DIY | Necklaces with rough semi-precious stones

Smyks has acquired an exquisite new selection of rough semi-precious stones.

These stones have no holes, making them ideal for necklaces where the wire is wrapped around the stone to create your own decorative pendant.

Necklace with rough agate and silk wire

For this necklace, we used the following DIY components:

1 pc. rough semi-precious stone without hole (for this example, we use electroplated agate)
(the rough semi-precious stones are sold in a pack of 12 pcs.)
ca. 25cm gilded copper wire, 0,6mm (you can use every kind of wire, but we recommend 0,6mm)
ca. 80cm woven nylon cord, sand/grey
+ round-nose pliers
+ 2 x chain-nose pliers
+ side-cutter pliers

Begin by wrapping the wire around your stone, creating whatever pattern you prefer. Once you have finished the wrapping, position both ends of the wire side by side — this is where you will form the eye.

Here you can see the back of the stone. There is no single “correct” way to do this — you’ll need to experiment and find the method that suits your taste best.

After settling on your pattern, use the two wire ends to form the eye. Make sure the eye is turned in the correct direction — it should align with the way you want the stone to hang. Here you can see Smyks’ guide to making eyes.
 

When the eye is done, you pull the cord through it. In this example, the cord is tied in a knot at the back of the neck, but you can also choose to glue a lobster claw to the end instead. 

Here are a few examples of different wire patterns and how dramatically the look can change simply by wrapping the wire around the stone in various ways.

Enjoy your new necklaces.

For questions, comments or suggestions, please write in the commentary field below.