DIY Dose: A Charming Necklace

This charming multi-chain necklace is a fun project to try this weekend.  The inspiration for my necklace came from Nordstrom's jewelry styling tips.  The project is super easy and you may already have most of the materials on hand.

What you are going to need; jump rings (available at any craft store), mini pliers, assorted chains about the same length, charms, earrings, ribbon/notions, rings, and pins.  This is a great project to use those jewelry cast-offs.

Once you have assembled all the materials you are ready to begin.  It's easier to edit what pieces you want to add to the chain if you lay them all out on the work surface, this way there is a visual of what you have on hand.

First you want to start by picking the chains, they are going to be the base of the project. I chose two chains and added a length of leather cord, so I had a three strand necklace (I like the look of groupings of three). I used the jump rings to attach the three chains together using on chain's closure as the base.  Next I used the jump rings to attach the "charms" to the necklace.  Open the jump ring with the pliers, hook the charm and the chains into the jump ring and then close using the pliers.  If you are adding a ring just slide it onto the chains, presto!  I used an earring which had lost it's mate, bow and heart pendants and a pin. I went into my sewing notions and found a strand of pearl trim which I decided to add on as a bow. I also found a small set of metal keys from a toy box (I no longer have it but I knew I saved the keys for a reason), on they went.

I am pretty pleased with the results, I managed to salvage a bunch of random jewelry box pieces that would have otherwise ended up in the trash.  This project cost me $0 since I already had the materials on hand, it probably cost $2-$7 for the jump rings, pliers and notions.  I hope you enjoy making your own charming necklace.