How to Make a Crystal Flower Ring
Beading with Bicones

This beaded ring is very easy to make and looks stunning. Crystal bicone beads fit together to form flower shapes, which can be strung in a row or embellished for more design options. Small crystals make a dainty ring for any size finger, while large crystals make a bold statement, like a cocktail ring.

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Skill Level	Beginner
Time Required	1/-2 to 1 hour

Materials	Comments
crystal bicone beads	3-mm, 4-mm or 6-mm. The size of beads determines the width and thickness of the face of the ring. The ring with three 'flowers' in a row was made using twelve 4-mm bicones. The larger ring with the single flower uses four 6-mm bicones. I used Celestial Crystal that I got from Fire Mountain Gems, but Swarovski is a superior choice.
size 11 seed beads	The holes in the beads and number of thread passes will probably keep you from using size 14/15 beads. The 3-flower ring was made using Matsuno beads. The 1-flower ring used Delicas. I think size 13 Charlottes would look very pretty.
stringing material	I used Power Pro (or Spiderwire or similar cord). Clear nylon monofilament is a pretty alternative, but less durable. I don't recommend Nymo or most other threads for this project because bicone beads have very sharp edges.
2 beading needles	Size 10-12 are fine.
scissors	I used kiddie Fiskars.

Both rings are made using the same basic motif. In the case of the 3-flower ring, I simply repeated the motif three times in a row. For the 1-flower ring, I made the motif, completed the band, and embellished the flower during my second pass through the beadwork.

Cut about a meter of stringing material and thread needles on both ends. String a bicone, an odd number of seed beads (I used 11 Delicas for 6-mm bicones or 7 Matsunos for the 4-mm bicones), and another bicone. Allow the beads to slide to the center of the thread. Note: an odd number of beads allows a single bead to serve as the connection point between the band of the ring and the crystal flowers. Use a different number of beads for a 2 or 3 bead connection.

Cross both threads through a seed bead. This makes the center of a flower.

String a bicone on each needle. This completes a crystal flower. Now, to start a second flower, string a seed bead and a bicone on each needle and cross the threads through a new seed bead. Add a bicone to each needle to finish a second flower and repeat the steps for even more flowers in a row. The seed beads between flowers help to protect the thread from breakage.

After one or more flowers, string 5 seed beads on each needle (or 3... it is half the number of beads used in the first step, minus one). Cross the needles through a new seed bead. This completes the face of the ring and begins the band.

My band in this example consists of two seed beads on each needle crossed through two more seed beads. Work your band pattern around until the ring fits your finger.

Cross the needles through the 'middle' bead of the ring face, making sure that the band isn't twisted. You can knot the threads and cut them, weave through your work again, or add embellishments to the face of the ring. For the blue and orange ring, I traced through my work a second time, knotting the threads periodically, and cut the threads once I had completed the second thread path through the beadwork (this ring is over two years old and hasn't broken).

I embellished the larger ring, working with one thread at a time. The thread passed through the 5 beads up to a crystal. Eight seed beads were added.

The needle was passed back through the 5th seed bead (only this bead, to make a tiny loop).

Another 4 seed beads were added. The needle passed through the 5 beads at the side of the ring. The other thread was worked the same way.

The threads were knotted and then I reinforced and stiffened the ring with a second set of thread passes. These were hex-cut Delicas, which required some care to avoid breaking a bead with the needle in the second thread pass. Using a smaller needle (e.g., size 13) or a finer thread would have prevented this potential problem. Thankfully, none of the beads broke. This ring looks like a glittering star on the finger!

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