These DIY Feather Daydream Necklaces combine sparkly crystals, delicate feathers and natural gemstones for the perfect post-Coachella look! Much like any music festival, I loved the flowy, bohemian style of the outfits I was seeing on Instagram….these necklaces are inspired by that free spirited vibe! This contemporary dreamcatcher pendant is a modern take on classic hippie style, and takes a lot less time to make than ordinary dreamcatchers.
Long necklaces are great to make because I feel like the go with most necklines – and they’re just super easy to wear. Pair with a long tunic and skinny jeans, or go with a maxi dress and strappy sandals. The hint of glitz from the faceted crystals keeps the look dressy and chic!
And the color options are endless – choose hues that match your mood! Let’s get started.
STEP 1
Gather materials. You’ll need an assortment of crystal beads or gemstone beads (you can use a mix of sizes – just make sure the colors are complimentary), 24g wire, a large hoop connector or pendant (mine were about 1.5″-2″), eye pins, jump rings (use large sizes, these must go around your hoop pendant), a clasp, cable chain, a large gemstone focal bead (make sure it fits within your circle pendant with a bit of room to spare), a bead cap, feathers, E6000 glue and pliers (wire cutters, flatnose and roundnose).
If you’re struggling to find the hoop pendants at a craft store near you, they have a few choices on Amazon
here
STEP 2
Cut about a foot of your 24g wire and wrap tightly around the top of your hoop – mine already had a small hole in it so I just wrapped through that. Thread on your large focal bead and freeform wire wrap around top and bottom of the loop, bringing the wire in front of the stone each time – you don’t have to worry about being perfect, the organic look of the wraps is what makes the piece super boho! On the last wrap, thread on crystals over the stone and wrap the end tightly to secure.
STEP 3
For an asymmetric design, create 3 beaded links out of gemstone or crystal rounds (I used clear quartz here) and attach small lengths of chain in-between each (about 2″ or so). For a long necklace, I usually do about 26″-28″, so your total chain length (including bead links) should be somewhere around there. Try the fit on yourself, and add or delete chain where necessary. The image above shows before I added the extra length on my chain. If you want the beaded links to hang close to the pendant, you’ll need them closer to the middle of the 26″ length.
I’m using mixed metals here (copper and gold) for an eclectic look – you can choose which metals you’d like to mix (or not!)…
STEP 4
Insert an eye pin through your bead cap, coming up from underneath – add another gemstone bead or crystal, and create a top wrapped loop. With the E6000 glue, glue your feather cluster inside the bead cap and let dry.
STEP 5
With a jumpring, attach the feather tassel to the bottom of your beaded hoop. Again, my pendant already had a loop so this step was rather easy! If your’s doesn’t have a loop, use a larger 10mm jumpring (or whatever fits around your hoop) and attach that way.
To add the chain length to the top of the hoop, use 2 large jump rings, on either side of the focal gemstone. Thread the chain through. To finish, add your clasp at the end of the chain, and a jumpring on the other side. You can also choose to add a small 3″ extender chain, if you’d like to be able to adjust.
With numerous combinations, you can create anything from sleek, sparkly pieces to earthy, natural schemes. I personally like the mix of stone and faceted glass, for the stylish contrast!
Even if you’re not at Coachella, you can still rock the look! Gather up your friends or fam for a DIY weekend jewelry session – these are totally doable for even beginning jewelry designers.
Which gemstones are your favorite to work with?!
All photos copyright Quiet Lion Creations. Email me at info@quietlioncreations.com for permission to use or re-post.
Don’t steal them, it’s bad karma ☺.
