How to Make a Necklace
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Here’s how to add eclectic charms to a chain to make a unique necklace.
I love the look of eclectic charms on a necklace, so I decided to make a tutorial to show you how easy it is to make your own custom charm necklace design. Gather up some gorgeous vintage and new charms and pop them onto a lovely chunky chain.
Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links for which we may receive a commission.
You’ll need these tools and materials to make your charm necklace:
1: A sterling silver chain with large links for you to attach your charms to.
You can get something similar here:
2: A selection of charms. I used some vintage charms in different materials that I have collected over the years. I also made sure I had matching jump rings made from sterling silver. I used 5 charms but you can add as many as you like.
Here’s something similar to the bird charm:
Shell charm:
Here’s an option, or…
Dolphin Charm:
Here’s a sterling silver version
Bead charm:
Quartz charm:
3: Flat nose and parallel pliers to open and close the jump rings.
You can get a pair here:
Get some parallel pliers here:
Now here are all the steps you need to follow to make your charm necklace:
1: Find the centre of the necklace and place your first charm in the middle. Attach it using your pliers to open the jump ring and then close it around the chain link.
2: Place the second charm a few centimetres (or around an inch) away from the first charm and attach it the same way you did the first charm.
3: Repeat step 2, adding the next charm to the other side of the first charm.
4: Do this again until all your charms have been added in the order you like.
Now your necklace is finished and ready to wear! So cute! I love this design so much.
Here’s what it looks like on!
If you love this, here’s a charm bracelet tutorial you can follow to make something that matches!
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Here’s how to turn two necklaces into one unique statement piece.
I’ve made a few tutorials that show you how to reuse your existing jewellery to make something new, and this tutorial is another technique to add to your set of jewelry styling skills. This tutorial requires two different necklaces, I used a beaded one and a chain one, that are looped together to make something new. Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links for which the website may receive a commission.
You will need the following tools and materials to make your looped mixed material necklace:
1: A chain necklace. I used this gold tone chain.
You can get something similar here:
2: A beaded necklace of a similar length. I used this rainbow beaded one I made earlier.
You can make your own by following these instructions (just skip the pearl), or you can buy a similar one here:
Follow these steps to make your new necklace:
1: Undo each of the necklaces and loop them together.
2: Clip the ends of each necklace closed to make two loops.
3: Open one of the clasps and attach it to the other side (without letting go of the loop you just made) to secure it around your neck.
The different materials of these necklaces allows you to create a more sculptural piece that shows off your unique style. I think it looks elegant and edgy at the same time. So cool. Here’s what it looks like on.
If you like this tutorial, here are some similar ones you can follow:
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Got two bracelets but want a necklace? Here’s how to convert what you’ve got into something new!
This is a simple tutorial that shows you how to turn two existing bracelets into a choker-length necklace! What a fun way to make your jewellery collection more versatile. Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need the following tools and materials to make your necklace:
1: Two bracelets, make sure they are long enough when clipped together to fit around your neck. I used a silver chain bracelet and a beaded bracelet.
Here are some silver bracelet options you can buy:
Here are some pre-made options you can buy:
and if you feel like making your own, you can follow this tutorial.
2: A charm, this is optional but you can clip a charm on for extra personality. I used this copper electroformed tiger’s eye pendant.
You can get a tiger’s eye charm here:
Follow these steps to make your necklace out of bracelets:
1: Unclip the ends of your bracelet.
2: Latch one of the bracelet clasps to the other end of the other bracelet, you will have a long strand now.
3: If you are adding a charm, slip it onto the clasp at the other end of the strand you just made.
4: Clip the ends of the strand together to form a choker, you can wear it with the charm at the front like this or without the charm for a mixed material effect.
Here’s what it looks like on
And here’s what it looks like without the charm.
What bracelets will you use to make your choker necklace?
If you love using your existing jewellery to make something new, here’s another tutorial for you:
- Turn an old ring into a pendant here and here
- This tutorial shows you how to swap earring hooks for charm connector studs to transform your earrings
- This tutorial shows you how to turn an old jar into jewellery storage
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Gorgeous DIY Pearl Necklace: Unleash Your Crafty Charm with this Unique knotted pearl necklace
I love pearl jewellery, but the classic pearl necklace can often look a bit dated, so I decided to try and create a pearl necklace that is a bit more modern! This tutorial shows you how to make a lovely mixed pearl necklace with a knot in the middle for some added visual interest and cool vibes. Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need the following tools and materials to make your knotted pearl necklace:
1: Pearls. I used a variety of freshwater pearls in different colours and sizes.
You can purchase some here:
2: Some tiger tail wire. I used some thin black tiger tail.
You can get some here:
3: Your pliers. I used my cutting pliers and flat nose pliers.
