I was inspired to make this piece when I saw a similar necklace worn by a good friend. It featured brilliant crystals in a matched rainbow color combination that flowed to a centered tassel pendent of brilliant yellow silk. My friend paired the necklace with a black velvet top and ballerina skirt and looked sensational. My friend looked amazing and that necklace really grabbed my attention.

Hand knotting is beautiful! I love using this vintage technique to create long strands of beads or crystals. It has been used for years to create pearl necklaces and the knots would be placed between each pearl to protect these valuable pearls from spilling to the floor if the string breaks. The knots also keep the beads, pearls or crystals from rubbing against each other.

There are multiple methods available for hand knotting, some methods use a single strand and some use two strands. The material is usually nylon or silk, with silk used for finer pieces. I chose C-Lon cord to make this Vintage Style Hand Knotted Crystal Necklace because I wanted some of the cord color to show through the crystal and I wanted a larger, more obvious knot in between each bead. I also used the same C-Lon cord to create the tassel. I appreciate the lovely finish of this material and by using this cord for the tassel it allows the sheen of the material to really show through.

Repetitive projects like this, especially when done to create a piece of jewelry, can be completed in one night and keep your hands busy while watching a favorite show on the television. The same technique could be used for a bracelet, but I would include a clasp and use two or three strands of beads to add substance.

I enjoyed making earrings with wire, crystals and resin filled bezels a great deal. Working with the Thing-A-Ma-Jig Deluxe was very easy and there are so many patterns you can follow to create jewelry components. Shaping wire with the jig is very easy and your work will be consistent by using such a cool craft tool. Make sure you harden the wire, especially since these are earrings. Work harden will help keep the shape of the earring  so they continue to look beautiful.

The one item that I brush right by was the Diamond Glaze. This is such a great product and I really should have told you more about it. Diamond Glaze works like a resin, but you don’t have to premix anything. You just squeeze it out of the bottle. It will coat paper and seal it without discoloring or smearing the print. It will stick to the metal bezel, and it will also stick to glass, among other materials, and you can also dome with it. I chose to use it in this project because the bezel area was small. If I were to make something larger I would choose a resin product like Ice Resin instead. However, in this application Diamond Glaze is really nice.

I hope that you will give these earrings a try. You can use a variety of colors and styles to create something similar. I have a second pair that I made in the same fashion and you can watch that video as well.  It is titled: “Diamond Glaze Silver Earring” and you can click this link or find it on my YouTube channel.

I would love to see what you come up with, so I hope that you will post a picture of your earrings. I know you can make something really wonderful by just following the basics on the video.