Shorten those necklace chains!

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How to shorten necklace chains - DIY beaded pendantsAlmost a year ago, I received these fantastic pendants as part of a wonderful swap. The chains I had to wear them on, though, were just too long.

how to shorten necklace chains

They’re nice sterling silver chains that I took from some horribly ugly pendants that my mother-in-law passed down to me, but I generally find it hard to wear long necklaces without them feeling awkward. It took me a few months (as you can see, after a change in watermark) to finally get around to shortening those chains, but it was super simple.

how to shorten necklace chains

I don’t have any special jewelry-making tools, so anyone can do this. First, try on your necklace with the pendant and decide how long you want it. Hold onto the clasp with one hand and where you want the chain to end with the fingers of your other hand, slip it off of your neck, and cut right through the chain with a regular old pair of wire cutters. (or some fancy jewelry tool, if you have one.) You’ll want to cut off the end with the jump ring, not the end with the clasp.

how to shorten necklace chains

I ordered some sterling silver end cord fasteners from Ebay and with my everyday pliers crimped them on to the cut end of the chains. (And discovered how hard it is to photograph shiny silver jewelry!)

how to shorten necklace chains

And then my lovely pendants finally had lovely chains to go with them!

 thow to shorten necklace chains

And I haven’t stopped wearing them since! They’re perfect for the summer.

how to shorten necklace chains

Here I’m modeling the bird’s nest necklace along with the tie-embellished t-shirt Sheri sent me as part of that swap. And speaking of Sheri, she’s currently having a 40% off sale on her cool printed t-shirts and is also offering something extra for those who write “Awesome Sauce & Asshattery” in the space for messages at checkout, so if you want one, now’s the time to grab one!

10 thoughts on “Shorten those necklace chains!”

  1. Simply lovely my dear, the chains are now the perfect length! I’m so glad you’re still enjoying the pendants…and I’m loving the red zipper pull earring! =O)

    *thanks for the groovy shout out ;O)

    Reply
    • Those lovelies get worn very frequently and also were the only necklaces to come on vacation with me this year! Aaaaand, nice job, you also saw what I’m writing about next! 🙂

      Reply
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    Reply
    • Hi Clare, yes, I just cut the necklace and then press the cord end fastener to the end of it. You need to make sure that you have the correct size of fastener to fit around the neckace. The first fasteners that I ordered were to small and wouldn’t fit all the way around the chain, so I had to order more. I might remember incorrectly (I did these almost 3 years ago), but I think I might’ve also added a bit of super glue to the end of the chain before closing the fastener around it, though that’s probably not the “correct” way to do it! Obviously if you’re shortening a chain with links, just open up a link at the right point to remove the excess length and add a regular clasp with a jump ring.

      Reply

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