How To Make An Easy Charm Necklace

If you're at the very start of your jewellery making journey, creating a simple charm necklace is a great place to start as it's really simple and quick.

Creating a charm necklace only requires a pair of jewellery making pliers and a few required supplies including your chosen charm, jump ring and a ready made necklet chain. You also have the option of making your own necklet chain from loose chain, jump rings and a clasp.

The best thing about using charms is that there are so many styles to choose from, so you can get creative with choosing your favourites.

You can keep your charm necklace simple or have fun experimenting by adding gemstones, wire wrapped elements or even more charms to make your design your own.

Watch our video below of creating a simple charm necklace where you will also find the tools and supplies you need to make your own.

Head over to our jewellery making kits section to discover beginner friendly projects including lots of charm jewellery ideas - each kit has online step by step instructions and a handy shopping list.

Jewellery Charms

Choose from our beautiful collection of high quality, sterling silver and gold vermeil charms for your necklace or jewellery designs. Whether you're a nature, coastal or geometric lover, we have charms for all tastes.

Some charms will come with a jump ring already attached or with a bail, so you may not need to add a jump ring!

Ready Made Necklet Chain

You will also need a necklet chain with the clasp already attached. Take your pick from our range of necklet chains in various styles and lengths, 45cm is the most popular length for necklaces. Choosing the style of the chain will depend on what charm you have chosen and your personal preference. If you're unsure of what style to go for, trace chain is a good basic chain which will suit most charms.

Read our advice guide on chain for jewellery making

Jump Rings

Jump rings are essential when it comes to any form of jewellery making, they are little components that often go unnoticed but are important for connecting components together.

The size of jump ring you need will depend on the charm you have chosen, 5mm is a good all-rounder however we would recommend stocking up on a few different sizes just in case.

Pair Of Pliers - Snipe Nose or Flat Nose Pliers

The only jewellery making tools you need for making a charm necklace is a pair of pliers. We recommend choosing either snipe nose or flat nose pliers, as these have wider jaws which make it easier to grip onto the jump ring when opening and closing them.

Cut Your Desired Length Of Loose Chain

We recommend choosing a necklet chain with large enough links that you can cut as well as easily attach jump rings.

Use side cutters to trim your loose chain to your desired length - 45cm is a popular length for necklaces.

Attach Jump Rings & Clasp

Use a pair of snipe nose or flat nose pliers to twist open a jump ring and attach to the last link on the chain, then twist closed.

Open another jump ring and attach it to the other loose end of the chain link as well as hooking on the loop of your chosen clasp, twist the jump ring closed.

Fasten your clasp to the jump ring and your necklet is complete and ready to wear.

Add Multiple Charms

In this design, we've added our sweet nature inspired charms in mixed metals for an eye catching design. The links in the medium flat trace chain are big enough to attach jump rings, so the charms sit pretty spaced out across the chain for a multiple charm necklace design.

Add A Gemstone Charm

In this sweet design, we've featured our sterling silver elephant charm alongside a top drilled bead, which has been secured by gluing in a peg with loop and attached to the necklet chain with a jump ring.

Add A Wire Wrapped Briolette Bead

In this design, we've added a stunning wire wrapped briolette bead alongside our ship's wheel charm.  Also features our decorative satellite chain which has delicate silver beads spaced along the length of the chain, perfect for modern designs.

Follow our tutorial on how to wire wrap a briolette bead

Add A Wire Wrapped Bead

This is a great way to add some length to your necklace designs, while also adding a pop of colour. In this cactus charm necklace, we've added a wire wrapped peridot bead which we think looks really effective.

Follow our tutorial on how to make a wire wrapped bead chain