Refashioned Necklace Headpiece

Don't get rid of an old or broken necklace you no longer wear. Instead, use the piece to make a Refashioned Necklace Headpiece from Savannah Starr. This project shows that the best DIY jewelry crafts often require the least expensive supplies and materials. If you don't have a necklace on hand, consider buying an inexpensive piece at a discount store.


 

Materials:

• Chain necklace (I found mine at Forever 21)
• Wire cutters
• Jump rings
• Jewelry pliers (flat nose to open and close jump rings)
• Optional: rhinestones by the yard

Instructions:

1. To determine placement for cutting lengths, put necklace onto head and position where comfortable/desired. Giving yourself plenty of clearance so that the cut chains do not reach your eyes, mark cutting points.
    
2. Remove necklace from head and place on work surface. Cut off chains to desired lengths according to measurements that you marked. Before you cut too many, place back on head to determine if cuts are correct. Save the excess chain that you are cutting off.
    
3. Vary the lengths slightly for a nice look.
    
4. Using jump rings and pliers, add the cut pieces back to the necklace to add more volume to the front area – what I now call the chain bangs.
    
5. If desired, add additional bead drops or rhinestones by the yard to bling out your new headpiece.

For a comprehensive video tutorial of this project, check out How to Upcycle a Chain Necklace Into a Headpiece.