In this Hub I will demonstrate how to make a necklace and a matching bracelet. Do you enjoy buying beautiful jewelry? Why pay more for beautiful jewelry when you can make affordable pieces at home? When I wore the necklace I made for this hub to work one of my co-worker's said she wanted to rip it off my neck, which I consider to be a very nice compliment! My first Hub in this series explained How To Make Simple Jewelry, and for this Hub I will show you how to make a matching necklace and bracelet. The materials used for this project consist of jewelry wire, jewelry clasps, white acrylic beads, and a shell pendant. Amazingly all of these supplies cost less than five dollars because I already had a few of these on hand before I decided to make a new necklace and bracelet. If you were to buy a cute bracelet and necklace at the department store, or even at Walmart/Target, it would cost much more money than supplies used for this project. So if you are ready to make affordable jewelry pull up a chair and keep reading!

For this necklace I secured the clasp by knotting it to the beading wire. There are many different methods used for attaching a clasp to the wire, but I prefer the simple ways over the complicated. If you want to make it really easy you can buy wire that has a built in magnetic clasp, but this time around I decided to just use the supplies I had on hand. When I am finished with the necklace I always use jewelry glue to add extra security to the knot. Before I add the glue, I always cut off the excess wire so it is not hanging out.

For this project I decided to use white acrylic beads and a shell. Acrylic beads are easy to use because they have the look of glass, but without the worry of chipping or breaking. If you prefer you could use more expensive beads, but the idea behind this project is to keep the cost low. I did not spend more than five dollars in making this necklace, but with the compliments I have received people thought I spent much more than that. Do not be fooled into thinking that necklaces at department stores necessarily use more expensive beads just because a bracelet is twenty plus dollars. The other day I saw a necklace at Macy's made out of acrylic beads, but the price was around twenty-five dollars! Adjust the materials and prices to your liking, but fashion does not require a large amount of cash.

My pattern consisted of alternating fake pearl beads with clear/whitish beads. I started off with the small beads and worked up towards having the larger beads towards the center of the necklace. This pattern creates symmetry and balance in the piece of jewelry.

Once you have reached the center point slide the shell onto the necklace. Make sure to continue to shape the wire as you slide beads on the necklace.

For symmetry, make sure to duplicate the same pattern on both sides of the necklace. However, you can deviate from the pattern if you are going for an asymmetrical look! Once you have reached the end, knot the beading wire onto the necklace clasp. I used jewelry glue to secure the ends and allowed the necklace to dry for a couple of days.

For the bracelet I simply used the white acrylic beads and strung these onto a piece of stretch magic. Stretch magic is my go to stretchy cord for making all of my bracelets, plus I love how this product is made in the United States. The acrylic beads and the beading wire were also made in the United States, so this is a project contains several supplies that help American workers. The shell was not made in the United States, but the one thing I like about beading supplies is that it is still easy to find products that are made in America. If I love a package of beads made in another country I will still buy it, but I try to support American workers when I can. Watch the Google video below for more tips on how to make this simple bracelet. Notice how I used the larger beads in the center to give the bracelet a fun and balanced look. Have fun making your own jewelry and happy crafting!