There is no denying that little glass bottle necklaces are adorable, and as keepsake jewelry they are easily adaptable for a multitude of themes. Whether you want to make the featured “Beachcomber” Vial Necklace, or a variation–this style of jewelry is easy to make. You might also consider filling your little bottle with dried flower petals, dandelion wishes, a lock of baby hair, a printed parchment scroll, tiny photos, sea shells, moss, feathers, ashes, or the other seemingly endless possibilities.
Step 1: Gather your supplies needed to make the Beachcomber Vial Necklace.
You will need the following supplies:
1 each 8mm round jump ring (I used item #37-167-1: 8mm round, white-plated jump ring)
3 each 3.2mm rondelle spacer beads (I used item #26-155-32-1: 3.2mm white-plated rondelle spacer bead)
1 each 2″standard head pin (I used item #37-422-1: 2″ white-plated standard head pin)
1 each clear glass bottle (I used item #30-187-3515: 32x15mm clear glass bottle)
1 each 12mm faceted rondelle crystal bead
1 each ball chain clasp (I used item #40-801-1: 2.4mm white-plated ball chain clasp)
24 inches ball chain (I used item #40-889-1: 1.8mm white-plated ball chain)
And Treasures to fill your vial:
20 each 4mm Swarovski crystal bicone beads (I used #05-328-04-116, #05-328-04-124, #05-328-04-407, #05-328-04-90, and #05-328-06-138.)
1 each 17x7mm white-plated key charm
Glitter (I used Tim Holtz Distressed Glitter “Clear Rock Candy“)
You will need the following tools:
mini spoon / tiny glitter scoop
Step 2: Remove the cork stopper from the vial; use the awl to make a centered hole running from the top of the cork through to the bottom.
Step 3: To make the beaded cork stopper, string the following parts onto a 2″ head pin: a white-plated rondelle spacer bead, the cork, a faceted glass bead, and a bicone crystal bead.
Step 4: Finish the beaded cork stopper with a wire-wrapped loop. Follow the instructions for making wire-wrapped loops in Rings & Things “Jewelry Basics 101″.
Step 5: Add a jump ring to the top loop of the beaded cork stopper. Adorn the jump ring by adding two white-plated rondelle spacer beads prior to closing it. Follow the instructions for opening and closing jump rings in Rings & Things “Jewelry Basics 101″.
Step 6: Fill the vial with your combination of beads, crystals, and charms (or other tiny treasures). When selecting items to go in the vial, keep in mind the neck of the vial has a diameter of approximately 7mm.
Step 7: Add glitter to the vial. Rings & Things’ tiny spoon charm #44-639-0 makes a perfect scoop! Once your vial is filled, add the beaded cork stopper to the vial.
Step 8: Finish your necklace with chain. Measure and cut the ball chain to your desired length. Add the ball chain clasp to one end of the chain and string on the vial pendant. Connect the open end of the ball chain to the clasp. Enjoy!
♥Get Inspired! If you loved making the “Beachcomber” Vial Necklace, visit the Rings & Things Design Gallery and get inspired! You will find instructions for making the following necklaces (just click the image for details):
Fairy garden terrarium tutorial by Sondra Barrington & the Rings & Things Showroom crew
Tiny Living Terrarium Tutorial by Summer Melaas of Rings & Things Showroom
Healing Shrine Necklace Tutorial by Rings & Things Designer Sondra Barrington
Make things!
Mollie
3 Comments
I love your creativity. This is the nicest necklace bottle I have seen.
Thanks for the tutorial and assembly tips.
I am addicted to tiny bottles containing tiny treasures, but here’s a dilemma that others have surely encountered.
Too often, those little (microscopic!) corks are damaged when you get the vials; or get damaged somewhere along the way; or get lost; or eaten by the dog or the kids; or simply crumble and disintegrate (especially the real cork ones) before your eyes mid-project. 🙁
IN ADDITION, putting a hole (Step 2) in the natural ones (less so with the rubber ones) also contributes to their demise.
So…Have you ever tried to buy replacement microscopic corks??? (Let me know how that worked out for you and where the heck you found them!)
Can you offer any suggestions on how to obtain TINY replacement corks (EITHER natural or rubber) ‘cause those suckers are impossible to find!
OR—have you considered offering them here at RNT?
(Here’s my order…)
HELP!
Hope you can make sense out of this “it’s A.M. and I haven’t had my coffee” message.
(And thanks in advance 🙂 )
In response to the littlest corks ever, I have searched high and low! Dollar stores to thrift stores, and I have found that if you can find a small mom and Pop Hardware store,they will almost always have a bow of corks from tiniest of tiny to big as your thumb. And if it’s something they may not carry consistently,they won’t mind ordering it for you, especially if it’s something you will be in to buy pretty regularly. Hope this helps! Keep making lovely things like this!! I’m working on a dainty perfume bottle necklace.