Before I made my first graduated necklace, I thought they were easy. It’s just stringing and attaching a clasp; how hard could it be? Turns out, they can be quite challenging, especially if you want precisely placed layers, rather than a more casual overlapping look.

I’ve tried a few different approaches to making a necklace of graduated strands of seed beads, and I’ve found a few tricks that work:
•    Attach all the strands to one half of the clasp, then string the beads, allowing for more length than you think you will need. Secure the ends of each strand with tape or a bead stopper.
•    Close the clasp, and lay out the strands on a flat surface. Starting with the top strand, arrange the strands as circles, each strand around the one above it, and attach them one by one to the other side of the clasp. When worn, the strands may overlap slightly, but the layered effect will be clear. (I made the blue necklace for the book Seed Bead Savvy using this technique.)
•     If you have a necklace form, close the clasp and tape it to the back of the form. Attach the strands one by one to the other side of the clasp, working shortest to longest, and taking care not to twist or overlap the strands. This will get a near-perfect graduated effect, but takes a little patience and careful hands.
•    Hang up your graduated necklace when you aren’t working on it (or wearing it) to prevent tangles and twists.

I’d love to know the challenges you’ve discovered while beading, and how you got past them. E-mail me your tips at lweiss@beadandbutton.com. If you’ve encountered a beading challenge that still has you puzzled, don’t forget to Ask Anna!