FIRST of all, this necklace was inspired by Allstarco! They sent me some amazing jewels to use in some DIY projects, so be sure to check them out! They have some AWESOME colorful jewels, and affordable prices, so be sure to give them some love! You can also see my review and what I got sent here (click to see my review!)So I have been making alot of fun sparkly statement necklaces, and I thought with Prom right around the corner, its a perfect time to make a custom fancy jeweled bib to match your dress, or even wear to a summer wedding. These take a bit of time, but way worth it, so lets get started!
What you need:
Jewels (I got mine from Allstarco, I will link the exact ones I used below)
* Octagon pink jewels (click here to shop)
* Circle pink & white jewels (click here to shop)
* Oval pink & white jewels (click here to shop)
* Navette Pink jewels (click here to shop)
* Heart jewels (click here to shop)
* Square jewels (click here to shop)
Tulle or sheer netting- a small scrap, you can use any color, I prefer white
Ribbon- any color to match your necklace
Glue- you can use fabric glue, but I prefer E6000 or any strong clear glue
Steps:
I like to start off with a design in mind, you can look online at statement necklaces for inspiration, But I like to first pick a color theme, and then gather all my jewels I might use. For this prom necklace I wanted to sick to shades of pink, so I looked through all my jewels, gathering any hot pink, pink, or light pink jewels, I also grabbed some clear jewels and then from there I can use the jewels to come up with a design idea.
So after gathering your jewels you plan on using, play around with them until you find a look you like. It really can be any style, I like to first pick a large jewel for the center, then work my way around filling in with other jewels. If you are making a floating necklace, be sure to create a top row of jewels, so you can attach ribbon at the end. You can create the look however you want, starting with the top row, or working from the center out! Once you have finished the final look, take a picture of it for reference, then get your tulle/ netting and glue and get started!
Lay your tulle down on a flat surface (anywhere you don't mind getting glue on, you can cover your work surface with wax paper if you like) slowly take one jewel at a time from the necklace above, and glue it onto the tulle, I find it is easiest to start either at the top row ("the necklace band") Or from the center out. Be careful to either look at your necklace picture so you can remember what goes where, OR be sure not to move the layed out jewels to much, so you can know where everything must go.
Again you can lay out the top row of jewels if you prefer, but just to show you, I will be starting from the center and working my way out.SO starting with the top center jewel, glue it carefully on the tulle. Next add the jewels next to the center jewels and the jewel directly below, gluing them close to each other not leaving much space. Then you can add the navette cluster on both sides.
Next I added the two jewels on each side of the top row, creating a slight curve
(so it with curve naturally like a necklace when worn, if you don't gradually place each jewel above the last jewel and put them directly next to eachother, then the necklace wont fit around your neck very well.) Then add the tiny square below the center round jewel.
Next I like to add in some "filler" jewels, So I added two ovals under the top row, and added two heart jewels on each side of the bottom square.
Almost done! I added two more navette/ horse eye jewels on each side of the top row, and added in two more clear circle jewels under each oval. Once all the jewels are all layed out let the glue sit for a couple hours, or over night (you might want to slowly lift up the necklace one more time, so the glue doesn't stick to much to your work surface, because if it does, it can rip the necklace, so be very careful to make sure too much glue is not stuck to the surface!
So in the morning your necklace should be perfectly set, make sure all the jewels are really glued on then get out some scissors to cut out the extra tulle.
Carefully cut away the tulle/ netting creating a loose rounded edge around all the jewels. Try not to cut sharp edges as they can tear, you have to be really careful, as the tulle is very delicate.
You should be able to see a slight outline of the tulle, but once placed on skin, you wont be able to see it at all! If you have darker skin you can even buy a darker tulle color to help it disappear.
Last all you need to do is pick out some ribbon, and glue two pieces onto each side on the necklace (on the top end jewels) I like to use either a white or a matching color ribbon so the focus stays on the necklace, but pick whatever you like best!Again I would let the glue set overnight for the ribbon, just to be sure it wont fall off while wearing, you can then cut the ends to whatever length you want, and to finish the ribbons ends, be sure to carefully melt the ends with a candle flame.
