my world

Don’t toss those worn strands! With a few extra materials, you can make ‘em as good as new!

My sister delivered a Goldstone necklace the other day and asked if I could do something with it. The gold plated accents were no longer gold and she wanted it a bit longer.

An easy enough job, but since I didn’t want to use plated beads again, I added golden-brown faceted pearls with tiny gold filled beads on either side. To make it longer, smaller Goldstone chips were added to either end along with “Copper Crystal” Swarovski crystals and finished off with a gold filled clasp.

If you’ve ever strung chip beads, you know that it can be a tedious chore! Since chip beads are often drilled diagonally, they have to be fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, otherwise the necklace ends up with gaps. Since the beads on this necklace were well-placed, I just ran the new wire up to the old one and strung them on in the same order.

A wash in warm soapy water, and Voila! a new necklace!

Cost of Materials added: $6.29
Time: 45 minutes