Create an acorn Bead Cap Necklace
Make Acorn Charm Earrings, Key Ring or Necklace
Making acorn charms using acorn bead caps, round beads and head pins is an easy acorn craft idea and has been jewelry trend for a couple of years.
After writing the Acorns - the Oak Nut lens last year, I got interested in figuring out how to make these cute, nature-inspired bead charms.
The trickiest part is matching the acorn bead cap to the round beads, but if you watch the video clip on Bead Cap Basics by Auntie's Beads jewelry designer, you'll learn how to ensure that the beads and the bead caps match to make acorn charms.
After the charms are made attach the charm to a lobster clasp and you've got a fun acorn charm that can be attached to a backpack or cell phone. The acorn charms can easily be turned into acorn necklaces or earrings, acorn key rings or cell phone charms.
Get some acorn bead caps, beads and head pins and you'll be able to complete a fun acorn craft in a short period of time. Making acorn charms is also a fun tween activity and they make great Christmas or Birthday presents.
Acorn Bead Cap Charms created with components found on Amazon
Acorn Symbolism
Acorns, or the nut of the oak tree, have symbolized many different things in different cultures. The ancient Druids believed that both the oak and its fruit contained special powers.
Depending on the culture acorns have represent luck, prosperity, youthfulness, life, fertility, immortality, power, survival, spiritual growth, patience, perseverance and hard work.
Acorns have been incorporated into many designs and crests for luck, prosperity, power and growth. Perhaps the best symbolism of the acorn to use when giving the acorn as a gift is that of luck and of perseverance.
To learn more about the Acorns as a good luck symbol see the Acorns - the Oak Nut lens.
Acorns by Kirsti A. Dyer
Acorn and Oak Leaves
Oak leaves and Acorns by Weatherbox
Get Started with a Jewelry Making Kit
Make an Acorn Charm
Ingredients
- Acorn Bead Cap
- Large Round Acorn-colored Bead
- Head Pin - 2 inches
- Seed Beads or Crimp
- Jewelry Tools
- Extras - Chain or Earring Wire or Clasp or Cell Phone Strap
Instructions
- Before starting to make the acorn charms, decide how the charms will be use. The finished use will determine the size of the charm needed and the number of the charms.
- A single charm can easily be turned into a necklace, a key chain or a cell phone charm, while two charms turn into earrings. Look in the "More Ideas for Making Acorn Bead Cap Jewelry" for different designs.
- Each charm requires an acorn bead cap, a round acorn-colored bead, a head pin and if the head of the head pin is not large enough to hold the bead, then a seed bead or crimp to keep the head pin from 'falling through' the main bead.
- 1. Take the head pin and slide on the acorn bead. If the head of the head pin is not large enough, remove the acorn bead and put on a crimp or a single seed bead, then slide on the acorn bead.
- 2. Slide on the acorn bead cap.
- 3. Form a simple loop, watch the video clips to see how the loop is formed. To make a simple loop bend the head pin 90 degrees using pliers. Leave ~ 3/8 inch of the wire behind (to make the loop) and trim off the excess. Use round nose pliers to curl the remaining wire into a simple loop.
- 4. To make a wrapped loop with the head pin. Watch the video clips to see how the wire gets wrapped loops are formed.
- 5. Finish up the acorn charm. Hang the charm on a necklace, attach with a jump ring to a key chain, a clasp or a cell phone strap. Attach two charms with jump rings to ear wires to make a pair of earrings.
- Bead Charm components Available from Amazon.
- Instructions from Woodland Acorn Earrings.
Supplies to Make an Acorn Charm
Acorn Charms, to use to make necklaces, earrings or other decorations, can be easily made using a few basic bead supplies and tools
- Acorn Bead Caps
- Large Beads
- Head Pins
- Seed Beads
- Accessories or Extras
- Jewelry Tools
Bead Caps on Amazon
Choose an Acorn Bead Cap. You can also find them in gold.
Bead Cap Basics
Learn the basics of matching bead caps to beads from Auntiesbeads.
