Introduction: Make a Golden Snitch Necklace!

About: Hi! I'm a slightly feral mountain hermit that likes to be helpful. I do community management at Instructables & Tinkercad. 🙌 Want to hear me chat about making? Search "CLAMP Podcast" on YouTube or your favorit…

There are a few ways to do this, but I'm going to show you the way I did it, which is fancy in every way.

AIN'T NO DROOPY SNITCH WINGS HERE YA'LL

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Step 1: What You Need:

  • 20 mm gold filigree bead, hollow, openings on two ends - check etsy if you can't find any locally
  • 12 inches of 18 gauge silver wire, preferably sterling silver or plated
  • chain of choice
  • jump rings
  • closures
  • small jeweler's pliers, one flat, one rounded/straight circlip (you can buy these at most craft/bead stores)

I've included a close ups of the bead to give you a better idea of what to look for. :)

Also important to note - I bought my chain in bulk and cut it to size. 16-18 inches of chain seems to be a good length for this necklace!

Step 2: Working With Wire!

It's very important to get used to working with the wire before you start. I highly recommend trimming a piece of wire 6 inches or so in length and playing around with bending it and making loops.

Loops are the hardest bit, so I've included pictures below and a little walkthrough to help you through it.

Bending loops:

  1. Start with a small length of wire and your rounded pliers.
  2. Clamp the wire where you want the loop to be. (The farther up on the pliers, the smaller the loop... the lower, the bigger.)
  3. Bring the end of the wire to the right around the side of the pliers facing you.
  4. Open the pliers and rotate the loop so the ends of the wire are on either side, and where the wire loops is clamped between the pliers.
  5. Clamp down to seal the loop.

Step 3: Starting the Necklace.

Thread the wire through the holes in your bead, and bend the wire gently up and into a teardrop shape, ends together so that you can make sure the bead is in the middle.

Once you're sure of the placement, gently bend the wire up at a sharper angle right next to the bead so that it stays in place.

You can see how this looks in the photos below.

Step 4: Bend the Tips of the Wings.

Measure 1 1/2 inches from the bend next to the bead and bend the wire at that point. This handy-dandy enter key I stripped from a keyboard is a great guide.

Once the wire is bent, put the point of the bend in your pliers and clamp down to make it more pointy. Repeat for the other side.

Note that the finished product looks a bit like a creepy spider. We'll fix that. :)

Step 5: Start Forming the Loops.

This is more of an art than a science. :)

You'll make three loops, each about 1/2 inch apart. Start 1/2 inch from the point in the wing and follow the loop making guide in step 2. After making your loops, bend the bottom of the wing up and over the wire near where the bead meets the first bend you made. This way you can check how your wing looks.

Do this for each side.

Step 6: Secure the Wings.

You're going to bend the end of the wire around where the wire exits the bead, right next to the first bend.

Crimp and clamp the bent ends so they look nice and hold firmly in place.

Step 7: Attach Chain and Clasp.

Cut two lengths of chain, 8-9 inches long. Make sure both lengths are the same so the necklace sits evenly.

Attach the chain to the wings with jump rings, and then attach jump rings to the opposite ends of the chain, putting your clasp on one of them.

Be gentle when working with jump rings because they are easily deformed, and make sure that they're closed firmly. Otherwise, a fine chain will slip right out.

Check the pictures for more details!

Step 8: Do Last Minute Adjustments!

Straighten any kinks in the wire, curve the tops of the wings slightly, flatten and/or otherwise mess with your loops if they're wonky. :)

Step 9: And You're Done!

Wear your Golden Snitch with pride.

Here are photos of others I've made... I think the best part about these is how every one looks a little different. :)

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