Make a Leather Necklace with Pendant

Do you want to make a simple necklace for yourself or a special guy or gal in your life, but aren't sure how to go about it? This simple leather necklace is a good choice for anyone, male or female. All you need is a pendant, a leather cord, connectors, and a clasp. It's a great beginner project for a polished-looking necklace.

What You Need for This Project

Pendant - The example is an 18x30 mm sodalite teardrop, which came with a loop attached at the top.

Cord - The example uses a black leather strap, but you can use other thick cords, such as vinyl, hemp, or waxed linen.

Coil Connectors - These are metal coils with a loop at one end, where a clasp can be attached. You want a connector with a coil such that the cord will fit inside it snugly. If you like, you can make your own connector by wrapping 20-gauge wire around the cord, leaving a loop at one end to attach the clasp.

Clasp - I used a large lobsterclaw clasp because it has a sleek appearance, is secure, and is easy to use. If you like, you could make a clasp.

Smooth Jaw Pliers - I used flatnose pliers. No teeth or you will scratch the coil!

Glue - Optional, but nice to have.

This piece brings together several basic techniques to create a beautiful piece of jewelry. You should be able to complete this project in about 15 minutes.

Any beading or craft store should be able to set you up with the materials to complete this project, but you can find jewelrymaking materials online, too.

Take a look at your materials. You want the ends of the cord to barely slide into the coil connector. Can you see how the clasp attaches to the loop on the coil? Put the cord around the neck of the person who will be wearing it and cut it to the desired length.

Cut your cord to the desired length and slide the pendant onto it. Slide or work the end of the cord into a coil connector until the end is flush with the top of the coil near the loop.

For added security, you may want to add a drop of waterproof glue to the inside of the coil before adding the cord. Don't worry if you don't have the glue. It really shouldn't be necessary.

Smash the coil with your pliers to secure the cord. In the example, this was actually pretty hard. The coils were made of steel and didn't want to be crushed. I even double-checked the instructions to be sure I had the right kind of connector. The cord-into-coil connection was pretty snug in this case, and I think the necklace would have been sufficiently secure if I had used just glue and not crushed the coil. Use your best judgement. Expect to use some force to crimp the coil.

You will either need to use pliers to open the loop on the coil to insert the end of the clasp, or else use jump rings to connect the loop of the coil with the loop on the clasp.

These are books that show you how to make other simple jewelry projects. Feel free to add to the list or to vote selections up/down.

Do you have any questions about this leather necklace project or comments about this lens? Here's the place to put them!