Jasper & Freshwater Pearl Mala Necklace

Why We Love This Tutorial:

Here we have another long necklace that is simply strung on tigertail. We would often knot between each bead with this style of necklace, but by using tiny 15/0 seed beads we get the same effect with a lot less effort (and time, yay!). We have used some of the new (as of 18th Aug, 2020) chunky peanut freshwater pearls as a feature, among lovely little 4mm Picture Jasper cubes and Green Jasper 8mm rounds. I often won’t use any decorative findings such as caps or spacers when I make a Mala, but in this design the bronze bead caps and daisy spacers add an extra element.  We’ve used a tassel for this design, but a gemstone pendant would work equally as well!. In terms of length, this necklace has worked out to be about 85cm long, plus the length of the pearl drop and tassel.

Note: as with all of our designs, you may have to substitute for some of the non-standard beads we have used. For example, the large peanut pearls are available in limited quantities… and may be sold out by the time you see this! However, we get new pearls in all the time so please take a look for something of a similar size.

Beads and Materials You’ll Need:

• 5x Large (10mm wide or larger) Freshwater Pearls. We have used these Peanut pearls.
• 30x 8mm Gemstone Round Beads. We have used 8mm Green Jasper Round Beads.
• 4mm Gemstone Cube Beads. We have used Picture Jasper cubes.
• Tassel. We have used an Olive Green Tassel.
• Size 15/0 Seed Beads. Choose a colour to match – we used matte bronze.
• 30x Bronze Daisy Spacers. Anything from a 6mm to 8mm will work.
• 10x Bronze Bead Caps. Anything from a 9mm to 12mm will work, we’ve used 12mm caps.
• Clasp of your choice
• 4x Crimps (I like to double crimp for safety).
• Tiger Tail (we used 0.45mm)

Tools You’ll Need:

• Flat Nose pliers (for crimping)
• Scissors (for cutting tiger tail – never use pliers for this!)

Method:

1. This necklace is simple strung on tigertail in the following pattern. Things to note:
   • Each Picture Jasper cube is spaced with a 15/0 seed bead. Each 8mm Green Jasper is spaced with a 7mm Daisy Spacer. Each pearl has a bead cap either side. Take a look at the photo if you need clarification 🙂
   • We have taken the tigertail down through the middle pearl to create a drop, then through the tassel and back up through the pearl before continuing on. Note: we have trimmed the loop of the tassel so that it sits closely to the pearl drop.
   • The pattern for this design is (from the clasp): 8x Picture Jasper Cube – 3x Green Jasper Round – Pearl – 3x Green Jasper Round – 16x Picture Jasper Cube – 3x Green Jasper Round – Pearl – 3x Green Jasper Round – 16x Picture Jasper Cube – 3x Green Jasper Round – [down through the pearl drop and tassel, and back up through the pearl drop] – 3x Green Jasper Round – 16x Picture Jasper Cube – 3x Green Jasper Round – Pearl – 3x Green Jasper Round – 16x Picture Jasper Cube – 3x Green Jasper Round – Pearl – 3x Green Jasper Round – 8x Picture Jasper Cube.
2. Finish off your necklace using crimps and the clasp of your choice.
3. And that’s it! Super simple