This DIY Triangle Necklace uses just 15 beads and a length of cord to make a fun and geometric design!
January weather can be exceptionally gloomy here in the UK, so who wants a DIY Triangle Necklace that you can make in in whatever cheery colours you like? Grab some beads and cord and lets get making!
You will need:
-15 beads
-1.5 metres of thread or cord that is thin enough to go through the holes in the beads TWICE. Top Tip on this in a moment!
-Super glue, the thin runny kind.
-Sharp scissors
–Optional jewellery findings appropriate to the cord size and thickness.
How to make
Top Tip! First off, lets works out the right cord and beads combo. The thread or cord needs to go through the hole in the beads twice. A lot of beads have quite small holes, as they are designed to thread onto thin wire or thread. Sometimes you might think a cord isn’t going to fit through the hole (or in our case, fit through twice) only going to fit through once but if you dip the end into thin superglue, let it dry and then cut the tip into a point it acts like a built in needle and magically threads through!
In this example, I am using 1mm satin cord and 8mm wooden beads.
1.Cut a 1.5 metre length of cord and dip BOTH ends into superglue. Leave to dry, then cut the ends at an angle with sharp scissors.
2.Thread on one bead.
3.Then take the other end of cord through the bead in the opposite direction.
4.Pull the threads tightly and you should see the bead with the loop of cord around the outside. Make sure the bead is reasonably central on the cord- there is more than enough cord to work with so don’t worry if its slightly out. This is the point of our triangle!
5.Now thread two beads onto one of the cords (it doesn’t matter which) then take the other cord through in the opposite direction.
6.Pull the cords so they sit on top of the first bead, but not so tightly that it starts to curl up.
7.Repeat with three beads for the next row.
8.Then with four beads. At this point, if your triangle is wanting to curl up, loosen the tension on your cord and get each row to sit flat next to the previous.
9.Lastly, add five beads.
10. To finish your DIY Triangle necklace the simplest method is to tie the ends together in a knot – great if you want the necklace long enough to go over your head.
11. If you want to add a clasp, first choose the right end for the cord of thread you are using- so for this 1mm cord I would use a fold over end. If you are using a thinner thread such as s-lon or c-lon, I would use a necklace end. You can then use jump rings to attach your preferred style of clasp!
You can play around with different bead and cord combinations as well as with the pattern of beads. Round and faceted beads both work well, larger seed beads that are more doughnut in shape tend to want to curl up.
In this example, I have used 6mm fire polished Czech glass beads and c-lon cord. To get the pattern, just add a different colour bead in the middle of row three, and two in the middle of row four.
Please share this DIY Triangle Necklace tutorial if you enjoy it and if you have any questions, leave a comment below or come and find me on Instagram ! Want even more modern craft, creative inspiration and behind the scenes of my life as a jewellery maker? Sign up to my monthly ‘Making, Creating and Little Adventures’ email! Happy Making!
Super cute project! I can see this being a great kids’ craft too with bigger wooden beads, but it’s also great as a quick project for someone who wants to swap out their styles often too. Very versatile!
Yes! It would be a great craft to do with kids
great tute love the simplicity.
Great idea! I just finished my first one. I made mine with waxed linen, natural color, and picasso jasper with large holes. I tried several times prior to this with different beads, but I found that you definitely have to use the same size beads. Round seems to work the best. As for the holes, it is kind of hard to find larger holed beads, but I was lucky enough to have some in my stash.
It can be tricky to find beads with large enough hole to get a thread through twice. Wood and ceramic often have larger holes. That’s also why I like the s-lon and c-lon threads as they are relatively fine but have enough rigidity to go through the holes.
For sure my kids will gonna love those accessories. Thanks for sharing your blog.
I love this. Do you know if it can be made into earrings?
Hi Gin, so happy that you like the project! The simplest way to turn this into earring would be to bring the cords together in either a fold over end (for thicker satin and cotton cords) or a necklace end (for thinner s-lon), without pulling them so you loose the triangle shape. These ends can then be attached to an earring finding. This would mean the point is facing down like the necklace. But you have just given me an idea to make a smaller version for earrings that it point up!