Recycled champagne cork sunflower chunky necklace tutorial

If you’ve made the sunflower champagne cork earrings you may want a necklace to match.  Simply use a disc made in the same way as the earrings.  Be sure to paint both sides with the sunflower and then follow these instructions to make a cute chunky statement necklace to match.  Your jewelry will be sure to start conversations on conservation of the environment.  After all what is better than jewelry made from recycled items?

You will need:

Sunflower painted recycled cork medallion Recycled cork sunflower tutorial click here

Jewelry findings (2 inch eye pins, fish hook ear wires, jump rings, and lobster claw clasp) I found them all in a convenient pack in a distressed copper color

Large link chain (I found one which came in a length of 54 inches in the same copper color as the findings.)

Wooden beads in the color of your choice

Green glass E beads that will not go through the hole of the wooden beads

Round nosed pliers

Needle nosed pliers

Wire cutters

1.    Gather your supplies. Follow the instructions for cutting and painting your sunflower medallion. (Click on the link above) Make sure you paint it on both sides.

2.     Use a nail or awl to make the hole going through the disc wide enough for your eye pin to go all the way through.  Add a green E bead on the eye pin and insert through the cork.  Add another E bead on the protruding eye pin.  Cut the eye pin shorter with wire cutters and using the round nosed pliers bend to the left and then around to the right to form a loop to close.  You will have a cork bead with small loops on each end. (See photo)

3.     Repeat the steps to add the eye pin to one of the wooden beads and E beads.  Open a jump ring by twisting rather than pulling open and attach a bead to one side of the cork disc.  Repeat with the other bead.  (See photo)

4.     Repeat with two more wooden beads and attach with jump rings as you did in step #3. You will have the cork medallion in the center and two wooden beads with E Beads on each side (See photo)

5.     Cut two lengths of chain about 9 inches by opening the links.  It is easiest to measure the two chains exactly the same by counting the links.  Mine was exactly 45 links for each chain.

6.     Open the end of one chain link with the both pliers and attach to the loop on the last wooden bead.  Close the link. Repeat for other side with the other chain.  (See photo)

7.     To finish your chunky necklace Open one chain link on one side and attach the lobster claw clasp.  Use it to open and close your necklace.