Delicate and feminine, and yet so simple to make, these spiral pearl necklaces are the perfect DIY birthday present, mother’s day gift, or even a treat for yourself!
They’re also the perfect solution to all those beads you’ve been collecting.
(Don’t tell me I’m the only one who hoards craft supplies like a squirrel in northern New England on the hunt for acorns at the end of autumn.)
A few years ago I was suddenly OBSESSED with freshwater pearls. I started hunting around Etsy for the perfect strand of round, smooth beauties. Pink, burgundy, peacock, silvery-white — I couldn’t get enough.
Within a week, I had amassed at least a dozen strands of freshwater pearls in a rainbow of shapes, sizes, and colors.
With each click of the “buy” button, I continued on my quest for more freshwater pearls to add to the collection like it was my job.
Unfortunately, the more I ordered, the less I seemed inclined to actually make something with them.
Until years later, when inspiration hit and I realized they would be the perfect complement to a simple mobius spiral and make a gorgeous necklace.
You can make them in multiple colors, or substitute the pearl for your favorite type of gem or eco-friendly bead. (Just make sure it’s a small one, as these spirals are quite small themselves!)
Supplies needed:
PRO TIP: I HIGHLY recommend these flat nose pliers for any of my jewelry tutorials. Keep in mind you will need two pairs of these pliers. Yes, they are pricey, but they are WORTH the investment. They are hands down the best jewelry tool I have ever purchased. (So much so that when they were confiscated by airport security after I forgot to take them out of my carry-on I immediately purchased another set.)
Here is what you will need to make this super chic and feminine necklace. For your convenience, I have included affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here.
- 2 pairs of flat nose pliers (in particular, I highly recommend these Wubers flat nose pliers mentioned above)
- Round nose pliers
- Flush cutter
- 3 large open jump rings
- I use 16 gauge 9.5 mm ID (inner diameter) sterling silver jump rings
- 3 small jumprings
- I use 18 gauge 3.5 mm ID sterling silver jump rings
- 2 tiny jump rings
- I use 22 gauge 2.2 mm ID sterling silver jump rings
- length of chain (I prefer flat cable chain)
- for an 18-inch necklace, I use about 17 1/2 inches
- 1 small lobster clasp
- I use about a 9mm lobster clasp. You can skip this if you are using chain that comes with a clasp on it
- ball headpin
- round freshwater pearl
- You can use a different type of small bead. Just make sure your bead is about 5-6mm
How to make the necklace:
Take the three largest jump rings (9.5 mm) use them to make a 3-ring mobius spiral.
If you are unsure how to make a mobius spiral, you can follow this tutorial.
Next, string a headpin through the pearl. You are going to make a loop so you can hang the pearl. Since this tutorial assumes some basic jewelry-making skills, I have included a couple images and a video below but refer you to this video if you are new to jewelry making.
Now take one of the smaller jump rings (3.5 mm) and string it through the large spiral you made (make sure the three large rings in the spiral stay together). Then string on the pearl through that lovely little loop you just made, and close the jump ring with the pearl and pendant together.
Ta da!
(Note to self: make sure there is no shmutz on your hand before you photograph your hands for a jewelry tutorial! And moisturize. By the way, this is what my hand looks like after I have airbrushed it. Imagine what it looked like before!)
Now to make the actual necklace!
Loop the really tiny jump ring (2.2 mm) onto one end of the chain, and then loop on the lobster clasp. Close the ring so it is nice and secure. String on the pendant, making sure to go through the small jump ring (3.5 mm) so that the large spiral and pearl hang down. Once it is strung on, string another tiny jump ring (2.2 mm) on the other end of the chain and close it. Loop the small jump ring (3.5 mm) through the tiny one and close. (This is where you will hook on the clasp.)
That’s it, you are done! Not too hard, right?
These pendants are gorgeous and wish I was a bit more bandy, but still I may be in the market very soon and know where to come if I want to buy one!! 😉
Thanks, Janine! 🙂
Love the pendent and love the ‘smutz’!
Haha, thank you, Charlene!
Two things I love about this post, besides the actual jewelry:
1. You referenced Ven diagrams.
2. You used the word shmutz.
The matching earrings you have in your shop would look great with Gwen’s prom dress – I’m going to show them you her. Then we could share them.
Haha, thanks, Dana! I’m glad you appreciate them. (I seriously start to sound more and more like a Jewish mom all the time, but darn proud of it.) I would be honored to have Gwen wear them to her prom. I also do boxed sets with the earrings!
Beautiful! I love seeing how you create your jewelry!!
Thanks, Lauren!
I love your jewelry so much! I’m pretty sure these necklaces are going to be Mother’s Day gifts for everyone this year!
Thanks, NJ! I would be honored to have them be Mother’s Day gifts (they were quite popular holiday gifts for moms last year!)
