How to Make a Pea Pod Charm

I absolutely love the pea pod charms that you see a lot on Etsy with the wire wrapping around the pearl "peas" looking like an abstract pod.  But I thought it would be cuter if I could actually make a entire pod casing to more closely resemble a traditional pea pod.  So here is how I do it (Just in time for Mother's Day!)

Materials: 
- 36 gage aluminum tooling foil
- 2" silver head pin
- 2-8 6mm glass pearls (or other round beads)
- Needle-nose pliers
- Scissors
- Thin, stiff piece of cardboard or other material
- Jewelry glue (Not pictured)

Optional:
- Decorative bail (To add a bit more sophistication)
- Paper punch (To make a more uniform piece of foil to work with.  Use a punch cuts paper at least 2" in size.  An oval shape like this one or a rectangle would probably work the best.)

STEP 1:

Thread the pearls onto the head pin (I used pearl colors in the birth months to make this gift for my mom for Mother's Day to represent our family.  Using all one color like white or green makes a pretty piece too!).  Wrap the remaining part of the head pin around the pliers to form a loop and then wrap the remainder around the "neck" between the loop and the top bead.

STEP 2:

Cut a piece of the tooling foil out with either scissors or a paper punch.  Cut a size that's around 2"x3/4" (Longer if you are using more beads).  When using an oval, trim the sides down so they are straight and the diameter of the foil is now around 3/4".  Then fold the edges in about 1/8" (Use your cardboard to make a sharp and uniform crease.  Work on a hard, flat surface is best.)  Flatten with a heavy object to the butt end of your tool.  

STEP 3:

Cut a center slit down both sides of the foil (It works best to hold the pin of "peas" in the middle while you do this.)  Cut far enough down so that the slit ends at the top of each bead side.  Make an additional cut 1-2mm to each side (See bottom half of picture).  Trim close to the bottom and then bend down the remainder with the butt of your tool (See top half of picture).

STEP 4:

If using an oval or rounded punch, trim off the rounded points so that the top is straight across.  If using a rectangular punch or cutting it yourself, skip to STEP 5.

STEP 5:

Add a small bead of jewelers glue to the center of the foil piece.  It does not need a lot.  Leave a little bit of room on either end of the slits to avoid seepage.  Add your beads on the head pin, centered in between the two slits and fold the sides up to encase the beads.  Let dry for at least 30 minutes or according to directions on your glue.  

STEP 6:

When dry take your pliers and apply gentle pressure to squeeze the foil around each pearl to form the pod and to hold the "peas" in.

STEP 7:

Mold the end pieces around the end pearls with your fingertips.

STEP 8:

Using the tips of your pliers (Or a toothpick), gently curl the edges out towards you to form a little scroll on the ends.  Repeat for the 4 sections.

You're finished!  You made a wonderful and thoughtful piece of jewelry perfect for any mom or friend on your list.

I'm submitting this to win the title of:

This tutorial is for INDIVIDUAL USE ONLY, not for resale.