You can get a set of jewellery pliers here:
4: A sterling silver clasp and jump ring.
You can get clasps here:
and you can get pre-made jump rings here:
5: Two sterling silver crimp ends.
you can get some sterling silver crimp beads here:
Follow these steps to make your own gorgeous twist on a timeless classic, a knotted pearl necklace:
1: Add a crimp bead to the tiger tail wire.
2: Take the clasp and place it on your tiger tail.
3: Loop the tiger tail around the clasp once and pull it tight (You don’t need to do this if you are using thicker tiger tail wire).
3: Put the short end of the wire through the crimp.
4: Squash the crimp using the flat nose pliers.
5: Add pearls until you have a necklace that is about 7cm longer than the length that you want your necklace to fall.
6: Add the second crimp to the other end of the wire.
7: Thread the wire through the jump ring like you did in steps 1 and 2, pulling it tight and then threading it through the crimp and the first few pearls on the strand. (Remember that if you are using thicker wire, you don’t have to do the extra wire looping around the jump ring).
8: Squash the crimp using flat nose pliers.
9: Trim excess wire using cutting pliers.
10: Take the ends of the wire and knot them as though you are making a basic square or reef knot, but omitting the second step. Adjust the knot to your preferences, moving it to the centre and trying not to make it too tight.
Once your knot is in place, your knotted pearl necklace is ready to wear! How cute!
What colour pearls will you use when you make yours?
If you’re looking for some more pearl jewellery tutorials to follow, you can find some here:
Pearl Earrings
- Mixed bead pearl drop earrings
- A single pearl earring with a chilli charm on the end.
- Pearl and love heart earrings
- Colourful pearl statement earrings
- Rainbow pearl drop earrings
- Pearl tassel hoop earrings
- Pearl hoop earrings
- Pearl charm huggies
- Cresent moon pearl charm earrings
- Shell and pearl earrings
- Simple pearl threader earrings
Pearl Necklaces
- Pearl charm lariat
- Floating pearl necklace
- Colourful beaded pearl necklace
- Single floating pearl necklace
- Mixed bead necklace with pearls
Other pearl accessories
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DIY Beaded Necklace Tutorial: Creating a Stunning Strand for Silver Pendants
I love necklaces, but I don’t always need my pendants to sit on a matching chain, sometimes I love the look of metal pendants on a beaded necklace strand. If you love this look too, here’s a fun tutorial that shows you how to make your own so that you can wear your favourite pendants on bead embellished necklaces! Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need the following tools and materials to make your beaded necklace strand for your pendant:
1: Some tiger tail wire. I used some thin tiger tail wire. Cut it to length by measuring out the length you would like your necklace to be, and add around additional 15 centimetres.
You can get wire here:
2: Pliers. I used my cutting pliers and flat nose pliers. I kept my round nose pliers on hand in case I needed them.
You can get plier sets here:
3: Some beads. I used these small round garnet beads. (Choose smaller beads to ensure that your pendant will slide over them easily).
You can get round gemstone beads here:
4: A pendant. I used this silver gemstone pendant. Make sure it has a bail (the loop at the top) that is large enough to fit over the beads you choose. I purchased this one at a local flea market, which can be a place to buy interesting jewellery.
You can get silver and gemstone pendants here:
5: Two sterling silver crimp beads.
You can get sterling silver crimp beads here:
6: A sterling silver clasp and additional jump ring.
You can get silver clasps and jump rings here:
Here are the steps to follow to make your beaded necklace strand to wear your pendant on:
1: Add the crimp bead and clasp to the end of the tiger tail wire.
2: Loop the end of the wire around the jump ring on the clasp twice so that it is secure, then thread it through the crimp bead.
3: Squash the crimp bead using the flat nose pliers.
4: Begin adding beads, continue beading until you have a length you like.
5: Add the second crimp bead to the necklace (excuse my bent wire, it got a little tangled, if this happens to you, continue adding beads and it will smooth out, or try to avoid having kinks in the working section of your necklace).
6: Add the second jump ring to the end of the wire.
7: Loop the wire around the jump ring twice like you did in step two.
8: Thread the wire back through the crimp and the first few beads on the wire. Make sure to pull it tight, extra pliers can be useful for getting a tight fit.
9: Squash the crimp using the flat nose pliers again.
10: Trim the excess wire using the cutting pliers.
11: Now you can add your pendant!
12: Once your pendant has been added, your necklace is complete!
Here’s another one I made using a black cabochon pendant on a necklace made with faceted gemstone beads. So pretty! There are so many options using this technique! What combination will you make?
Here are some other pendant necklace tutorials to follow:
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Here’s how to make a beaded necklace out of wire!
