Beaded Key Rings

Or Cell Phone Charms

Hang these charms from your cell phone, purse, belt loop, notebook or use them as beaded key rings. They are great gifts for girls of all ages!

Materials For Beaded Key Rings/Cell Phone Charms

• Key ring (the ones used here are made for crafting, with a stringing hole at the bottom, a nice finish, and an easy-to-use screw closure)
• Twisted cable jewelry wire, about 6 inches (depending on the length of your design)
• A large decorative bead to dangle at the bottom (shown here are foiled glass bead hearts and a lampwork bead butterfly)
• Coordinating beads and decorative spacer beads
• 2 Crimp Beads
• 1 Head Pin (long enough to hold the dangle bead with enough extra to form a loop for stringing

Beading Tools

• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Scissors

How To Make Your Beaded Key Ring

Lay out your bead design. Use the detail photos here for ideas.

Thread the head pin through the dangle bead.

Using the round nose pliers, form a loop at the top.

Cut a piece of wire about two inches longer than the rest of your design.

Thread the twisted wire through a crimp bead; through the loop you made on the dangle bead; and back through the crimp bead. Leave about a one-inch tail (which will be hidden by your bead design and help secure it).

Flatten the crimp bead using the chain nose pliers.

Be sure to squeeze tightly so that the crimp bead is very secure.

String your beads and spacers. End with the second crimp bead.

Run the wire through the key ring hole (or around the key ring, if it has no stringing hole), back through the crimp bead and through a couple of the beads.

Holding the beads taut with one hand, pull the wire to tighten the loop.

Flatten the crimp bead as before.