Matching Bead Caps to Beads
In the video clip above, Aunties Beads designer Carla Schafer shows how to match up bead caps with beads to get the desired effect for a project.
Since we are making acorn charms, part of the bead needs to be covered by the cap.
For a 13mm Acorn Bead Caps a bead of 11 - 12mm would be a good size to pair to create an acorn.
For an 8mm Foliage Bead Caps with Leaf Design since this bead cap is smaller a bead of 6 - 7mm would work better to create a smaller acorn charm.
Fire Polish Beads
Pick the bead for the color of acorn you want to make. Growing acorns are green, once they are fallen they turn different shades of brown. Acorns come in shades between green and brown and the bead color choice can be embellished a bit, like using the Olivine/Amethyst bead below as shown in the example.
If you work with smaller 8mm bead caps, be sure to choose smaller beads 6-7 mm.
Threading the Beads on the Head Pin
Make sure to select a head pin that is long enough so there is enough wire to create a simple loop or a wrapped loop. A simple loop will need less wire, so shorter head pin can be used.
Threading the beads onto the head pin is pretty easy. The only trick part is whether or not the head of the head pin is large enough to cover the hole in the bead. If the head pin holds, then go on to make a loop.
If the head pin falls through, used a larger head pin or thread a seed bead or attach a crimp at the end so the head pin is made large enough to keep the bead attached to the head pin.
Assorted Head Pins
Head pins in your choice of colors to match the brass or copper acorn bead caps. You can also find them in gold.
Seed Beads
Use seed beads, if needed, in the color of the polished glass bead to help hold the head pin in place.
How to Work with Head Pins Video Clips
These video clips from Artbeads and Brightlingsbeads do an excellent job of demonstrating how to work with head pins to make simple loops or a wrapped loop for beads.
Accessories and Extras
The accessory and extra bead supplies needed to turn your Acorn charm into a necklace, bracelet or earrings.
Use the lobster claw clasp to attach your acorn to a key chain, zipper pull or cell phone charm.
More Ideas for Making Acorn Bead Cap Jewelry
- Jewelry Making Idea: Woodland Acorn Earrings
The Vintage Acorn Bead Caps are perfect for this lovely fall time of the year. I combined our 12mm Red Jasper Gemstone Rounds along with our new Acorn Bead Caps and, to add a little sparkle I used our - Little Acorns Pendant | Artbeads
This charming pendant pairs inviting earth tones with brilliant metallic accents for a look that is both earthy and high fashion. Although this design appears complex, it is surprisingly simple to construct. - How to: Mighty Oak Necklace | Beadaholique
Two-toned oak leaves converge in the center of this autumnal necklace. Dangling from the leaves are two fat acorns, made from sparkly Czech glass and topped with adorable acorn-hat bead caps. - Little Acorn Charms | Artbeads
Create personalized charms in minutes using this simple design. These endearing charms use just a few components and can display any color combination you choose. Use them to embellish household décor or dangle them from jewelry for a lovely result. - Make Your Mark: Falling Acorns
I have created these acorn pieces with gorgeous antique copper acorn bead cap and Swarovski Oviline Rondelle beads. The copper really grabs that Autumn feeling and the green just accents it so well. - Etsy mini trend: acorn bead caps
Acorn bead caps - I think this is a trend that started on Etsy entirely (correct me if I'm wrong). Since there are not just sellers of truly handmade goods on Etsy, but also a lot of professional jewelry supplies sellers who introduced these caps to - Winter Acorns | Flickr
Gorgeous brass acorn bead caps with vintage grey lucite moonglow beads hang off long brass kidney earwires with copper spacer beads. - Folksy :: Buy "Green Acorn Earrings"
Gorgeous copper acorn bead caps with vintage green lucite moonglow beads, hang off brass earwires with copper spacer beads. - Acorn Napkin Ring Embellishments
Remember how I promised I would make something out of those jingle bell tops? I wasn't too inventive with them. I said they looked like acorns, and I made them into... acorns from mad in crafts.
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