Prepare Your Jewelry-Making Materials
Gather the seed beads, oval agate cabochons, faux pearls, crystal beads, FireLine and jewelry-making tools shown above before beginning this free seed bead tutorial.
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SHOP DIY KIT NOWHow to Bezel an Oval Agate Cabochon with Seed Beads
In this free jewelry-making tutorial, we will create one complete oval agate cabochon component for our luxury seed bead necklace. The finished necklace requires six matching oval components, so repeat this process six times before moving on to the central teardrop component.
The beaded bezel is built in layers using small seed beads, faux pearls and crystal accents. Follow the thread paths and colored markings carefully to keep the beadwork even and secure around the oval agate stone.
Red mark: The point where the thread exits.
Blue mark: The bead where the needle enters.
White mark: A bead that should be skipped.
Step 1: Form the Seed Bead Base Ring
Begin with approximately 3 m (about 10 ft) of FireLine. Pick up 32 Part A seed beads, slide them toward the end of the thread and tie an overhand knot to form the base ring.
Pass both thread ends through several beads, pull the ring tight and trim the short thread tail. Keep the longer working thread for the following rounds.
Add one Part A bead. Following the colored marks, exit from the red point, skip the white-marked bead and pass through the blue-marked bead.
Continue adding one Part A bead at a time, skipping one base bead between additions. Work around the entire ring, then pass through the first Part A bead added in this round without adding another bead.
Step 2: Build and Tighten the Raised Beadwork
Pick up one Part G bead and stitch it into position between the beads indicated by the red and blue markings.
Continue adding one Part G bead at a time around the full ring. The beadwork may lie relatively flat while you are stitching. Pull the working thread upward and tighten it firmly so that the new round stands upright around the edge.
Pass the needle through the first bead added in the previous round. Add another Part G bead and continue following the marked exit and entry points until this round is complete.
Next, pick up one Part A bead. Pass through the two blue-marked Part G beads while skipping the two white-marked Part G beads between them. Repeat this sequence around the ring and pull the thread tight.
Step 3: Insert the Oval Agate Cabochon
Pass the needle through the final Part A bead added in the previous round. Following the arrows, weave through the existing beadwork until the thread exits from the blue-marked bead.
Place the oval Part I agate cabochon inside the beaded setting. Make sure the stone sits evenly in the center before continuing.
Add one Part C bead. Exit from the red-marked bead, skip the white-marked bead and enter through the blue-marked bead. Repeat around the complete oval.
Add another Part C bead and pass through the red-marked Part C bead. Continue adding Part C beads until the full round is complete.
Without picking up another bead, pass through the first Part C bead added in this round and continue through the marked bead. Follow the illustrated thread path until the needle reaches the next working position.
Step 4: Create the Four-Bead Side Loops
Pass through the first Part A bead added in the previous round. Pick up four Part G beads and pass through the blue-marked bead to form a raised loop.
Continue adding groups of four Part G beads between the indicated anchor beads. Repeat the same sequence until the loops extend around the entire oval.
At the end of the round, pass through the first four Part G beads added in this step to bring the needle into the correct position.
Add one Part A bead and stitch through the blue-marked group of four Part G beads.
Repeat this process between each raised loop. After adding the last Part A bead, pass through the first Part A bead added during this step, then pass through the next four blue-marked Part G beads.
Step 5: Add the Decorative Bead Groups
Pass through the first Part A bead added in the previous round. Pick up one bead group in the following order: Part A + Part F + Part A.
Stitch the group onto the long side of the oval agate cabochon, exiting at the red mark and entering at the blue mark.
Next, add a group of Part G + Part G + Part E + Part G + Part G at the upper diagonal position of the oval stone.
Continue around the setting by adding a group of Part A + Part E + Part A, followed by another Part G + Part G + Part E + Part G + Part G group.
At the bottom of the oval agate cabochon, add Part A + Part F + Part A. Repeat the illustrated arrangement around the entire stone.
Finish by passing the needle through the first Part A + Part F + Part A group added in this section.
