Our savvy DIY go-to-girl, Danielle of DSMeeBee shows us how to make a chic handmade vintage brooch necklace in just 20 minutes.
I honestly made this necklace in 20 minutes and then felt really proud of myself. This necklace is so super easy to make it kind of blew my mind. On top of how easy it was to make, it only cost me about $10 and looks really beautiful. I’m so happy with it and I am considering wearing it for my wedding, but either way it will be a great go to piece for any girl’s jewellery box.
Things You’ll Need:
• Vintage Rhinestone Brooch – $7. I got my brooch from EBay – not real vintage but looks great anyway.
• Loose Pearls – $2. I also got my pearls from EBay and of course they are not real but I don’t really care about that (I just care about real diamonds!) I won my auction for $0.01 and paid $2.00 for shipping. Great deal!
• Soft Flex Jewelry Wire – $0.50 a yard. I got my wire at Bead Works in Cambridge Mass. You can find this type of wire in any craft or bead store. You could probably use fishing line as well, but it won’t be as durable as the soft flex.
• Crimp Beads – $1.50 for 10. These are essential because they are the best way to keep your beads in place.
• Jewellery Clasp – $2.00 for 50. The jewellery clasps I got were from Michaels and they are great because they come with the pinch clasp and the loop that will connect the necklace together.
Things You’ll Need From Home:
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Scissors
• Super Glue
Step 1:
Flip your brooch face down and super glue the pin closed. This is to secure your brooch from opening because the pin is where you will be connecting your pearl strands to.
Step 2:
String your loose pearls or beads onto the soft flex wire. Measure the length you want for your necklace. I used one strand 9 1/2” and the other 5 1/2” long because I wanted my brooch to be asymmetric. Take one of your strands and allow for an extra inch on each end. String on one of the crimp beads and wrap the flex wire around one end of the brooch pin. Loop the flex wire back into the backside of the crimp bead and when it is tight crimp it down with your needle nose pliers. On the other end of the pearl strand string on one of the crimp beads and the clasp, loop the flex wire back into the other side of the flex wire and don’t allow for much slack between the last pearl and the crimp bead. Once you feel the beads are secure crimp down on the crimp bead with your needle nose pliers. Repeat this on the other strand except instead of the stringing on the clasp, string on the jewelry connector that the clasp will connect into.
Step 3:
You’re done! The greatest part of this necklace is that you can totally change the design to custom fit your mood or change the style for different occasions. I love my quick and easy vintage pearl necklace and I hope you will love yours too! Also if you have a hip Mum or Grandmother with tons of costume jewellery grab one of their brooches and make your necklace an heirloom.