DIY J Crew Necklace

I've discovered that jewelry making is both simple and fun. Often, just browsing a selection of beads and supplies is enough for inspiration to strike! That's what happened after finding a string of these minty-green amazonite beads-- instantly, a necklace I'd seen on J Crew's website came to mind, and I knew I'd be able to recreate it.

For this project you will need:

• Beads {I used a string of 8mm beads}
• Needlenose Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Jump Rings
• Lobster Clasp
• Jewelry Chain
• Head and Eye Pins

Fig. 1 Start by stringing a bead onto a head pin. Fig. 2 Using needle nose pliers, gently bend the head pin, forming a small loop. Fig. 3 Snip off excess wire with the wire cutters. Fig. 4 String a bead onto an eye pin {which has a loop at one end instead of being flat} and start the process over again.

Fig. 5 you should now have a bead strung on a head pin, and one strung on an eye pin. Fig. 6 Attach the two, keeping the head pin bead on the bottom. Continue attaching eye-pin beads until you reach your desired length. 

Once you have several lengths of beads, use a jump ring to attach them to your jewelry chain. To achieve a waterfall effect, I tapered my bead-chains on the ends from 4 beads per length to 3, 2 and then 1 bead.

Lastly, attach your lobster clasp and you're done!

Enjoy! {and beware, jewelry making is addictive. I've got a few more necklaces to show you this week...}