Make Your Own DIY Clay and Crochet Necklace

This necklace combines polymer clay and crocheted cotton thread to make a unique modern DIY clay and crochet necklace. It is so much fun to make and lots of fun to wear!

I love making crochet jewelry and I’m always looking for new ways to create crocheted accessories. If you want a little crochet project for the summer, a piece of jewelry is a great option. It works up quickly and won’t have you buried under a pile of wool.

For this necklace, I decided to combine marbled clay with crocheted thread, and I love the way it turned out! It has a beautiful play between hard and soft, and it was a lot of fun to make too.

Supplies needed to make your own DIY clay and crochet necklace:

• Sculpey Oven Bake Clay
• Craft Knife
• Bamboo Skewer or Grab and Stab Tool
• Parchment Paper
• Jewelry Pliers
• Embroidery Floss
• Crochet Hooks – 1.5o mm and 3.00 mm
• Small Loop Chain
• Jump Rings

Step 1. Marble Clay

This was my first time marbling DIY clay, but it was so much fun that I’m sure I will try it again and again.

1. Start by breaking off a few small pieces of each color you want to use. If you want more of a certain color in your marbling, use more of that color!
2. Roll each color into a little snake.
3. Twist all of your snakes together and stretch the whole twist out a bit.
4. Fold your twist in half and twist a bit more. To keep a strong marbled look, be careful to not twist too much.
5. When you are happy with the marbling you have developed, smash your piece of clay into a ball.
6. Use a rolling pin to roll your clay out until it is 1/8″ thick.

Step 2. Cut Circles

Once you have your clay rolled out, it’s time to cut circles for the top half of the necklace. To do this, you will need to find some small round object to use as a guideline. I used a small lid I found in my kitchen. A shot glass might also work well.

1. Press your cutter into the clay OR if your object won’t work as a cookie cutter, place the object on the clay and trace around it with your craft knife.
2. Use a craft knife to get a clean cut edge.
3. Peel off excess clay and set aside to roll into beads.
4. Smooth the edges of your circle if necessary.
5. Cut circles in half using craft knife.
6. Use bamboo skewer to push holes through your semicircle – one hole on top and four holes on the bottom.

Step 3. Make DIY Clay Beads

1. Roll small pieces of the marbled clay into small balls.
2. Use a bamboo skewer to push a hole through the center of the ball.

Finally, place your DIY clay beads and semi-circles onto a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 15 minutes per 1/4″ of thickness.

Step 4. Add Crochet Elements

When the clay elements are baked and cooled, you are ready to crochet. So grab your smaller crochet hook and embroidery thread! (I am using American crochet terms.)

1. Join your thread to the piece through the hole on the right side.
2. Chain one and work a single crochet through the same hole.
3. Chain two. Work a single crochet through the next hole.
4. Work two chains between each hole and one single crochet through each hole.
5. Chain one and switch to the larger crochet hook. Work one single crochet stitch in the single crochet stitch. Then, work nine treble crochet stitches through the center chain two space.
6. Work one single crochet in the last single crochet stitch to form the shell. Finish off and use a needle to weave in your ends.

Step 5. Add Tassel

1. Wrap the embroidery floss around your fingers several times until your tassel is as full as you want it to be.
2. Tie a piece of thread in a double knot around one end of the loop.
3. Cut the other end of the loop.
4. Use your fingers and a needle to unravel each strand of embroidery floss to make the tassel a bit fuller.
5. Thread a bead onto the top of the tassel.
6. Tie the tassel onto the base of the crocheted piece with a double knot. Clip off the excess.

Step 6. Put the DIY Clay & Crochet Necklace Together

1. Add a jump ring through the top hole of the clay and crochet pendant.
2. Use pliers and a jump ring to attach the pendant to your chain. I added in another clay bead on top of this pendant.

That’s it!

Just put on your DIY clay and crochet necklace and enjoy!
For more fun DIY jewelry projects, check out this knock off chevron Anthropologie necklace and these geometric handmade bangles!

Alexis

Alexis Middleton is a lifelong crafter/DIYer and blogger at Persia Lou. She started crafting at a young age. As a girl, she spent summers with her grandmother crocheting baby doll afghans, making coasters out of plastic canvas and yarn, and canning apricot jam. Today, Alexis spends a lot of time dreaming up and working on projects for her family’s home. She loves mixing traditional crafting techniques with a more modern aesthetic.