If you want to make a beaded chain necklace, but don’t have any head pins, or if you want to add some handmade flair to your work, here’s how you can use wire instead! This necklace tutorial uses the clasp from last month’s tutorial, you can follow it here.
Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links
You’ll need these tools and materials to make your necklace:
1: Some wire. I used some copper wire that was about 1mm in diameter.
Here’s some silver wire if you prefer it: https://amzn.to/3M8DgL0
2: A clasp. I used the clasp made in this tutorial.
3: A selection of beads. I used a random selection of glass, plastic and clay beads.
4: A pair of flat-round pliers.
5: A pair of cutting pliers.
6: A pair of flat nose pliers or flat nose parallel pliers.
7: A file in case you want to smooth the ends of your wire. This isn’t totally necessary but adds to giving your work a quality finish.
Follow these steps to make your beaded wire chain necklace:
1: Bend the end of the wire using the flat nose pliers to form a right angle.
2: Loop the end of the wire using the round-flat pliers.
3: Add your first bead to the wire.
5: Trim the wire. I measured where to trim by holding the wire with the flat nose pliers and then cutting next to it.
6: At this point, you can file the end of the wire to flatten it, or you can simply create a loop at the top of the bead using the flat-round nose pliers.
7: Repeat steps 1-6 for the next bead link for the necklace. Once the link is formed, use the flat nose pliers to open the jump ring, slide it onto the first charm and close the link to start forming the chain.
8: Repeat these steps until you have a length you like for a necklace.
9: Open one of the loops at the end of the necklace and attach the clasp. Close the loop to secure the clasp in place. Add the clasp ring to the other side of the necklace to finish it off.
Now your necklace is finished! How fun to make your own jewellery without any pre-made findings?!
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Flowers are so pretty! Here’s how to make a beaded flower choker…
I’ve already shown you how to make a cute daisy chain necklace, but here’s a way to add a bit of edge to your floral bead designs… a daisy chain choker necklace! This tutorial gives you all the steps to follow to make a beaded choker necklace using glass seed beads and tiger tail wire. Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need these tools and materials to make your beaded flower choker:
1: Pliers. I used my cutting, round nose and flat nose pliers.
2: Tiger tail wire, because of the looping to create the flowers, you need a bit extra than the intended length. I cut about 1.5m of wire and had some leftover that I will use in another design.
3: A clasp and jump ring.
4: Crimp beads.
5: Beads. I used some recycled red seed beads for the flowers and some green and purple seed beads for the rest of the choker.
Green seed beads:
Purple seed beads:
Follow these steps to make your cute flower choker necklace:
1: Add two crimps to the end of the wire.
2: Add the clasp to the wire and fold it around and back through the crimps.
3: Squash the crimp beads using the flat nose pliers.
4: Add the green beads to the wire. I added 10 beads but you can add more or less depending on the pattern you want to make.
5: Add 6 red beads (or whatever colour you chose for your flowers) to the wire.
6: Take the end of the wire and thread it through the first red bead.
7: Pull the wire tight to create a circle shape with the beads. Make sure you shift the beads down as you tighten the wire so that the circle sits closely to the green beads.
8: Add a single bead to the wire in your third colour, this will be the middle of the bead.
9: Place the bead in the middle of the flower and then thread the end of the wire through one of the flower beads to secure the middle bead in place. Now you have your first flower.
10: Repeat steps 4 to 9 until you have a length that fits closely around your neck to make a choker.
11: Add the second set of crimp beads and a jump ring to the wire.
12: Loop the wire around the jump ring and back through the crimps and the beads at the end of the necklace, pulling the wire tight.
13: Squash the crimps using the flat nose pliers.
14: Trim the excess wire.
Now your floral choker is finished and ready to wear! How cute! What colours will you use in yours?
Here’s what it looks like on!
Here are some other beaded flower tutorials you can try:
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Here’s how to make a sweet daisy chain necklace using tiger tail wire!
Daisy chains are a classic beaded jewellery technique, and they look amazing! Here’s how to make one using some tiger tail wire and a selection of glass beads. Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need these tools and materials to make this daisy chain necklace:
1: A length of tiger tail wire, you’ll need quite a lot as the daisy chain technique uses some extra wire. I cut mine about 4x the length I wanted for my necklace, approximately 1.5m long. I suggest using your best guess rather than taking an exact measurement.
2: Some beads. I used a variety of glass beads including recycled orange e-beads, some gold tone beads and some blue seed beads.
Blue seed beads: https://amzn.to/3S8agp8
3: Four crimp beads.
4: A clasp and jump ring. I used a gold-filled parrot clasp.
5: Pliers. I used cutting pliers, round nose pliers and cutting pliers to finish my necklace.
