silver bead frames add elegance and drama to an otherwise simple-to-assemble necklace. There are lots of steps in this necklace, but they're all pretty basic. This piece would be lovely made in just about any color palette and mixture of metals.Materials needed:
38" of Non-Tarnish Silver 22-Gauge Craft Wire
48" of 24K Gold .019 Diameter Beading Wire
48" of 925 Sterling Silver .019 Diameter Beading Wire
64" of Garnet .019 Diameter Beading Wire
16x10mm Sterling Silver Oval Toggle Clasp
22 Gold-Filled 1mm Crimp Tubes
44 Sterling Silver 1mm Crimp Tubes
22 Sterling Silver or Gold-Filled 2mm Crimp Tubes
22 Gold-Filled 3mm Crimp Covers
4 Sterling Silver 14x17mm Butterfly Bead Frames
29 Garnet 5mm Round Beads
26 Garnet 5x4-8x9mm Simple Cut Nuggets
Tools needed:
Cutters
Crimping Pliers
Nylon Jaw Cutters
Chain Nose Pliers
Round Nose Pliers
Micro Crimping Pliers
Needle Nose Pliers
Bead Stoppers
Finished Size: 23"
Step 1: Use 4" of Garnet beading wire to string one 2mm crimp tube. Pass one end of the wire back through the tube. Adjust the wire and the crimp tube so there is a small loop of wire, and crimp. Cover the crimp tube with 1 crimp cover. Use the long end of the wire to string the first hole of 1 bead frame, 1 garnet nugget, the second hole of the bead frame, and one 2mm crimp tube. Pass back through the tube, adjusting the wire to form a small loop, and crimp as close to the bead frame as possible. Cover the crimp tube with 1 crimp cover. Repeat three times to make a total of four beading wire links.
Step 2: Use 2" of craft wire to form a wrapped loop that attaches to one loop of 1 beading wire link. String 1 garnet round and form a wrapped loop that attaches to one loop of a second beading wire link. Use 2" of craft wire to form a wrapped loop that attaches to the other loop of the previous beading wire link. String 1 garnet round and form a wrapped loop that attaches to one loop of a third beading wire link. Set aside.
Step 3: Use 2" of craft wire to form a wrapped loop. String 1 garnet nugget and form a wrapped loop. *Use 2" of craft wire to form a wrapped loop that attaches to the previous wrapped loop. String 1 garnet round and form a wrapped loop. Repeat from * twice. Use 2" of craft wire to form a wrapped loop that attaches to the previous wrapped loop. String 1 garnet nugget and form a wrapped loop. 
Step 4: Use 2" of craft wire to form a wrapped loop that attaches to the ring half of the clasp. String 1 garnet round and form a wrapped loop that attaches to one end of 1 garnet chain.
Step 5: Use 2" of craft wire to form a wrapped loop that attaches to the other end of the garnet chain. String 1 garnet round and form a wrapped loop that attaches to one beading wire loop of the chain formed in Step 2.
Step 6: Use 3" of craft wire to form a large (about 6mm) wrapped loop. String 1 garnet round and form a wrapped loop that attaches to the other end of the chain. 
Step 7: Repeat Steps 3-6 for the other end of the necklace, using the bar half of the clasp and the single link remaining from Step 1. Set both necklace ends aside.
Step 8: Place a Bead Stopper on one end of 16" of 925 Sterling Silver beading wire. String 1 sterling silver 1mm crimp tube and 1 garnet nugget. String {2 sterling silver 1mm crimp tubes, 1 garnet round, 2 sterling silver 2mm crimp tubes, and 1 garnet nugget} five times. String 1 sterling silver 1mm crimp tube. Place a Bead Stopper on the wire end. Repeat entire step using 24K Gold beading wire and gold-filled 1mm crimp tubes. Repeat step again using Garnet beading wire and gold-filled 1mm crimp tubes. Set aside.
Step 9: Use two 16" pieces of 24K Gold beading wire and one 16" piece of Garnet beading wire to string one 2mm crimp tube. Place the tube about 2" from the wire ends, and crimp. Trim the Garnet beading wire end and one 24K Gold beading wire end. Do not cut the remaining wire end. Braid the three wires together for about 9 1/2". Use all three wires to string one 2mm crimp tube. Measure the braid so that there are 9 1/2" between the crimp tubes, and crimp. Trim the Garnet beading wire end and one 24K Gold beading wire end. Do not cut the remaining wire end. Cover the crimp tubes with crimp covers.
Step 10: Repeat Step 9 using two 16" pieces of 925 Sterling Silver wire and one 16" piece of Garnet wire. Set braided wire strands aside.
Step 11: Remove the Bead Stopper and use the Sterling Silver wire strand with the garnet beads to string one 2mm crimp tube and the 6mm wrapped loop from one end of the necklace. Pass back through the tube, and crimp. Cover the crimp tube with 1 crimp cover. Repeat four times, attaching the strands in the following order: the Gold/Garnet braided strand, the Garnet wire strand with the garnet beads, the Sterling Silver/Garnet braided strand, and the Gold wire strand with the garnet beads, removing Bead Stoppers as necessary. Repeat entire step for the other end of the necklace. 
Step 12: Place the necklace on the workspace and adjust the 1mm crimp tubes and the garnet beads on the 925 Sterling Silver, 24K Gold, and Garnet beading wire strands as desired. Use Micro Crimping Pliers or needle nose pliers to crimp the 1mm crimp tubes, securing the garnet beads in place.Enjoy!
Guest blogger Jamie Hogsett is the Education Coordinator for Soft Flex Company. Contact her at Jamie@SoftFlexCompany.com.