Simple Paperclip Necklace

I've been wanting to make this for a while and I've finally found the time to do it.  This necklace only takes beads and paperclips to make and is fairly simple.  You are just making the same thing over and over again and then hooking those things together. 

Hope you like it :)

Step 1: What You Need

Here is what you are going to need to get started.

Supplies:

• Paperclips , the normal small kinds
• Big beads that are 6mm *
• Small beads that are 3mm *
• Needle nose pliers
• Round Nose Pliers
• Wire Cutter (I used a tin cutter because that's what my husband had)

* You can use any beads you want, but your paperclip cut lengths will probably be different then.

Step 2: Getting Your Paperclips Ready

You need to start off by straightening the paperclips.  Use the needle nose pliers and carefully unbend all of the paperclips you need.  I used about 10 paperclips total.  Once they are straight, you are going to need to cut them to size.  I will show in the next step how to tell how big you want them, or you can cut one and see how it works and then go from there.

Mine were just under 1.5 in. or 3.7 cm. long.  So I was able to get 2 pieces out of each paperclip with a bit leftover.

Step 3: Making Your Pieces

Now it is time to make your pieces.  Get your cut paperclips, round nose pliers, and beads ready.  You are going to need to make a test one to get the size.

1. Take the end of the paperclip (if they aren't cut yet, you will just use a full length straightened one like in my pictures) and grab it with the pliers (Picture 2).  Where you grab the paperclip on the pliers will determine the size of the loop you are making. (See image notes of Picture 2.)
2. Wrap it around the round nose pliers (Picture 3).
3. Now you have an off to the side loop (Picture 4).
4. You can leave the loop off to the side, I didn't like that.  To bend it center, grab the loop near where the end has wrapped around to meet the long part of the paperclip and bend the loop back (Picture 5 and 6).
5. Put on the beads you want, I went small - big - small (Picture 7).
6. Push the beads to the loop you made and, leaving space, bend over the paperclip starting a loop like in 2 (Picture 8).
7. Take a guess of how much more you need and cut the paperclip (Picture 8).  
8. Close the other loop (Picture 9).  If there isn't enough to make another loop, you know you cut too small.  If there is too much to your liking, you can unbend that last loop and cut a little more off.  When you have the right length, you can unbend it and measure, or you can guess based on how much of the paperclip you have left.  Measure up a full straightened paperclip against what you have left of the one you just cut.  
9. You can make all of the pieces and then put them together, but I found it easier to make the first piece, then, when you are finishing the second, before you completely close it's second loop, hook it on the first one, then close it all the way. 
10. Continue on like this until you have the necklace the length you want.

Yikes.  I hope that all makes sense.

Step 4: Make Your Own Clasp

You can choose to use a store bought clasp, or you can go all out and make your own.  It's pretty easy and seems to work pretty well.

1. Take one of your cut pieces that is about 3.7cm.
2. Go about a third or a forth of the way down one side and bend it around with the round nose pliers like you did when making a loop (Picture 2).  Go as far to the tip of the pliers as you can.
3. Once it is bent (Picture 3) use your needle nose pliers to smoosh what you just made so it is even tighter as in Picture 4.
4. Smoosh it until it will fit through a loop at one end of your necklace (Picture 5).
5. Holding where they overlap (like in Picture 6) with the needle nose pliers, use the round nose pliers to bend over the end you just looped and smooshed making a hook like in Picture 7.
6. Hold the hook you just made with the needle nose pliers and, using the round nose pliers, make a loop in the other end (Picture 8).
7. There, now you have a piece with a hook on one end and loop on the other.  Open the loop a little and hook that to one end of the necklace (Picture 11).

The hook hooks pretty loosely, but doesn't seem to come apart easily. 

Step 5: You're Done

Well, that's it.  You can fiddle around with more paperclips and make some sort of pendant to hang from you necklace or just wear it as is.