Sometimes something small can have a big impact. That's definitely the case with statement necklaces. They can turn a basic top into a whole fashion look, which is a big plus for those of us without the time, budget or ability to style ourselves up on the regular. Some days I'm lucky I've run a brush through my hair...
The challenge these days is that I can't wear most necklaces since my
smallest will yank on it with a mini grip of iron AND put it in her mouth. Or my 2 yr old will gross it up with food covered fingers or something else similar. Both reasons have already limited my clothing wardrobe, so throw out the jewelry and things are pretty blah looking most of the time. Enter the perfect solution, this DIY'd Silicone Statement Necklace.
This
necklace looks fancy, but is so easy to do. You don't need any real jewelry making expertise. It's a basic design pattern, but
the different sized beads in different colors makes it a lot more
interesting. Using silicone beads makes a necklace like this ideal for so many reasons:
- Totally safe for kids to touch and put their mouth on
- Great for those with allergies since it's food safe silicone
- Easy to keep clean since you can wash it
- No worries about weird chemicals or alloys like in cheap metals or painted beads
- Inexpensive to make
I saw a photo of a
similar necklace when I was doing a search for silicone beads, but there was no
tutorial. The photo source was from a foreign handmade craft marketplace where
the shop that made them (Jelly Beads) was no longer operating. So I did what any good crafter does, I tried to figure out how to make one myself. And it worked! So now I'm sharing the fun so you can too.
Materials:
- (4) 9mm Grey silicone beads
- (6) 15mm Fuchsia silicone beads
- (4) 15mm Apricot silicone beads
- (4) 12mm Navy silicone beads
- (2) 19mm Navy silicone beads
- (3) 19mm Turquoise silicone beads
- (1) Safety clasp
- 2 yd cuts of matching colored 1.5mm nylon cord
It should go without saying, but I'm gonna say it anyway, this is obviously a necklace for an adult or child over 5yrs. It's safe for a baby to chew on while you're wearing it because the beads are food grade silicone, but obviously it's not meant as a toy or to leave with an unattended baby. Safety first folks!
Now let's get started....
Separate the beads by color so it's easy to order them when stringing. You can use whatever colors you want, but I'm referring to my specific ones throughout so it's easier to see the stringing pattern.
Knot the two cord strands together 10 inches from one end and string (1) 9mm grey bead on both cords. Then string (1) 12mm navy on each cord, followed by (1) 15mm apricot on the top cord and (1) 15mm fuchsia on the bottom cord.
Turn the apricot bead sideways and thread the bottom cord through it from right to left so the cords are crossed inside the bead, then pulling the cords tight to bring the beads together.
Now string a 15mm fuchsia on the new top cord, a 19mm turquoise on the bottom one and add another 15mm apricot with cords crossing, pulling the cords to remove slack after each crossover step:
Next string a 15mm fuchsia on the new top cord, a 9mm grey on the bottom one, followed by a 19mm navy and add the last 19mm turquoise with cords crossing:
Halfway done! String a 15mm fuchsia on the new top cord, the last 19mm navy on the bottom one followed by another 9mm grey then the last 15mm apricot with cords crossing:
To finish string a 12mm navy on the new top cord, the last 15mm fuchsia on the bottom one, then the remaining 12mm navy. Make sure the cord is evenly "snug" along the entire necklace. Lastly, thread the last 9mm grey on both cords and knot.
I used a safety clasp as my closure, but technically any would do. Hold the necklace up to decide how high you want it before knotting the ends since that determined the necklace length. Then, for the safety clasp, you just thread the cord ends through the hole, double knot, cut off the remaining ends and side the clasps to cover the knots. I also run a lighter under the cut ends to fuse them to the knot for a bit of extra security.
This was so quick & fun to make I want to do a bunch more in different color patterns. All together, the materials only cost about $10 so it's pretty budget friendly. I've also got some other designs in the works since I'm now addicted to making stuff with these beads. And I'm now looking a bit more styled, which is a good feeling too!
