Magnifying Necklace

This is an entry for the Etsy & Instructables SewUseFul contest. This beautiful and easy to make necklace provides the wearer with a great magnifying glass to see fine print, beads, electronic or anything! This item is currently for sale on Etsy, check it out and my other items:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6282204

To make this item you will need a magnifying glass, sterling silver wire (I used 22 gauge but you can use thicker if you have heavier beads), jade, glass and pearl beads, and sterling silver chain. Tools required are a pair of round needle noise pliers, flat pliers and wire snipers.

Step 1 Creating a Link Step 1

To make this necklace you simply need to make links for your beads. Cut a piece of wire, the length with depend on the size of your bead. Here I used about a 4mm length.

Picture 1: Hold the piece of wire near one end with your needle noise pliers.

Picture 2: Then use your fingers to hold the longer end (bottom) of wire and bend it slightly back, then take hold of the short end (top) and bend it around the piers.

Picture 3: Once you have bent the wire around the pliers it will form a loop.

Comments

[crowsfolly]

I've made a few pendants similar to this for friends that buy vintage jewelery and use it to see hallmarks and other markings. Harbor Frieght sells a set of two magnifying glass in a black plastic holder for $1.99. Use a wire cutting tool to easily snip the plastic framing the glass and voila! Perfect bit of glass to use for a pendant.

[typingmonkey]

Pretty necklace.  Unfortunately this instructable is very generic and simply shows how to make a link for a bead.  It doesn't say how the magnifying pendant was made.  The focal piece is the most interesting part. 

[air4]

Very nice, i'm definitely gonna try to make it for for my mom who has difficulties reading small prints and stuff. but where did you get the magnifier glass with jade? do you buy regular magnifying glass and glued it with the jade?

[rosanna]

Where can you buy the magnifier and the knitting needles. It looks fab pity its sold out. Thanks for sharing

[kaytracy]

Wondrous return of the Quizzinglass! nicely made! I like the instructions for the bead chain, very clear and concise! k

[thewoodcarver]

Very nice for those of us with old eyes....uhhhh errr those of us that have trouble with print that they make smaller and smaller that is . I will have to try and do this as a watch fob and get my magnifying glass off my key chain .......Gold wire and what would look good with Mickey and Grumpy?

[robodud3]

now all we need is salvester and tweety