'Asian Amulet - Checkers Necklace' by Leigh Snaith-Brunton
The Sharpie Domino Queen

Supplies:
2 vintage red wooden checkers
2 Asian coins
3 Dragonfly charms
2 Fan charms
2 amber jewels
19 red Asian wooden beads
Red chenille fiber
4 red seed beads
Gold wire
Eye screws
Jump rings - 2 small, 2 medium, 1 large.
Judikins Diamond Glaze glue
Wire cutters
Needle nose pliers
Dremel Rotary tool or any other drill
Clamp

Directions:
Start this project by drilling holes into the wooden checkers.
Drill 3 holes into each piece at the 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions.

SAFETY TIP:
Make sure you put the checkers into a clamp to hold them sturdy while drilling and where safety glasses!

Screw the eye screws into the 6 drilled holes. Secure with a dab of glue if the holes are a bit too big. Position the two outer and bottom eye screws so that the holes face forward and the middle eye screws side ways. Glue an Asian coin to each checker. Once set, glue the amber jewels to the center of the coins.

Cut a length of gold wire and form an eye loop at one end. Form a loop with needle nose pliers and wrap the short end of the wire around the stem (the longest part of the wire) 2 - 3 times just below the loop. Thread 13 Asian beads onto the wire then bend the wire to form a wide upside down 'V'. Secure the other end with another eye loop.

Next make 4 bead dangles. Cut 4 short pieces of gold wire. Form an eye loop at one end of each piece of wire. Before closing the loop on two of the wires first attach a fan charm.

Make two dangles by threading a seed bead and an Asian bead and finishing with another eye loop. Make two more dangles with the wires that have the fans attached by threading an Asian bead onto them.
Finish with another eye loop. But before closing the loop attach them to the eye screws at the 6 o'clock position on the checkers.

Now to assemble the Amulet's components. First attach the two checkers together with a large jump ring. Open the jump ring and thread a seed bead, a large dragonfly charm and another seed bead, then loop the eye screws onto each end of the jump ring and close it.

Secure the beaded 'V' and the two beaded dangles to the outside eye screws with two medium jump rings. Open a jump ring and loop a dangle, the beaded 'V' and the eye screw of one checker onto the jump ring and close it. Do the same to the other side. Attach two small dragonfly charms to the beaded dangles with small jump rings.

To create the necklace thread a length of chenille fiber through the bead at the bend of the 'V'. Thread an Asian bead onto each end of the fiber and secure the ends with 2 - 3 knots.