Step 6: Check the Eight Decorative Groups
The diagram below shows the complete placement of all eight decorative bead groups around the oval cabochon.
- Position 1: G + G + E + G + G
- Position 2: A + F + A
- Position 3: A + E + A
Check the position of each group before beginning the next outer round. The bead groups should sit symmetrically around the oval stone.
Exit from the red-marked bead, pick up eight Part C beads and enter through the blue-marked bead. At the next section, pick up six Part C beads and stitch through the next blue-marked bead.
Follow the sequence shown in the photographs: 8 Part C beads, 6 Part C beads, 6 Part C beads. Repeat this arrangement around the opposite half of the component.
Step 7: Complete the Outer Part C Loops
Use the placement diagram to check the completed outer loops:
- Position 1: eight Part C beads
- Position 2: six Part C beads
Make sure every loop follows the same orientation and that the working thread remains firm without pulling the oval component out of shape.
Exit from the red-marked bead and skip the white-marked bead. Pick up three Part C beads, enter through the single blue-marked bead and continue through a total of four Part C beads in the direction of the arrow.
Add one Part B bead. Enter through the blue-marked Part C bead and continue through a total of four beads in the arrow direction.
Continue alternating the illustrated three-Part-C sections and single Part B beads. Follow each arrow carefully—the blue mark identifies the first bead the needle enters, while the arrow shows the remaining beads in the thread path.
Step 8: Finish the Pointed Outer Details
Check the completed layout using the reference image below:
- Position 1: one newly added Part B bead
- Position 2: three newly added Part C beads
These alternating additions form the pointed decorative edge surrounding the oval agate cabochon.
Pick up a bead group in this order: Part D + Part C + Part C + Part D. Exit from the red-marked bead and enter through the blue-marked bead.
Add three Part G beads and stitch them into position between the indicated anchor beads. Repeat with another group of three Part G beads.
Continue with the longer illustrated group: Part C + Part C + Part D + Part C + Part C + Part D + Part C + Part C, then stitch from the red exit point into the blue entry point.
Step 9: Check the Front and Back Bead Placement
Use the front-view diagram to confirm the placement of the decorative groups:
- Position 1: D + C + C + D
- Position 2: C + C + D + C + C + D + C + C
The longer bead groups sit at the top and bottom, while the shorter groups sit on the two sides of the oval component.
Turn the component over and follow the back-view thread-path diagram. The arrows show the direction of the working thread.
Every light-blue bar represents a newly added group of three Part G beads. The dark-blue marks indicate the beads the needle passes through. Continue around the back of the component and finish at the position indicated by the red arrow.
Step 10: Add the Final Part B Beads
Without adding a bead, enter through the red-marked bead and pass through a total of two beads in the direction of the arrow.
Pick up one Part B bead and pass through the next three beads following the illustrated thread path.
Continue through all of the blue-marked beads. At the next point, add another Part B bead and pass through the five blue-marked beads in the direction of the arrow.
Repeat around the full oval until a Part B bead has been added to every outer point.
The boxed red mark identifies both the original entry point and the final exit position. Follow the red arrows through the existing beads and add the groups of three Part G beads shown by the blue arrows.
After completing the final group, exit from the red-marked bead and pass through the blue-marked beads in the direction shown.
The front view confirms the final thread position and direction. One oval agate cabochon component is now complete. Repeat the full process until you have made six matching oval components for the necklace.
Make six matching oval agate components for the necklace. Check that the bead tension, decorative loops and final thread positions are consistent across all six pieces.
Watch the Oval Agate Bezel Video Tutorial
After following the step-by-step photo tutorial, watch the Instagram Reel below to see the complete bead-weaving process in motion.
Make the Complete Seed Bead Necklace
Ready to create the complete necklace? Our DIY kit brings the coordinated seed beads, oval agate cabochons, faux pearls, crystals and findings together in one convenient jewelry-making set.
Enjoy creating, no stress in sourcing.
SHOP DIY KIT NOW
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