DIY Agate Necklace

Like my new agate necklace?



After ogling and pinning a slew of dyed agate necklaces, I started to really want one.  I actually had a pretty agate pendant as a kid (I've always liked rocks), but for the life of me can't find it now.  With my travel looming, I just couldn't fathom coughing up the $40+ bucks to buy one.

These Stunning Necklaces are From: LEIF; Vintage Pinch; LEIF; Little Things Happen

 
But I couldn't pine any longer, so Hubs and I made a couple.  

That's right, Hubby helped me make these so I could snap photos.  How sweet is that?  Did I mention we did this DIY on his birthday?  I wasn't being cute when I admitted that I am a bad wife!

Supplies:

• Agate slice
• Jewellery bail
• Chain
• LePage Gel Epoxy
• Pliers & wire cutters (or another cutting tool)
• Small file (unless you find a bail meant for stones without a hole)

We started with two slices of dyed agate I bought at the gift shop of the New England Aquarium, for $1.99 a piece.  I probably could have dashed to the craft store to find some, but I love the sentimentality of these.  They remind me of a fun trip we took together.

We grabbed some silver bails from the craft store, but they needed some customizing.  Yup, Hubs came with me to the craft store, too.  How else can I use two 40% off coupons on the same day?!?  These bails are meant to be affixed to a stone with a hole in it already (I  couldn't find the kind without the pins), so we snipped the pins off and then filed the inside gently:

We used this this gel epoxy to attach the bail.  You mix the two parts together on the spot (we used a wood shishka-bob skewer) and have to work quick, but the hold is strong!

Hubs dabbed a touch on to both sides of the bail and then slid it on to the stone, squeezing it tightly:

I didn't touch it for a few days.  It was so hard not to.

I had also grabbed a spool of some silver plated chain from the craft store (with the second coupon, he he he).  I snipped off one link to make the chain the length I wanted and strung on the agate pendant.

Then I used pliers to open a link at one end, which I looped on the last link at the other end and closed.

And that's it!  You could add a clasp if you want a shorter length, but mine are large enough to slip over my noggin.

I've been rocking the dark blue one with my bright orange Calvin Klein dress (from Winner's) and the pink one with pale greys.   Purdy.  And cheap!  Using craft store coupons for the chain and bails, both necklace together cost less than $10.00 (I'm not counting the epoxy, because that's a townhouse staple)!

If you try this, be careful (and maybe make a few extra) because I wore one to a friend's house for dinner, to test out the glue, and she wanted it so badly she almost whipped it off me.  Her eyes went as big as saucers when I told her I made two . . .

P.S. I linked this up at the Sundae Scoop Link Party, Seven Thirty Three, The Brambleberry Cottage, The Shabby Creek Cottage