We love making our own jewelry, and pendant necklaces are perhaps our most favorite type of project. So we’ve pulled together the best pendant necklace DIY projects and tutorials to let you unleash your creativity!
The best online DIY pendant necklace tutorials
These video and written tutorials are all free to access online, range from beginner-friendly to more advanced projects, and feature a wide variety of designs and styles. No matter your level of experience, your budget, or the style of pendant you want to make, you’re sure to find something perfect for you on this list!
Related – The 20 Best DIY Jewelry Tutorials for All Levels
1. Easy heart pendant
Hot glue is a quick and easy way to make just about any kind of craft. Take this pendant, for example – with just craft foam, diamond stickers, a jump ring, and hot glue, you can whip up a cute pendant in a matter of minutes!
Older kids will even be able to do this beginner-friendly project, if you help them with the hot glue gun. INNOVA Craft’s video tutorial shows you how to make a heart-shaped pendant with a simple design.
You can also easily adapt this technique to come up with your own designs!
2. Tube bead pendant
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective, and this tube bead pendant is a case in point! The pendant is essentially just a single bead on a chain, but it is effortlessly stylish and will look great with a casual tee and jeans or dressed up with a cocktail dress.
This tutorial from The Lovely Draw shows you how to make a stunning tube bead from a Fimo Effects block and gold metallic spray paint. Alternatively, you could make the process even easier by buying a large tubular bead and using this as the base for your pendant.
3. Glass photo pendants
This video tutorial by TheCrafsMan shows you how to make antique-style glass photo pendants from cabochon. This material does require some safety precautions – be sure to follow the advice in the video.
Photos pendants look amazing and make fantastic personalized gifts, but you can also use textured paper, fabric, or wood veneer.
4. Anthropologie-style pendant
Inspired by a fun Anthropologie piece, this pendant necklace is reminiscent of bunting flags with some flirty ribbon ties. Blush and Bashful shows you how to make the necklace from leather scraps, acrylic paint, ribbon, and jump rings in this written tutorial.
One of the best things about this project is that it is so easy to customize – so you can use the tutorial as a guide and then play around with adding different embellishments. You can also avoid using paint by using different colors of leather, or by keeping it monotone.
5. Epoxy resin pendant
Epoxy resin is another material that can be used to make awesome DIY jewelry, especially pendants. Once you learn the basics of working with this medium, you’ll find it quick and easy to do.
We love the fairy-like effect of using epoxy with delicate dried buds and flowers. Follow along with this video tutorial from Burjou Official to learn how to make your own epoxy resin pendant.
6. Pineapple pendant
This adorable pineapple pendant will bring a bit of tropical sunshine to any outfit! You can make a professional-looking pineapple charm from polymer clay, and add some sparkle with metallic spray paint.
Check out this written tutorial from The Crafted Sparrow to learn how to make your own pineapple pendant. The detailed instructions and photos show you how to complete each step of this easy project.
7. Rock pendant
Geologists will love these natural rock pendants that use uncut rocks, minerals, or crystals!
You simply apply copper tape then cover in silver to create a setting. You can use the same technique to create pendants from different kinds of minerals or rocks, as well as various sizes.
This project is a bit more advanced as it involves soldering on the hoop, meaning you’ll need to invest in special tools, notably a soldering iron, and follow safety precautions. Stars for Streetlights breaks this down for you in this video and written tutorial.
8. Crystal pendant
If you don’t want to worry about soldering, there is an easier way to make a luxurious crystal or gemstone pendant. All you’ll need is some super-strong jewelry glue, a jump ring, and a bead cap.
Glue the bead cap onto the stone and use the jump ring to attach the gemstone to a chain – and you have a beautiful pendant! Fall for DIY has a simple tutorial that shows you how to make decadent crystal pendants, with clear written instructions and photos.
9. Marbled clay pendant
Polymer clay is such a versatile material – you can easily use it to create faux marble. We love using this technique to make DIY ring dishes, and it is also ideal for making a simple, elegant pendant that looks equally fabulous as a casual or special occasion piece.
This written tutorial from A Beautiful Mess shows you how to craft a marbled clay pendant with detailed instructions and photos. The tutorial showcases natural marble colors of grey, black, and white, though you could create rainbow effects using brighter tones of polymer clay.
10. Fairy pendants
This video features some great ideas for making epoxy resin pendants, including tiny cutouts in the shape of fruits with glitter, tiny dried flowers, dried herbs and glitter, sugar glitter and small shells, tiny metal charms.
It demonstrates how to create different colors by dyeing the epoxy resin or using black epoxy and coloring with eyeshadow. There are also some great ideas for finishing and mounting the resin pieces into pendants here.
11. Rorschach pendant
This dramatic and modern pendant is inspired by designer Sachin + Babi’s pendant based on the Rorschach psychological inkblot test. Is it a bat, a butterfly, or something else?
Whatever it looks like to you, there’s no doubt this pendant is stunning! Chains hang along the entire bottom of the piece, adding texture and also weighing down the leather pendant so that it hangs nicely.
Honestly WTF shows you how to make this piece in this written tutorial, and the site also has a Rorschach pattern that you can download for free.
