Happy Hump Day, everyone! So….did you know that when I am not busy being a mom or blogging that I am a jewelry designer? It’s true! In fact, I was designing jewelry before I started doing either of those other things! I have an Etsy shop where I sell my jewelry: Bombshell Bling Jewelry, and today I am going to share with you a necklace tutorial for making one of my favorite necklaces. I shared it last year on Sweet C’s Designs, and now I’ll share it here. It’s not the wisest move that I have ever made….. 😉
Here’s the thing: I am a dork. Seriously. It runs in my blood. If you had known my mom then you would be nodding. I’m not a dork in terms of me looking nerdy, getting picked on in middle school, or being super, duper good at science. (**cough—unlike my truly dorky, science loving husband—cough**) I am dorky in the sense that I like weird socks and am a grown woman who wears Halloween bows in her hair. Yeah, dorky. Being an elementary school teacher prior to having kids didn’t help with my dorky tendencies, either. Oh no, it magnified them 100 fold!
However, every once in a while I want to be festive without being dorky. This necklace is my solution to that desire. It is festive but grown up. It is made with chunky acrylic beads and can be worn long and loose or, my personal favorite, twisted. I wear it with everything from jeans and a cardi to my fancy, black v-neck dress. It has garnered me a whole lot of compliments through the years. I have also made it in other colors and varieties, as you can see in the picture below.
So, since I am feeling the generosity of the Christmas season this year, I am going to teach you how to make it. Then again, if you don’t want to buy the supplies and tools to make it, or you just don’t have the time, you can also buy one from my Etsy shop. This necklace is listed there as we speak.
Here are the supplies that you will need in order to complete this project. You can buy these tools and supplies at any large craft store, but the acrylic beads come from Hobby Lobby, so you may as well go there.
* basic jewelry making tools – crimp pliers and/or flat nosed pliers and a wire cutting tool
* beading cable – I use SoftFlex brand, medium width, but any brand will do just fine.
* FOUR strands of In Bloom large acrylic beads from Hobby Lobby
* A very large clasp. Once again, I get the one shown from Hobby Lobby. It is very cheap.
* Eight silver “filler” beads. (More on that later.)
* Four crimp tubes or beads
Alright, let’s get started!
First you thread the beads onto your cable.** Put two silver beads on each end of each strand. I find that when I don’t do that there is too much bulk right next to the clasp and it is difficult to close the clasp. This is your “wiggle room.” Be sure to leave some extra length of cable on each end. That will make the next steps much easier.
**Nit picky tip: I like the large and small beads to alternate, but the strands of beads come with large beads on both ends, so if you just thread them then you will have two large ones next to one another in the middle. I always remove one of those large beads. Obviously, that is a personal preference choice.
Time to crimp. This is the only tricky part. And it’s not even tricky. You are almost done……can you believe it?!
Thread a crimp tube or bead onto each end. (Work with one end at a time.) Double back the cable and thread it through the crimp and a bead or two. I feel like that makes it a bit more secure than snipping it right next to the crimp. Pull the crimp close to the clasp but not too tight because you need a tiny bit of “wiggle room.”
At this point you have two choices. Either squeeze the heck out of the crimp with your flat nosed pliers to make the crimp flat and tight, or use the actual crimping pliers. I use the real crimping pliers. The first thing you do is squeeze your crimp with the divot that goes in a bit, as shown in the picture above. Then you close that with the divot that is smoother. That was a lame explanation, but if you have the pliers you will see what I mean. If you still can’t understand me then go the flat-nosed route.
*Please note that I have lots of extra cable between my beads and my clasp because I was trying to show the steps in the pictures. It is ok to do it this way with the first connection on each strand, but be careful to pull it all tightly together prior to crimping on the second end of each strand, because you don’t want the necklace to sag and show a bunch of cable in the back.
Ummmm……you are done. Yep, that’s right. DONE! Now go be festive, you jewelry-making maniac!
Happy Holidays!
If you liked this jewelry making tutorial then you may also enjoy the following tutorials:
Lovely Ombre Earrings Tutorial
Baby Christening Bracelet Tutorial
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Crystal Nell says
November 15, 2013 at 8:29 pmI love it!! It’s so pretty and perfect for Christmas!! Thanks for the tutorial!!
Krystyna says
December 2, 2013 at 12:31 pmI LIKE THE WHITE ONES,YOU LOOK SO ELEGANT IN THEM,OTHER COLORS ARE NICE TOO
Mary says
November 1, 2016 at 11:13 pmMaybe I missed reading something, but how did you attach the two different colors, did you wrap the red around the green, then crimp all four ends to the clasp? Please explain so that this senior can understand. Thanks
Sarah Westover McKenna says
November 4, 2016 at 9:28 pmThe red is on one wire/strand, and the green is on another wire/strand. The red strand is attached to the clasps normally/individually. The green clasp is also attached to the same clasp – through the same hole – normally/individually. Look closely at the pictures and I think you will see it.