6.25.2012

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...}

7 comments:

The Dragonfly said...

Gorgeous! I have most of these "ingredients" at my house! Just need to go find some great beads. Wow! You're really good at this.

The Starter House said...

THANK YOU! I just destroyed several bracelets and necklaces I never wear to make something from! So excited!

Amber - Binkertation said...

A few more?! When do you find time to do that?? Impressive and stunning!! Also, where do you buy your supplies?

MelancholySmile said...

My supplies are mostly canabalizes from old jewelry, though I do buy a few beads from Etsy and findings ( jump rings, etc) from Michaels.

Apis Melliflora said...

And your necklace cost significantly less than the original J. Crew piece too, right?

Nice work!

Allison said...

I bought some similar beads several years ago, but I never liked the necklace I made with them. After reading your post I was inspired to rip it apart and start again! I don't like to "plug" my blog in the comments section, but I wanted you to see it :) http://gimmeakisss.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-necklaces.html

You look fabulous, as always!

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