12. Galaxy pendant
You can use Mod Podge glass domes as a base and create a galaxy effect by dabbing nail polish directly onto the domes, in blues and purples, and white for the stars. Using glitter nail polish adds extra sparkle, or you can stick to matte.
Or you can make this project even easier by printing out images of the night sky and sticking them to the back of the domes. You can also use the same technique to make stunning chunky rings.
This video tutorial from SoCraftastic shows you how to create this effect, and finish the piece by attaching a jewelry hoop or mounting it in a frame.
13. Minimalist resin pendants
Instead of using epoxy resin, you can also make DIY pendants with hard UV resin. Though more expensive, UV resin hardens a lot faster than epoxy resin, especially if you put it under a UV lamp, though you can also harden it in sunlight.
Another advantage of this type of resin is that it comes premixed and ready to use, unlike epoxy resin. This video tutorial by Resin Crafts 101 shows you how to make tiny, minimalist pendants with small dried flowers and leaves and UV resin.
14. Birds nest pendant
We love the creative design of these birds nest pendants by Busy Crafting Memories. By simply coiling wire around pearl bead “eggs,” you can create an adorable, bird’s nest-style pendant.
You can add some extra flair with bird and feather charms, or leave them as a plain nest.
15. Glass image pendants
These glass pendants are super simple to make and involve minimal mess. Using printed images as a base, they are highly customizable depending on the images you choose.
You can download images for free from sites like digitalcollageclub.com or design your own. Then simply glue the image to a glass dome and mount into a frame – check out this video tutorial from WillowRunCraft for more detailed instructions!
16. Bolo tie
Western-style bolo ties have become a fashion craze of late, and they’re also super easy to make! These super versatile pieces can be pulled tight over a collared shirt or worn loose as a necklace.
Check out this tutorial from Honestly WTF to learn how to make your own bolo tie pendant.
17. Seaglass pendant
With its smooth surface and interesting textures, sea glass is a fantastic material for making DIY pendants. We also love sea glass because this recycled material is eco-friendly!
The sea glass pendant featured in this video tutorial is easy to make with its simple wire wrap technique. You use a single piece of wire to create a loop and then wrap around a piece of sea glass to form a decorative frame and hold the glass in place.
With a bit of practice, you should be able to make this pendant in a matter of minutes!
18. Polymer clay feather pendant
Another cool way to use polymer clay is to craft a realistic-looking feather pendant. You can do this in a variety of designs, but we love the look of two feathers in different colors together.
Check out this tutorial from The Crafted Sparrow for a fantastic example of this kind of pendant. They complete the double-feather design with two sets of beads for an extra fun touch.
19. Pearl and chain pendant necklace
We love the unique design of this necklace, made up of half pearls and half chain necklace, with a modern pendant. This beginner-friendly project is perfect if you’re new to DIY jewelry or want to try your hand at another style.
You will need some tools like pliers and cutter tools, as well as a paper clip chain (or any type of chain you’d like) and 4mm string pearls. Dess Butler Jewelry shows you how to make this step by step in her video tutorial.
20. Brass ring necklace
Some of the best DIY pendant necklace ideas involve getting creative with everyday items. For example, you can create a simple yet stunning necklace with brass rings fixed together with nylon mason line cord.
We particularly love the affects you can achieve using brass rings in various sizes. Have a go at creating your own design, or copy this project by Honestly WTF.
21. Broken china pendant
To make a broken china pendant, break an old plate or use already broken pieces, and wrap the piece in gold leaf for a luxe finish. Blue and white china will give your necklace an antique look, but you could apply the same technique to other china or porcelain to create different styles.
This project is more advanced than many of the projects on this list, as you’ll need to use grinding and sanding tools. Make sure you have safety equipment such as safety goggles, masks, and earplugs, and that you work in a well-ventilated area.
Check out this tutorial from SomeRandomnessByMe for detailed instructions.
22. Ombre pistachio shell pendant
For a natural take on the DIY pendant, grab some pistachio shells! Paint the shells with acrylic paint, seal with Mod Podge or similar, and glue them to a base to make a dramatic “beaded” pendant necklace.
This tutorial from Crème de la Craft shows you how to make a stunning ombre DIY pendant necklace from pistachio shells.
23. Carved teaspoon pendant
You can also reuse and repurpose an old teaspoon into a pendant to make a unique and stunning piece of jewelry. However, you will need to know how to carve metal with a drill.
If you’re confident with metal carving, take a look at this video tutorial from The other Finnish guy.
Wrapping up
Pendant necklaces are always a great craft project. Not only are they fun to make, but a handmade piece of jewelry is always an excellent gift for mother’s day, birthdays, or “just because”.
This list of the best pendant necklace DIY tutorials will teach you the basics of making your own pendant necklace, let you unleash your creativity, and make some truly stunning pieces of jewelry. These projects range from super simple, entry-level pendants, to much more complex undertakings involving special skills and equipment.
If you’re looking for more fun jewelry projects you can make at home, check out these DIY jewelry and DIY cross-stitching jewelry tutorials.
