Thursday, February 25, 2016

Mixed Metal Necklace!


Mixed metal finishes in jewelry designs are all the rage right now! Layering bangles of gold, bronze, and silver on your wrist feels lush and extravagant. Stacked rings in varied metallic hues exhibit a chic, confident appearance and layered necklaces, well, don't get me started. Plus mixing metals  augments the pieces that can be paired with an ensemble freeing you up to wear all of your favorites in one outing. 

This trend stands in opposition of traditional style guidelines, which dictates only wearing one finish at a time. But, why? We are living in an age where we have the fashion freedom to ditch the stockings, shed the girdle, and don white AFTER Labor Day, so why not mix our metals, too! 

Not sure about this fashion statement? Let me ease you into it with an easy, sophisticated multi-strand necklace project. 

Let's get started...

What You'll Need

30" Craft Fantastic Rolo Chains - 4  chains in the silver finish

30" Craft Fantastic Rolo Chains - 4 chain in the antique brass finish


Craft Fantastic Small Jump Rings - antique brass finish

Craft Fantastic Large Jump Rings - silver or antique brass finish. I used silver.

Craft Fantastic Lobster Clasp - match the finish to your large jump rings. 

Pliers   



This is going to go quick. My favorite kind of project! 



Using pliers, remove the clasp and small jump rings from each of the antique brass rolo chains. Keep the clasp for future projects, but toss the jump rings. They're just a bit too small for this project and once they've been used, it's difficult to maintain a smooth circular shape if used multiple times. I like to start fresh with new jump rings.



Attach a new small jump ring to each end of the rolo chains.



Do the same using the rolo chains in the silver finish.



String one end of each of the chains onto a large jump ring.



You should end up with this.



Do the same with the other ends and remember to attach the large lobster clasp. As you can see by my photo, I forgot this step and had to do a little last minute adjustment to add it.



Here's a my finished piece! The length is long and elegant and the mixed finishes make the piece eye-catching without the addition of a pendant or additional decorative elements. This would be beautiful draped against a dressy black blouse, or it would elevate the look of a simple basic tee.



I have LOTS of ideas for multi-strand and mixed metal pieces so be sure to check back frequently to see what I'm working on! Remember, you can find ALL of the supplies to complete this project in the Craft Fantastic Online Shop! 

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See you next week with something new! 

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