DIY - Vintage Broach Necklace

DIY - Vintage Broach Necklace

I honestly made this necklace in 20 minutes and then felt really proud of myself! This necklace is so super easy to make it kind of blew my mind! On top of how easy it was make it cost me about $10 and really looks beautiful! I’m so happy with it and I am considering wearing it for my wedding, but either way it will be a great go to piece for any girl’s jewelry box.

Things you will need:

• Vintage Rhinestone Broach - $7
  • I got my broach from EBay (not real vintage but looks great). My only complaint is that it was from China and took a few weeks to get to me, but I feel like I totally lucked out because it is perfect.
• Loose Pearls - $2
  • I also got my pearls from EBay and of course they are not real but I don’t really care about that (I just care about real diamonds!) I won my auction for $0.01 and paid $2.00 for shipping. GREAT DEAL!
• Soft Flex Jewelry Wire - $0.50 a yard
  • I got my wire at Bead Works in Cambridge Mass. You can find this type of wire in any craft or bead store. You could probably use fishing line as well but it won’t be as durable as the soft flex.
• Crimp Beads - $1.50 for 10
  • These are essential because they are the best way to keep your beads in place.
• Jewelry Clasp - $2.00 for 50
  • The jewelry clasps I got were from Michaels and they are great because they come with the pinch clasp and the loop that will connect the necklace together.

Things from home:

• Needle Nose Pliers
• Scissors
• Super Glue

Step 1:

Flip your broach face down and super glue the pin closed. This is to secure your broach from opening because the pin is where you will be connecting your pearl strands to.

Step 2:

String your loose pearls or beads onto the soft flex wire. Measure the length you want for your necklace. I used one strand 9 1/2” and the other 5 1/2” long because I wanted my broach to be asymmetric. Take one of your strands and allow for an extra inch on each end. String on one of the crimp beads and wrap the flex wire around once end of the broach pin. Loop the flex wire back into the backside of the crimp bead and when it is tight crimp it down with your needle nose pliers. On the other end of the pearl strand string on one of the crimp beads and the clasp, loop the flex wire back into the other side of the flex wire and don’t allow for much slack between the last pearl and the crimp bead. Once you feel the beads are secure crimp down on the crimp bead with your needle nose pliers. Repeat this on the other strand except instead of the stringing on the clasp, string on the jewelry connector that the clasp will connect into.

Step 3:

If you can believe it YOU’RE DONE! The greatest part of this necklace is that you can totally change the design to custom fit your mood or change the style for different occasions. I love my quick and easy vintage pearl necklace and I hope you will love yours as well! Also if you have a crazy Mom or Grandma with tons of costume jewelry grab one of their broaches and make your necklace an heirloom.