Making the links:

1. Cut pieces of copper wire approximately 2.5 inches long. You'll need one for each tile. Cut another piece about 4 inches long for the pendant.

2. Position two of the smallest pegs on the Jewelry Jig so that they are 3/4 inch apart.

3. Place one of the shorter pieces of wire diagonally between the pegs on the Jewelry Jig.

4. Use pliers to pull the wire tightly around each peg to form loops.

5. Remove the wire from the jig and trim excess wire.

6. Bend the longest piece of wire at one end into a "zigzag" shape.

7. Place each piece of wire on the anvil (or another sturdy surface) and hammer them flat.

 

Making the tiles:
1. Roll conditioned black clay out to 1/16 inch thick.

2. Use 1- inch cutter and cut two squares for each tile you are making. Cut two 1x2-inch rectangles.

3. Position a wire link on one of the squares of clay. Add another square of clay on top, sandwiching the wire between.

4. Use the sandpaper or kitchen scrubbing pad to texture the top of the "sandwich". As you are texturizing the clay you are also pressing the clay squares together.

5. Put a small amount of TLS on the back of each leaf and spread it out.

6. Position a leaf on each tile, pressing it gently in place.

7. Repeat Steps 3-6 for each tile. Make the pendant as you did the tiles, but position the wire lengthwise (with the "zigzag" at the bottom).

8. Bake all the tiles at 275 degrees for 30 minutes in a calibrated oven that has had its accuracy checked with an external oven thermometer. Allow to cool.

Assembling the necklace:
1. After the tiles are cool wipe them with a soft cloth to remove any excess mica powder that was not adhered to the leaves.

2. On the rectangular pendant- trim excess wire if necessary at the top and use the round nose pliers to turn a small loop. Make sure the loop is tightly closed

3. To join two tiles- cut a length of beading wire that is the length you want between tiles + 3 inches. For example, if I want 1.5 inches of beads between two tiles I will cut a 4.5-inch piece of beading wire.

4. Thread a crimp bead onto the beading wire. Bring the wire through the loop on one end of a tile. Go back through the crimp bead again, push the crimp bead tight against the wire link, and adjust the length of this "tail". (it should extend a small distance past the crimp bead)

5. Use the crimping pliers or a pair of chain nose pliers to squeeze the crimp bead tightly against the wire. (crimp beads are intended to be crimped, or flattened, against the wire)

6. Thread on desired length of beads, making sure that the "tail" of beading wire gets hidden inside the first few beads.

7. Once the beads are strung, add another crimp bead then go through the wire loop on the next link and back through the crimp bead as before, then back through two or three beads. It will take a bit of adjusting to pull the wire and crimp bead snug against the length of beads but you need to do this to remove excess wire.

8. Crimp the crimp bead as before then trim any excess wire as close as possible to the beads.

9. Continue linking tiles together to create the necklace as desired.

10. When stringing the length of beads that will connect the two center tiles, add the pendant to the string at the halfway point then continue beading as before.

11. Once the desired length is reached, attach the pieces of the clasp to each side of the necklace using crimp beads.

 

General notes:
You can assemble the necklace in any order, but you may find it easiest to start with the center and work up on each side. This makes it easy to match the patterns and keep the lengths even (if that's important for your design- but random is good too!) My necklace used four tiles plus the pendant and measures about 22 inches in length. I wasn't aiming for an exact length, but if you are you must remember to subtract the length of the clasp to determine how much beading will be required. (In other words when you add the clasp the necklace gets longer by that small amount so plan for that if it matters to you!)