How To Make A Shell Necklace

Shell necklaces are fun and remind me of Hawaii. Remember those fun shell necklaces they give you at luaus? Some people think these are cheesy, but I think these necklaces are cute. This pink shell necklace is much nicer than the simple luau shell necklaces, so it is even something you could wear to school or work. To make this necklace I went to the crafting store and choose a flower shaped pendant with a tropical look. The flower pendant is mother of pearl, and some of the shell beads have a mother of pearl look also. The acrylic beads are light pink, small, and round. For this necklace I created a pattern, which gives the necklace a slight balance. Here are the supplies I used to make this beautiful piece of jewelry:

• small pink acrylic beads
• white and pink shell beads
• a mother of pearl flower pendant
• beading wire
• wire cutters
• jewelry pliers
• a jump ring
  
• a barrel clasp

This style of necklace is easy to make and something anyone with shell and small acrylic beads can create. You can also use small round glass beads in lieu of acrylic beads if that is your preference. Here are the steps I went through to make the Hawaiian themed shell necklace.

Use the beading wire cutters to snip off enough wire to make a necklace. The amount of beading wire cut should be slightly longer than needed for the necklace, which will allow for extra wire needed for tying the necklace onto the barrel clasp. Next, take the jewelry pliers and open the jump ring so you can insert it through the hole at the top of the flower pendant. Use the pliers to close up the jump ring and make sure it is secure. Insert the beading wire through the hole of the jump ring, and now your flower pendant is attached to the necklace. Add one acrylic bead on each side to pendant to hold it in place, and then add a pink shell bead on each side. The pattern on each side will go acrylic bead, shell bead, acrylic bead, shell bead, all the way up both sides of the beading wire.

Continue the pattern up both sides of the necklace by adding one shell bead, one acrylic bead, and so on, which give the necklace a sense of balance. However, each shell bead is uniquely shaped, which will also gives the necklace a less uniform look. The acrylic beads are the spacer beads, which help us to remember that this necklace has a pattern, but the shell beads help give it a natural appeal.

Keep adding beads to the necklaces following the acrylic bead, shell bead, arcylic bead pattern.  Here are some pictures showing what the necklace looked like as I continued to add beads.

The jewelry pliers can be used to attach the necklace to the barrel clasp. knot the wire to the clasp on both sides, and use the pliers to secure the knot. There are other methods for securing the clasp, but this is my preferred method. Try on the necklace and make sure it is secure enough to wear outside of the house.

The necklace is ready to wear and show off to your friends.  Have fun coming up with your own shell bead necklace designs.