Vintage Clusters

by Ali on 02/23/12

Additional Images:

Project details:

I love vintage costume jewelry, so when I saw this lemony vintage yellow color crystal my wheels immediately started turning. It embodies that distinctive vintage pop. I decided to make a necklace that was full of the yellow adding in colors that were reflected from the chain - charcoal, platinum, white.

I would love to see this re-imagined using other vintage inspired colors, just remember to add the charm clusters using a jump ring all across the front of the necklace.

↓ Step-by-step

↓ Buy the supplies

Supplies you’ll need:

1 strand of vintage yellow crystal 14mm faceted rondelle
1/2 strand of 4mm faceted clear crystal rondelle
3 12mm dragonfruit shell pearls
2 14mm pearly white shell pearls
6 14mm charcoal shell pearls
5 12mm charcoal shell pearls
7 14mm platinum shell pearls
5 12mm platinum shell pearls
59 filler charms in sizes 4-8mm
125 headpins
38 7.25mm jump rings
20" of chain

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Step 1

Start by making your charms by wire wrapping headpins onto your chosen beads. I made 125 charms … in 44min17sec. I wanted to see how fast I could be, so I set a stop watch. This is not critical to making the charms :-)

Step 2

After a little trial and error, I found that it's easiest to get your jump ring onto the chain, leave it open a bit, put the charms on, and then close it. Add anywhere from 5-8 charms onto each jump ring depending on size of charms and alternate the position of the jump rings as you move along the chain to ensure an even fullness. Make sure your jump rings are closed tightly. You really don't want charms falling off after all this work!

See Tip: Closing A Jump Ring