DIY Initial Necklace

Ever since I saw this necklace on Pinterest, I've been wanting to do a DIY version. There's something about minimal jewelry, that's just so...perfect. And I've always wanted to have a custom necklace with my name in it. Actually, the first piece of jewelry I ever made was in summer camp after 6th grade (I think) where I made some clay beads that had my name on them. That's how long this obsession has lasted, people!

 I thought about using wire for the initial, but that just didn't seem the right material. I wanted it to look seamless, made from one piece. So, I turned back to the same material I used the first go around - clay. Only this time I used polymer clay instead of the traditional one. You could use either the air-dry version or the bake version. Doesn't really matter.

To make your own, you will need:

• Polymer clay (either gold or white)
• golden necklace or chain+closure
• golden jewelry wire (0.6mm thick) or 
• Round-nosed jewelry pliers
• Wire cutters
• Gold permanent marker
• Needle

1. & 2. Take a piece of clay, roll it to about 5mm thickness and use a needle to carve out your initial. 

3. Cut two 2cm-long pieces of jewelry wire, and turn one end of each piece into a loop with the round-nosed pliers. Insert the pointy end of the pin you just made into one end of the initial. Be careful not to mash up your letter. Insert the other pin into the other end of the initial. 

Alternatively, instead of using jewelry wire, you could use pre-made jewelry needles/pins, and just nip them a little shorter with the wire-cutters.

4. Bake the initials in the oven according to the instructions on the package, or let air-dry if you're using air-dry clay.

Once they're baked and cooled down, use the permanent maker to paint the letter golden.

5. & 6. Use the pliers to pull open the link of the necklace chain at the point you want to insert the initial, and attach it. Or, if you're using chain and a necklace closure, cut your chain to the right length, separate into 2 halves, and attach the initial between the two pieces of chain, and then add the closure to the other ends of the chain pieces.

I made one necklace for myself, and one for my friend Mari Krõõt. I haven't played around with polymer clay much in the past, but this project got the little wheels turning in my head.

Update! Mari Krõõt says she experienced some fading of the color, so she recommends spray-painting the initial instead of using marker, or you could protect the color of the marker with some clear nail polish like Angelika suggested.

Happy crafting!

xo. Hanna