Ultraviolet crystal – DIY pendant tutorial

Happy New year everyone. After refreshing greens, Pantone has decided the colour of 2018 as Ultraviolet. This came as a surprise to me as we had colours from the same family namely – rose quartz and serenity as colour of the year in 2016 and radiant orchid in 2014 But keeping up with the JOS tradition where I welcome each New year by decoding the colour of the year, along with a tutorial post, here is this year’s edition. Ultraviolet crystal – DIY pendant tutorial that will help you make a stylish pendant for yourself in minutes. But before that, lets take a closer look at Ultra violet.

pantone-color-of-the-year-2018-ultra-violet-banner

Colour of  the year 2018 – Ultraviolet

Purple or violet  is the colour of curiosity, imagination and future thoughts. It also symbolises mystery and mysticism. In this age of fleeting Whatsapp wishes and social media posts, Ultraviolet evokes a response by slowing down the urgency to respond. It makes you want to put FOMO (fear of missing out) aside to contemplate what it to be in that particular context.  In Pantone’s words

“PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.”

Being more “bluer” than radiant orchid the colour will work equally well with reds and yellows as it would with pinks and blues. In terms of a warm/cool balance, it is perfect. Ever since this announcement came out, I have been trying to shop for clothes in Ultraviolet colour without much luck. Purple or violet is not an easy colour to work with and doesn’t suit all skin tones. It is also too calming as paint in interior decor so it might be restricted to bedrooms or meditative spaces.

Ultraviolet in jewelry

Violet glass beads are rare but not impossible to find. There are varieties of acrylic, clay and fabric beads as well. There are many dyed jade/ agate options which will have intense colour. Those wanting dull tints can find it in semi precious beads. Another great option are coated crystals where sun polish, Titanium finish, Aurora borealis finish will leave the crystals with a distinct violet hue.  There are fantastic violet coloured gemstones like Tanzanite and Amethyst that you can use in your work. Check out this post for a list of gemstones in purple and violet. Apart from beads, you can use fibre, silk thread, and fabric bits like Sari ribbon in violet. You can annodise niobium to get beautiful violet tints.

Ultraviolet crystal – DIY pendant tutorial

The process of making this pendant will take only a few minute. However, it needs basic wire working skills particularly the knowledge of wrapping beads or briolettes. I am using golden wire and silver chain for contrast to bring out the colour accents of the crystals. You can choose to use the same metal (colour).

Ultraviolet DIY pendant1

Materials

  1. Titanium coated Druzy crystal– approx 2 in long -1
  2. Puffed oval faceted coated clear glass crystal – 1
  3. Pandora style – large hole faceted acrylic beads in blue and purple (1 each)
  4. 4mm pearl – peach
  5. Artistic wire – golden copper – 20g
  6. Silver or gold tone chain or cord
  7. Tools – Round nose pliers, nose pliers, wire cutters

ultraviolet pendant diy1

Method

  1. Cut 7 inches of wire. ( I prefer to work from the spool inorder to conserve wire) and thread through the Titanium coated Druzy crystal. Choose one that is side drilled and not top drilled for this project
  2. Leave 3 inches tail on one side and bend both ends of the wire together. Wrap the wire around the crystal 2-3 times. Create a small loop at the end and press to the side of the crystal so that the wire remains in place. This makes sure that there are no sharp wire end.ultraviolet pendant diy2

3. Add the big hole purple bead followed by the clear glass crystal, big hole blue bead and finally the faux pearl

4. Leave 3 inches tail on one side and bend both ends of the wire together. Wrap the wire around the crystal 2-3 times. Create a small loop at the end and press to the side of the crystal so that the wire remains in place. This makes sure that there are no sharp wire end.

Ultraviolet DIY pendant (2)
I hope you enjoyed reading this simple tutorial. Do try it out – the piece in reality looks so much better in reality as it is quite difficult to photograph coated crystals. Please share your feedback and do tell me in the comments how you propose to include ultraviolet in your wardrobe and also in the jewelry that you make.
I hope you found it interesting
Cheers

11 responses to “Ultraviolet crystal – DIY pendant tutorial”

  1. Rozantia Petkova avatar

    Sometimes simple things do not come to mind first! You always need to watch out when stacking beads – the colors in your pendant are beautiful but also the stack combo and the use of large hole beads. I don’t like how they look on a thin chain on a bracelet, because they don’t stay even. This is a good way to utilize them – I have a lot. As for the ultraviolet, I definitely like it, even though I am not good at distinguishing colors, especially in similar hues 🙂

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      I think its easier to fudge colours in jewelry than in clothes. Stones and beads have different finishes on them that make them appear in different tints and shades of the hue at the same time. I too struggle a lot with large bead holes. Adding pearls at the end makes it stay in place

  2. CraftyHope avatar

    What a great way to welcome in the new year! I do like seeing what the color is each year, but don’t really bother with making anything of it. Your pendant and tutorial are fab! I hope your new year is just as awesome!

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      Thanks Hope. Every year my first post is a tutorial and I do the color of the year in detail later on. This year I decided to combine the two

  3. Laura avatar

    I looove your pendant, gorgeous! Ultraviolet is one of my favourite colors, so excited, can’t wait to use my violet stash! 🙂
    Happy new year!

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      That’s fantastic Laura, I have been on a violet craze too lately

  4. Maya avatar

    I actually didn’t know ultraviolet was chosen the color of the year 🙂
    The pendant is magnificent!

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      Yes Ultraviolet is 2018’s color. The announcement as usual came out in December

  5. Mary avatar

    That is such a beautiful crystal it reminds me of my birthstone amethyst. I can definitely see wearing such a pretty pendant all year long.

    1. jewelsofsayuri avatar

      Yes Mary, Amethyst would be great substitutes for the acrylic beads and will go great with the colour of the year. You can also use a pink quartz crystal if you want to create a healing pendant for yourself

  6. thejewelcreation avatar

    Amazing pendant ! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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