Make a stylish statement necklace :: Handmade jewellery

Upcycled necklace - Make a stylish statement necklace - Jewellery to make - Craft - allaboutyou.com

You will need...

● 4 clip-on vintage diamanté earrings – we used one big pair and one smaller pair from a second-hand market. You could also use vintage brooches for this project
● 30 small black beads
● 3 big black beads

For stringing
● Black nylon thread – available from bead-making supply shops
● 50cm silver chain

Findings
● Split rings – we used four. Split rings are the kind you use to keep your keys together, but for jewellery making they are tiny
● Crimps – we used two, but buy more as they are very small, very fiddly and they get lost easily
● An ‘S’ hook for fastening

Tools
● A pair of jewellery-making pliers if you have them – or a pair of pliers with slim tips. We used a multi-tool.
● Wire clippers
● A bulldog clip or a clothes peg

Deciding on the design

Image 1: First, lay everything out on a clear surface.

Use a small tray or a plate with a piece of kitchen towel on (it stops everything rolling around) to keep the beads and all the small items in one place.

Play around with your beads and earrings/brooches to see how you want them to look.

Start stringing

Image 2: Take a piece of your black nylon thread. You want it the length of your beads plus 10cm at both ends.

Place a bulldog clip or clothes-peg at one end to stop the beads from falling off as you thread them.

Thread everything on in order. This is the point to decide if you’re happy with the way it looks.

Fastening off the beaded strand

Image 3: Thread a crimp onto the end of the beaded strand. Then add a split ring.

Now, double back your nylon thread so it goes back through the crimp, and thread it down through a few beads.

Image 4: Pull it all tight.

Image 5: Using your pliers (or multi tool), squeeze the crimp tightly closed so the nylon thread is held firmly in place. Clip the end of the nylon thread so it can’t be seen.

Repeat this process at the other end of the beaded strand.

Attaching the chain

Image 6: You now have a beaded strand which forms the front of your necklace.

Image 7: To attach the chain, use your wire cutters to clip two 20cm lengths of chain (use longer pieces of chain to have a necklace that sits lower on the body).

Take a split ring and attach it to the end link of one of your pieces of chain. This will form the fastening of your necklace at the nape of your neck. It’s a bit fiddly, but persevere.

Thread the end of the chain through the split ring on the beaded strand, and then double the chain back up and attach a link to the split ring that forms the fastening (the first one you did).

Clip any stray ends of chain.

Repeat this process with the other side of the beaded strand.

Attach the ‘S’ hook to the split ring on one side of your chain and clip it to the split ring. And that’s your fastening.

You now have a complete necklace with vintage upcycled jewellery.