DIY Pearl Necklace

I recently got a new necklace from my friend, Emily, for Christmas, and I absolutely love it.  It's a little teapot charm with a pearl in the center on an antique gold chain, that I've been wearing a lot!  It even made it into my December Favorites video, if you want to see it!  But, it got me thinking.  Apart from the DIY Floral Necklace I made a while back, I really don't wear many pearls on a regular basis anymore.  This is a bit odd, as I love pearls so much that I even named my blog, Megan and Pearls.  So, to remedy this, I decided to make another necklace, this one predominantly pearls.  

To make one for yourself, you'll need:

• Several 8mm pearls
• Necklace chain in your choice of color
• Crimping beads to match your chain
• Crimp bead covers to match your chain
• Illusion cord
• Wire cutters
• Scissors
• Needle nose or round nose pliers

First, string the pearls on to a length of illusion cord.  I used all the pearls I had, which ended up being 50 in total, but you can add more pearls to create a longer necklace or subtract to create a shorter one.  It's all up to you!

Then, measure out 3"-4" on either side of the necklace chain clasp, and use your wire cutters to snip the links off.  Again, here is another place where you can customize the way you want your necklace to look simply by adding more inches to the chain or subtracting depending on your preferences.

Slide a crimp bead onto the illusion cord at the very end of your chain of pearls.  Then, string the illusion cord through the last link on your chain, and back through the crimp bead creating a little loop.  Pull the crimp bead as close the the last link as possible, and then squeeze the entire crimp bead with a needle nose pliers to secure the illusion cord to the link.

As it sits, crimp beads aren't very attractive, but that's where the covers come in.  Just slip a crimp cover over the squished bead, and close the cover around the crimp again with a needle nose pliers.

All that's left is to repeat on the opposite side, making sure that the last link, crimp bead, and pearls are all close together to look nice, but not too close to make the entire necklace difficult to bend.  If it is too sturdy, there is a much better chance of the illusion cord breaking, and pearls flying everywhere!

I hope you guys have enjoyed this quick little tutorial on how to make a pearl necklace!  I know it's nothing too special, but I still had to share it with you guys!  I absolutely love how it turned out, and I really think adding the bit of chain makes it look much less homemade, but you can still know when you're out and about wearing it that you were the one that made every decision on how yours looks!