Smoky Quartz Pendant

I made this as a Christmas gift as a friend. It was quite a while ago, and I think that the wire wrap did not hold up well. I'd like to find a way to achieve a similar look in a sturdier way.

The both stones are faceted smoky quartz, and I used 24 gauge sterling silver wire to create the wire wrap. I made the wire wrap with the stone in the middle by starting out as a normal wire wrap then inserting the smaller bead on top of the "stem." The non-working end wouldn't go all the way back up through the smaller bead, but it seemed securely held so I wrapped the top tightly hoping the pressure would keep it that way. Apparently it popped back out later :( . I guess I should have just made the smaller bead a separate link with it's own wrap.