DIY Your Spring Jewelry

The first step to start making your own jewelry is definitely to find some inspiration pics, as either a blueprint to get started or something to try to recreate exactly. We chose some necklaces by Martha Calvo, a trendy brand that seems to be all over TikTok and other social media. NYC-based TikTokker Victoria Paris (@victoriaparis) and her friend Suede Brooks (@suedebrooks) are probably the most famous examples of people wearing these necklaces. They’re super cute, but also, like, $160 - which is a little out of our price range.

Marth Calvo necklaces are of course higher quality and handmade, so if you can afford it, they are really nice. However, it’s not that hard to get the same look with some beads from Michael’s. The supplies needed are: necklace clasps, a couple of different kinds of chains (silver or gold, whichever you prefer to wear), pearl beads of different sizes, pony beads, miscellaneous colorful beads, wire string, and jewelry pliers. You can also get a plethora of different things like charms, semi-precious stone beads, and tiny beads that can even be used for rings. You don’t need to follow the Martha Calvo look and even if you do, you can totally have fun with it and make it your own.

You first need to attach one end of the wire to one side of the clasp. We just threaded it through the little loop at the base and wrapped it around itself until it felt secure. Then, start stringing beads however you want - this is the time to get creative and start having fun with it. Use the jewelry pliers to open and close the loops of the chain to shorten it - we went for short and choker-style necklaces. We used the smaller type of chain to create overlapping loops within one of the necklaces, which ended up looking really cool especially when angled. Opening and closing the chain was a bit of a pain and the wire was thin and hard to work with, but after a lot of hard work, cursing, and almost giving up, the final products were done.

The total cost of the supplies we bought was exactly $40, and we made four necklaces with lots of supplies left over for more, including another necklace made with leftover chain and different colored butterfly charms. That’s 10$ per necklace, give or take, which is a pretty good deal. This totally creates an opportunity to open an Etsy shop or start selling to friends to easily start making some extra money on the side. Once you get the hang of it, it isn’t that hard, and Michael’s has supplies to make all sorts of different creations on any budget.