Follow these steps to make your beaded daisy chain necklace:
1: Add two crimp beads and the clasp to the end of the wire.
2: Fold the wire around the clasp and back through the crimps.
3: Squash the crimp beads to secure the clasp to the end of the wire.
4: Begin adding beads. I made mine a pattern of blue beads and orange flowers so started by adding 15 blue seed beads.
5: Add six beads for your first flower.
6: Take the end of the wire and thread it through the first flower bead to form a circle shape.
7: Pull the wire tight and add another bead to make the centre of the flower, I used my gold e-bead.
8: Put the bead in the middle of the circle and then thread the end of the wire though a flower bead directly opposite the first one you threaded it through to make the flower. This will keep the middle bead in place at the centre of the flower.
9: Repeat steps 4 to 8 to create a pattern of beads and flowers until you have a length you like and that is comfortable for a necklace.
10: Once you have reached your desired length, add the remaining crimp beads to the wire.
11: Add the jump ring to the end of the wire as well.
12: Loop the wire around the jump ring and back through the crimps and beads at the end, then pull the wire tight.
13: Squash the crimps using the flat nose pliers.
14: Trim the excess wire using your cutting pliers.
Now your necklace is finished and ready to wear! Whats colours will you make yours in?
If you love making flowers out of beads, here are some more floral tutorials for you.
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How to make a beaded necklace with a cool knot detail!
This necklace is simple but super cute! It is a twist on a basic tiger-tail beaded necklace, but instead of a single strand, the necklace has a loose knot in the middle for added interest. This is a simple but high-impact design that you can whip up in an afternoon. Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need the following tools and materials to make your necklace:
1: Some tiger tail wire, cut a length long enough to fit loosely around your neck plus an extra 20cm (7.8 inches).
2: Four small crimp beads.
3: A toggle clasp.
4: Two small jump rings.
5: Your set of pliers including cutting pliers, round nose and flat nose pliers.
6: A selection of beads. I used some timber beads and some glass evil eye-style beads.
Evil eye beads here:
Timber beads here:
Follow these steps to make your beaded knot detail necklace.
1: Add two crimp beads and a jump ring to the end of the tiger tail wire.
4: Fold the end of the wire around the jump ring and back through the crimp beads.
5: Squash the crimp beads using the flat nose pliers.
6: Add beads to the wire in your choice of pattern. Continue adding until you have a length you like (remember to make it a bit longer than usual because the knot will reduce the length a little).
7: Once you have your necklace fully beaded, add the second set of crimp beads and the remaining jump ring to the end of the wire.
8: Loop the end of the wire around the jump ring and back through the crimps and the first few beads at the end of the necklace.
9: Pull the wire tight.
10: Squash the crimp beads using the flat nose pliers.
11: Trim the excess wire using the cutting pliers.
12: Carefully tie a knot in the beaded strand, paying attention to get it close to the middle and being careful to not pull too tightly, you want the knot to be quite open.
13: Attach the clasp to either end of the necklace using the jump rings. Make sure to close the jump rings closely so that the clasps stay in place.
Now your necklace is finished and ready to wear! What funky beads will you use to make yours?
If you like this tutorial, here’s a link to a double strand version.
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Here’s how to make a necklace strand for your cute beaded person charm…
Remember this charm? Here’s how to make a crazy mixed bead necklace to hang it on and wear about! This tutorial makes use of those random mixed beads you aren’t sure what to do with! Please note, this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need these tools and materials to make your beaded necklace:
1: A person charm, you can follow the tutorial here.
2: A piece of tigertail wire, long enough for your desired necklace length, plus a few extra centimetres.
3: Four crimp beads.
4: A toggle clasp.
5: Two jump rings.
6: Pliers.
7: A selection of beads.
Follow these steps to make your necklace for your cute person charm:
1: Take the tigertail wire an add two crimps to one end.
2: Add a jump ring to the end of the wire.
3: Fold the end of the wire around the jump ring and through the crimp beads.
4: Squash the crimp beads using the flat nose pliers.
5: Begin adding beads.
6: Continue adding beads until you have a length you like.
7: Add the second set of jump rings to the other end of the necklace.
8: Add the second jump ring.
9: Loop the end of the wire around the jump ring and back through the crimp beads and the last couple of beads on the strand. Pull the wire tight.
10: Squash the crimp beads to secure the jump ring in place at the end of the necklace.
11: Trim the excess wire.
12: Open one of the jump rings using pliers and add the person charm.
13: Add the circle side of the toggle clasp and close the jump ring to secure the components together.
14: Add the other side of the toggle clasp and close the jump ring to finish the necklace off.
Now your adorable person charm necklace is finished and ready to wear! How cute!!
