Earrings with Gemstone Beads, Czech Fire-Polished Glass Beads and Seed Beads

The first step is to carefully choose all the beads you will need for both earrings. Consistency in size is important. I line up bugle beads side by side and choose 10 that are the same length. Choose twenty 4mm beads and ten 6mm beads that are uniform in size.

• Cut a 4 foot piece of Nymo®
• Slide 2 bugle beads onto the thread, leaving 4 inches of thread as a tail to be used to make a knot to finish off the earring
• Bring the needle up through the bottom of the first bugle bead and cinch the thread tight so the two bugle beads lay side by side

• Bring the needle back down through the second bugle bead
• Holding the bugle beads between your thumb and forefinger, pull on both ends of the thread to keep the beads snugly together
  
• At this point, both ends of thread should be coming out the bottoms of the bugle beads
  
• Thread on another bugle bead and bring the needle down through the last bead
  
• Cinch the thread after each bead
  
• Bring the needle back up through the last bugle bead
  
• Continue until you have 5 bugle beads sewn together side by side
  
• At this point, the ends of your thread will be coming out of opposite corners of your row of bugle beads

• Now sew up and down through all bugle beads until the ends of thread are coming out each end of the same bugle bead. The left bead on the row. The tail will be on the bottom

Building the pyramid top: As you build the pyramid of seed beads, you will be working from left to right. Thread on one seed bead then bring the needle towards you through the loop of thread that's between the first and second bugle bead. Bring the needle back up through the seed bead and cinch it down tight. Thread on another seed bead and cinch it down. Continue until you have a row of 4 seed beads sitting atop your row of bugle beads. Continue to hold the row of bugle beads firmly between thumb and forefinger as you build the pyramid.

After you have the first row of 4 seed beads, turn the piece over so that you are working form left to right in building the second row. A note at this point: the last bead on the first row may loosen as you sew on the first bead of the second row. To ensure the edges of the pyramid remain tight, cinch down the one on top of it. Another note: remember to be choosey about which seed beads you use. Consistency in size makes for a neater piece.

Turn the piece over again after the second row of three beads. After the third row of two beads, thread on 6 seed beads to make the loop that attaches to the ear wire. Bring the needle down through the right seed bead on the top row, back up through the left bead on the top row, up through all the beads of the loop and back down through the top right seed bead. Going through the loop twice with the thread will make it stronger. Bring the thread over and down through seed beads and down through the outside bugle bead so that the thread is coming out of the left bugle bead and the tail is coming out the right bugle bead.