“Shmutz” just got added to my vocabulary, I love it! Word of the day.
You already know I’m a fan of your work.
Again, I’m amazed with your generosity to share such an informative tutorial with us.
Thank you!!
XOXO
Shmutz is one of my favorites, it’s a great Yiddish word.
I’m happy to share how I do my work! I think it’s fun also for people to see the process, whether they do it or not.
I do not hear much Yiddish around these parts, but back in the Chicagoland ‘burbs it was quite common. 🙂 You just kind of pick words up here and there, Chicagoland was a great place to pick up all sorts of words from everywhere.
I love seeing your jewelry-making process. 🙂
XOXO
P.S. I used shmutz this weekend and my family knew exactly what I was talking about. 🙂
Oh I bet you heard lots of Yiddish there! There’s a big Jewish community in the Chicago suburbs. Love that you used the word shmutz! Sometimes there is just no better way to say something than in Yiddish 😉
I just love a good DIY! These pendants are beautiful.
Thanks, Samantha! Let me know if you try it out.
Oh, they are so pretty. Not sure that I have the patience to do this diy but, pinning it in case I find the time. They would make such a great gift. I’ll have to visit your shop if I need one quick. Thanks for the tutorial!
They make awesome gifts (in my humble opinion).
wonderful you are so creative
love your work
Thank you, Andrea!
I agree that they’re perfect for everyone – bride or not!
And it’s so nice that you let us in on the trade secrets! I’m so.. un-diligent and so impatient. I wonder if I would fare very poorly as a jewelry maker!
Well I have to tell you I don’t have the patience you do to edit photos! I think we all have patience for different things 🙂
Your necklaces are so beautiful! It’s nice you are sharing these tutorials with us!!
Thank you, Michelle! It’s my pleasure.
So gorgeous… I love these. Pinned the DIY over on Pinterest. 🙂
Thanks, Dakota!
Beautiful!
Thank you, Stephanie!
This will be the perfect activity for me to do with my niece this week. She is going to love it!
I hope you both enjoy it, Kristen!
These are so cute! Thanks for sharing how to make them.
Thanks, Caroline!
So pretty! 😀
Thanks, Dini!
what gage jump rings did you use for this?
I used the following:
3 large jump rings (I use 9.5 mm ID sterling silver jump rings)
3 small jump rings (I use 3.5 mm ID sterling silver jump rings)
2 tiny jump rings (I use 2.2 mm ID sterling silver jump rings)
What gauge are the rings … the thickness of the rings, not the diameter.
I just saw this, sorry for the delay! The large jump rings are 16 gauge, the smaller ones are 18 gauge.
Thank you!
These are so lovely! I’ve been waiting to make these myself, and finally got all my pieces and parts in. I didn’t realize until after putting the larger rings together and getting the pearls, just how tiny these pendants would be (even though you put a photo in for scale, I’m dense). I played around and decided to add a couple sparkly clear and silver round crystal links to the chain. It suits my fancy!
Thank you for this tutorial, these are simple, dainty, and easy to customize!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Loura! I’m glad you found a way to customize it, and I would love to see a photo of it.
I’m just discovering you and your wonderful site, so this is the first tutorial I’ve seen and I really enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing how to make these beautiful necklaces! =) I’m looking to get back into jewelry making after dipping my toe in some years ago and I’d like to buy some chain for some necklace projects, but I don’t know what size to get. What is the ring size of this necklace? Perhaps 1.5mm? 2.5mm?
Hi, Lana, I’m glad you enjoyed the tutorial, and yay for getting back into jewelry making 🙂 I really like 1.9 mm flat cable chain, but I’d go with at least 1.5mm to make sure it’s strong enough.
HI Bev, I have just discovered your post. It is awesome. I will be making these for Christmas gifts. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your posts and tutorials. Is there a way I can catch up with your previous posts and tutorials?
Thank you, Judy! These will make beautiful gifts. You can find more information here: https://www.linkouture.com/get-started-making-jewelry-today/ You should also see a way to subscribe to my newsletter (and get a free guide for doing so!) You’ll be informed of my latest posts that way!
Hi Bev, I have just started jewelry making again, after a hiatus of a few years and just found you tutorial on the feminine pearl necklace which I think is absolutely stunning. I am having a slight problem as going through the steps in your tutorial, I cannot see where all the large jump rings are used. I can account for anksusing 3 of them, but not the 5 as you have in the supplies needed. I know that I sound like an idiot, but really I don’t think I am!! LOL!!! If you could just set my mind straight, I would appreciate it. Thanks so much for your help, from one Jewish mother to another!!
Hi, Linda! Thank you so much for the kind words. And you are right, that should be 3 rings. So sorry for the confusion! I am fixing that in the supplies list.