So, in case you missed being able to attend the Free People Portland x Chic Steals DIY Event over the weekend, here is the tutorial for these pretty wire-wrapped quartz pendant necklaces! Inspired by the Banjara Wishbox Pendant Necklace http://www.shopstyle.com/action/loadRetailerProductPage?exit=ProductDetails-Image&id=404915087 available at Free People this Spring, this quartz necklace is fairly quick and easy to make – and looks lovely layered with other necklaces, or all on its own as a standout piece. Here’s how…
You Need:
raw quartz crystal / black cord (I used an old shoelace for the tutorial) / 26 ga dead-soft brass-colored wire / liquid gilding in gold / clear nail polish (optional, not shown)
Tools: wire-cutting pliers / scissors / paintbrush
How To:
1. Paint a small amount of liquid gilding onto both ends of the quartz crystal. 
This takes a couple of minutes to dry, so don’t put it down until the gilding is no longer tacky.
2. Cut 2 pieces of wire about 6-8″ long.
3. Start by wrapping the wire around one end of the crystal. I wrapped it around twice, then brought the ends together, and twisted the wires like a twist-tie.
4. Repeat for the other end of the crystal and make sure you do the same number of twists. The more twists in the wire that you do, the lower the crystal will hang below the cord.
5. Place the middle of the shoelace in-between the wires sticking up from your twists.
6. Wrap the wires around the lace a couple of times.
7. Trim the ends of the wires off. 
8. Use your pliers to angle the sharp ends of the wires into the cord so nothing is sticking out.
9. Knot the end of your cord and trim with scissors. To prevent unraveling, you can use some clear nailpolish on the ends.
And that’s it! Pretty, feminine, boho, earthy, and raw – all rolled into one.
You could experiment with different colors of liquid gilding (like rose gold or silver), or different wire (like copper or silver) for some variation!
Happy DIY’ing!
xo
Carly
Resources for the DIY Gold-Dipped Wire-Wrapped Quartz Necklace
Raw Quartz Crystal – I bought a pack of assorted crystals from Ed’s House of Gems for $9.50. You can also get undrilled crystals from FireMountainGems, Etsy, or Ebay, for example.
26 gauge dead-soft brass wire – Bought from Michaels.
Martha Stewart Liquid Gilding – available at Jo-Ann’s Fabric & Crafts.
Lacing – though I used an old shoelace I had lying around for the tutorial above, for the Free People DIY Event I purchased 6mm black macrame cord from Jo-Ann’s, which was really nice. It’s in the stringing section next to the jewelry components.
Really beautiful….I would love to add this piece to my gold jewelry collection.
I think I would try dipping the ends into the gilding. Then there would be no brush strokes.
That’s a great idea, Nancy! Just have to be careful of the drips 😉