I’ve never been a fan of chunky necklaces and earrings. I find I can always feel their weight, my body never gets used to them.
Which is a pity, because they look really, really cool. So I decided to push down my crazy and make one!
I picked up a chunky gold necklace from Lovisa for $9.99 and some Chinese frog closures from Spotlight for $5 (in the specials bin).
I already had a stack of beading supplies stored away in a shoebox, but these items shouldn’t cost you more than $10 all up.
What you’ll need:
1 x chunky necklace
2 x sets of Chinese frog closures
1 x packet of coloured beads
1 x packet of jump rings
1 x pair of flat nosed jewellery pliers
Time: 1 hour.
Approximate cost: $25
Open the jump rings and thread the beads on, then fasten around the frog closures in the pattern you choose. This is the longest step in the process, tiny beads and big fingers are not friends.
Tip: The tightness of the fit will depend on the diameter of your jump rings. I chose a snug fit and pressed them closed firmly so they didn’t just all fall to the bottom when I was wearing it.
Lay out the necklace and decide which format you want to lay the frog closures in. I put the edge closures two rings in, and then halved the distance for the larger closures.
Tip: When you finally attach and lift the necklace, the natural curve will make the gaps between the closures look different. Take this into account when deciding where to place them.
Attach one jump ring to the necklace, and one to the frog closure, then join with a third jump ring.
Tip: You can use more than one jump ring to join the two together and achieve a longer hang. Remember that the amount of jump rings will make the closure swing one way or another, though.
Thanks to my photo assistant Taryn this time around for her pointing and shooting.
Another thanks to the fifty or so people who chose that moment to walk through the corridor we were shooting in. I chose a quiet spot so people wouldn’t see me!
Recent Comments