I’ve been meaning to try to make something like this for a while, using clay and metal hardware pieces. I’ve loved the idea of it but haven’t found something that really inspired me to do it. Until I spottted this gorgeous necklace from Leif. It seemed like something I could totally DIY without much difficulty, and there’s nothing more fun to wear than a bold statement necklace (especially one you didn’t pay an arm and a leg for).

I really like how it turned out and if you’re headed to Alt Summit in two weeks you’ll probably see me wearing it!  I love it with a simple black or white dress.

Keep reading to see how I made it…

Supplies:

Polymer Clay
Hardware pieces (I just sorted through some drawers at my local hardware store to find these ones)
Leather Cord
Acrylic paint/brush

Step 1: Roll out balls of clay and push a skewer through them to make a hole. Squish them slightly so they aren’t perfectly round and kind of flattened a bit. To make the textured balls I used the skewer and just dotted indentations around the bead after forming it. I’m really glad I made the textured ones, I think they balance things out really nicely on the necklace.

Step 2: Bake according to clay directions on a cookie sheet until dry

Step 3: Paint. I balanced them on skewers on top of bowls to dry. Also, I love using cheap paper plates for this kind of painting project so you can just toss the mess away afterwards.

Step 4: String hardware pieces and beads through the leather cord and tie at the top.