Wire Woven Flower Pendant Necklace

I made this necklace a couple years ago and it is still one of my favorites.  Here's a look into my process.

The first thing I did was to string the beads onto medium soft-flex beading wire and crimp off the edges.... making two identical strands roughly 9" long. 

I found these beautiful yellow agate chunky doughnut beads at the Bead and Button Show.

 I knew for this necklace I wanted a central focal pendant but I wasn't envisioning anything in particular.  After many trial and error attempts with various ideas I decided a flower would work perfectly.  I used 18 gauge copper wire (for this project 18 gauge works just fine.... depending on how you're using it you might consider heavier gauge wire).  I used about three feet of wire and began forming my petals randomly.... making sure to leave enough on each end to form an attaching eyelet.   Once I had the basic shape together I simply used 24 gauge wire to tack them together in the center.

 After tacking the center and getting the petals arranged I began weaving from the center outward roughly 2/3 up attaching the petals together for stability then I moved to the outer portion of the petals.......covering all framework with some form of wrapping.

To finish off the center I added a focal bead on a headpin that is wrapped around the eyelet stems on the back that will be used to attach the pendant to the beaded portion of the necklace.  Add a closure of your choice, use jump rings to attach your flower pendant to your bead strands and Voila!  You have a beautiful, unique new necklace.  If you're having trouble with your wire weaving technique don't worry.... it gets easier with practice.  I figured out a couple patterns I like by simply taking 3-5 inch pieces of heavier gauge wire and playing around with different patterns using 24 gauge wrapping wire until I found a technique and style that worked for me.  Here's a few links to aid you in your wire weaving adventures:

Basic Wire Weaving Tutorial
Wire Weaving 101
8 Wire Weaving Tutorials