DIY Baroque necklace with Pacchi beads

Hello everyone and welcome to the first post of 2017, a tutorial that will help you make a Baroque necklace with Pacchi beads. I recently created a Baroque necklace tutorial for the popular bead site Beadsnfashion using their gold metal beads with Pacchi style work in royal blue and dark red and was tempted to create another Baroque necklace design using the pearl version of the same beads.

Baroque art with its flowing sinuous curves and ornate embellishments has captivated the attention of Connoisseurs of western art and architecture ever since the 17th century. Many baroque and Rococo elements can be still found in colonial era buildings across India.

The word, Baroque, seems to have originated from the Portuguese word ‘barocco’ meaning, irregular pearl or stone highlighting its close connection to jewelry. Gold necklaces, earrings, and brooches set with rich stones and luscious cascading strands of pearls came to represent the epitome of baroque elegance.

Pacchi or Pachi refers to the technique of gem setting,  where matt – opaque stones and pearls are used in a thin gold(en) bezel setting. In traditional designs mostly cabochons are used, but, sometimes the stones could be faceted too. The bezels stones are stacked next to one another and in tiers simulating an arrangement of petals in a flower. The beads that I am using, are however different. They are ornate in metal work with a just a few stones embellishing the beads making it look more European than Indian. It is this quality, that makes them suitable for this design.

DIY Baroque necklace with Pacchi beads

Materials

1. White pacchi beads – 4
2. Pearls- 6mm ivory – 6
3. Glass Rhinestone teardrop
4. Brass Patterned link chain
5. 2″ brass eye pin -7
6. Brass wire 26g
7. Jump rings – 2

Tools – Chain and round nose pliers, wire cutters

Method

1. Loop all the four pacchi beads using eye pins. I made simple loops to keep the focus on the bead, however, you can do wrapped loops too and use wire instead of eye pins in that case.

2. Create a Briolette wrap on the rhinestone focal using 26g brass wire.

3. Connect the wrapped rhinestone to the looped pacchi beads using jump rings

4. Loop the 6 pearls individually and keep aside.

5. To make the necklace – on either side connect the pacchi bead to a pearl, followed by another pacchi, followed by two more looped pearl beads. Do on close the loop on the last pearls on either side.

6. Connect the last pearls to a length of chain – to go comfortably over your head as this is a clasp-less long necklace. Alternatively, you can shorten the chain and add a clasp

Though this necklace looks chunky in the pictures, when my mom wore it with a dull beige cotton saree of mine, she looked elegant without the necklace overpowering her. Contrary to my initial thought, the crystal is not very shiny and the sheen is understated enough for day wear. You can pair this necklace with Gold filigree earrings, Pearl drops or rhinestone drops as per your mood, occassion, and attire.

Some art critics might call the final necklace to be more Rococo than Baroque. But the heavy beads used in the necklace, the rich deep vine work in them, the dome of the beads and lastly the colour makes me lean more towards Baroque – a leaner, later or new baroque.

 As ‘Neo-baroque’, a lighter and modern version of Baroque jewelry will be in trend in SS17, I am sure that this necklace will be a valuable addition to your wardrobe. 

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