40 Gorgeous DIY Necklaces

Anjelika Temple

As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Brit + Co, Anjelika Temple brings her voracious consumption of all things creative and colorful to DIY projects, geeky gadgetry finds and more. When she's not DIY-ing her heart out, you'll find her throwing dinner parties with friends or adventuring with her husband David, their daughters Anokhi and Indira, and their silly dog Turkey.

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May 14, 2013

You know we love us a good statement necklace around here, and we can’t help but look at every new material that comes into the office as potential for another cool and unusual piece of jewelry. We’re constantly on the hunt for new, creative, and crazy ways to up your style game.

We always come back to the necklace because it’s easy to add to any outfit, and can often be the one thing that takes your outfit from standard to striking. Here are 40 beautiful necklaces that you can totally make!

Gretchen Jones Necklace

First up, we love the panel-like shape and simplicity of this piece. All that was used to make it was brass rings in various sizes, paracord rope, and a lighter. We’d love to try making a similar one by spray painting key rings gold. (via Honestly WTF)

Fringe Necklace

One of our favorite recent creations, we took an existing statement necklace and glued a few panels of fringe to the back of the necklace. (via Brit + Co.)

Clay Bead Necklace

Remember making clay beads back in the day? These are just like those, but manage to be minimal, colorful, and look anything but campy. (via Delighted Momma)

Woven Chain Collar

To create a similar look, you could buy a few chains, a rhinestone necklace or two, and combine using embroidery floss or leather cord for a more rustic look. (via Honestly WTF)

Braided Chain

Braiding chain with fabric is a great way to add a little sparkle and weight to a fabric necklace. This one was made using old t-shirts! (via Brit + Co.)

Popsicle Stick Necklace

Seriously, those are popsicle sticks? The tribal fabric is gorgeous. (via Sincerely Kinsey)

Wooden String Necklace

We stumbled across this Etsy piece and are dying to create our own take on it. (via snugstudio on Etsy)

Pom Pom Necklace

See? Pom poms can definitely look chic and exotic when paired with the right materials. (via Honestly WTF)

Color-Dipped Wooden Beads

The color-dipped look is always a surefire way to transform just about anything from standard to trendy by way of the color block trend. It might be cool to try doing the same thing with all sorts of different sized beads and more angular designs. (via Swallow’s Heart)

Scarf Necklace

More of a hack than a full-on tutorial, with a series of simple knots its easy to turn any silk scarf into a bauble-style necklace. (via Brit + Co.)

Geometric Tile Gem Necklace

Guess what those gems are made of? Ceramic bathroom or kitchen tiles from the hardware store! Brilliant. (via Confetti Pop)

Leather Diamond Necklace

For a more artistic look that still embraces geometry, you can paint your own faceted gem onto a piece of leather. You could also turn this into dangly earrings or studs on a smaller scale. (via Oh The Lovely Things)

Felt Gem Necklace

While we’re on the topic of gems, lets talk about how Anthropologie-esque these felt gems are. They would also be cool as iron-on patches for a tote bag, pea coat, or laptop sleeve. (via Handmade Charlotte)

Tubular Glitter Necklaces

Totally tubular! Inspired by Pepper Cotton, we used plastic tubing, glitter, sprinkles, and cord ends to create these playful pieces. (via Brit + Co.)

Painted Metal Collar

If you just must have more and more color in your life (we’re happily guilty of this), buy a basic metal collar and hand paint. To avoid chipping, try painting over it with shellac or a glossy glaze. (via Fashion Salade)

Dior-Inspired DIY Necklace

Inspired by a $2,700 Christian Dior necklace, this necklace has a definite vintage vibe. And you could do so many different color combos!(via Frankie Hearts Fashion)

Tassel Necklace

Graduation season is upon us – surprise your favorite grad with a chic and cheeky take on tassels. We created ours with suede, cord ends, and chain. (via Brit + Co.)

Ribbon and Chain

A little soft-wear with our hardware? Don’t mind if we do! Use varying widths of chain and ribbon to create this bright statement piece. (via Fashion Salade)

Wire Heart Necklace

For a delicate bit of love, this sweet heart pendant is a quick and delightful win. (via I Spy DIY)

Brass Ring Necklace

Created as one of 15 Ways to Turn T-Shirts into Jewelry, this brass ring necklace takes less than 5 minutes to make. Like the Gretchen Jones one, you could also try the same looping method using key rings, washers, or even shower curtain rings. (via Brit + Co.)

Bright Chain Jewelry

We’ve swooned over this one before and we’ll do it again. Simply dip chain into paint in small sections, and you’ve got a bold, beautiful piece. (via I Spy DIY)

Neon Fabric Statement Necklace

This one was inspired by a J. Crew find last year and was created using spandex, chain, and a whole lovely mess of knots.(via Brit + Co.)

Flat Geometric Necklaces

Geometric shapes and patterns have been trending for a while, and we’re totally on board. These tiny pendants would look great layered with a few other delicate pieces. (via The Lovely Drawer)

Braided Rope Necklace

Going for the nautical look but on the more neon side? Follow this tutorial to make a flat braided necklace, reminiscent of the high seas. (via A Beautiful Mess)

Sparkling Tulle Necklace

What looks like a super complicated beaded panel is actually a panel with beads and chain glued right on! (via Brit + Co.)

Colorful Comets

This necklace makes us think of solar system projects in elementary school – love the idea of combining this look with all the galaxy-style prints we’ve been seeing. (via Bittersweet Colours)

Wrapped Shower Curtain Rings

Mardi gras beads and fabric-wrapped shower rings? Well done! This project seems ripe for customization and tons of color. (via Promise Tangeman)

Fiona Paxton Inspired Necklace

A gorgeous piece of trim and a few lengths of chain are all you need to create your own take on this Fiona Paxton inspired look. (via Teahab)

Wool Bead Jewelry

We know that wool beads can border on the “too crafty” side but these manage to dispel that idea. The rich colors and clean curves make us want to get wooly with it – yes, wooly with it. (via Aesthetic Nest)

Tiered Ombre Necklace

Spandex might be one of the most versatile crafting materials out there. You can make beach wraps, necklaces, rugs, and who knows what else! This necklace was made by weaving spandex in and out of chain. (via Brit + Co.)

Wood and Lanyard

Think of this one as a summer camp craft gone much more minimal and chic. (via Martha Stewart)

Gold Ring and String

Summer wedding season is starting up and this could easily be your statement piece for 2013. For a different look, you could also try using rope, fabric, or a combo of chain and string instead of embroidery floss. (via Flax and Twine)

Sequined Chain

This colorful piece was made by sewing turquoise sequins onto an existing gold chain necklace. You could use a whole bunch of colors, do longer sections of sequin, or layer with tons of other necklaces. (via Brit + Co.)

Hand-Dyed Ombre Tassel Necklace

Ombre and tassels, together at last! But seriously, the hand-dyed look of these is beautiful. (via Oh The Lovely Things)

Valentine Gumball Necklaces

For something a little more playful, create gumball-style necklaces for your next girls night or a bachelorette party. (via One Charming Party)

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