RiBbOn NeCkLaCeS GaLoRe

[kdritter]

OK, I saw these in Urban Outfitters and made a variation of them using pearls. I have made them in every color with interchangeable ribbon.  It's an obsession and I wear one every day.  Someone told me the other day that i looked like I was wrapped up like a present.  I love love love them and they're so easy.  I buy packages of toggles and just use the ring part on the ends so you can interchange the ribbons.
 The pearls are 14mm glass pearls, kinda like Wilma Flintstone...

 ***someone asked me how I did the ends, so I thought I'd add a picture of the toggles.  The ones from Urban are strung differently and you can't change the ribbon.  I also just made this silver one with my new beads...

[ForevrBee]

Didn't I see this on K8lyn's Web site, Craft X Core, or something by that name?

[kdritter]

Yes! I didn't see that before.  The picture she posted is from the urban website.

[Iris]

kdritter, would you be willing to swap something in exchange for that purple pearl necklace? If you are. please PM me!!

[Goddess]

hopefully you don't think I am rude, but in the future, just ask these kinds of questions in PM so they thread doesn't get bogged down

[kategirl]

may I ask where you found the large kind of fake (I'm assuming...) pearls?  I love the look but haven't been able to find them anywhere.  did you get them at a bead shop?  craft store?  online?

[kdritter]

I get the big pearls (yes, they're fake! they're made of glass) from www.firemountaingem s.com  They have GREAT prices on beads.  They're 14mm glass pearls, and they come with 2 strands for like $4 or something.  The black and white are $8.  Let me know if you order from there! It's a great site.

[eeyorelover_80]

I am interested in making me a ribbon necklace.  I have never done anything like this and would like to get some input on how to go about this task.  for example, how and what do you string the beads on, how long is too long, where do you get the toggles, etc...

Please don't think I'm crazy, but i just can't see paying $40 for these necklaces, when I think I can make then myself.

Thanks!

[kdritter]

Thanks for the nice post eeyorelover! I heart eeyore too

Agreed about paying $40, I see them everywhere around town right now and chuckle because mine only cost $4.  I string them on .5mm beading wire.  I make it just long enough to fit around my neck with the toggle loops on it.  I bought the toggles and ball caps at Michael's.  You can buy the toggles in a pack of 4 or so, and just use the ends with the loops.  Make sure you buy crimp beads, and then necklace won't fall apart.  Good luck. PM me if you get stuck.

[princess_me]

that necklace rocks

[pinkkittypiper]

Fabulous necklace! And adding the ribbon instead of the tradition toggle is such a great idea!  I have to show this to my friend who just spent a small fortune on a similar necklace

[Junyper319]

The way you're doing the clasp & making the ribbon interchangeable is awesome! I've made a few of these, but they're stuck with the same old boring ribbon. Thanks for the great new idea!

[mari_confused]

I made these, so thank you for the great idea! I think i've bought like 15 silk ribbons (smaller ones), and I love how much variation they give.

[kdritter]

can i add that my waitress last night had a pearl ribbon anklet.  it was the cutest ever and i'm totally making one tonite.

[bevrockin]

I was at my cousin's baby shower this weekend, and I bet five or six ladies were wearing these!!!  My cousin was wearing a sweet one made of big clear beads spaced with small lime green beads, and tied with a lime green ribbon.  Man, the possibilities are endless.  I am gonna have to make me one of these for a wedding that I have coming up next month.  I also think that it looks pretty to have a bow with long tails to let hang down the back sometimes as well. 

The foo-foo department store near my work sells them for around $25 each.  Nuts! 

[jz lyk D]

why not just get those pearl beads with bigger holes, and string in ribbon? that way you can adjust the ribbon length yourself

[Ayn]

Hi all -- I've also seen large faux pearl / glass pearl beads strung 'directly' onto fairly narrow ribbon of a thin material (e.g., organza ribbon, silk fabric, etc).  Some are just strung on then tied in a bow (no clasp, & the ribbon fills the holes tightly enough to keep the beads on and in place) -- while others actually have the ribbon knotted between the beads, same way real pearls are done when strung on silk thread, and either have a big decorative clasp or again simply tie in a bow, no clasp.

By the way, for those searching for faux pearls, some are just pearlescent plastic of course and are super-cheap, but muuuch much nicer are the Czech glass pearls. The Czechs have been wonderful makers of all sorts of glass beads for a lonng time; their glass pearls (in many colors, not just white or cream) are very pretty & surprisingly inexpensive.  I believe the Chinese may be trying a shot at the glass pearls biz too, and those are probably even less expensive,  but I don't think they're considered quite up to par yet.

However, if you want what some people firmly believe are the very best of the faux, search for Swarovski pearls.  The 'base' Swarovski uses is actually lead crystal (for which of course this company has long been famous) instead of glass.

To me there isn't a humongous amount of outward-visual difference between the Czech glass pearls & the Swarovski crystal pearls, but there is a pretty good bit of price difference.


And *Lovely job, congrats!* to kdritter, the original poster / necklacemaker. I too have seen almost identical looking but not as cleverly-made pieces at little chic-boutiques for 40 bucks or more  --- and that's "on sale"!