I have two little girls who are always wanting to wear a bubblegum necklace with their outfits. It can get expensive buying all of those, so I decided to make some of my own! These are very simple!
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Once you get the main supplies for making these bubblegum necklaces, they’re incredible cheap to make. The possibilities are endless for designs and color schemes, and my girls love them!
Bubblegum Necklace Supplies
- Nylon Coated Beading Wire 0.014″ gauge
- 2mm Crimp Beads
- 6mm Silver Spacer Beads
- Jewelry Pliers
- Toggle Clasp
- 20 mm Bubblegum Beads
- Pendant
- Jump Ring
- Jewelry Design Organizer
Where can you buy bubblegum beads?
There are lots of places you can find bubblegum beads. The easiest way to buy them is is to get pre-made sets that are just enough for a necklace on Etsy like this set. However, that will get expensive quickly.
You can also buy bigger lots of beads on Etsy in specific colors or patterns, but shipping can be high, unless you buy a lot at once.
The cheapest way to buy them is buying them in bulk from places like Amazon or AliExpress. I like Amazon best, because the shipping is faster. It can take up to two months for things to get here from AliExpress, but you’ll also save a few more dollars too, so weigh your options.
I buy bulk bags of 100 of main colors like pink, black, or white, and then buy big bulk bags of rainbow colors in solids, spots, and stripes. There’s a TON of options, so it’s easy to add a ton of beads to your cart.
How to make a Bubblegum Necklace
First, you will need to choose your design and your beads. Since we’re making a Patriotic bubblegum necklace this time, I picked a mixture of red white and blue in different patterns and solids.
Laying them out can be tricky, so I’ve always used one of THESE jewelry designer boards. They’re super cheap, and just keep beads from rolling all over the place when I’m making stuff.
How many beads will I need to make a bubblegum necklace?
If you’re using 20mm beads, which is the standard size, you will need about 20 beads per necklace (plus spacer beads and a pendant.) You will need a silver spacer bead in between each bead, on either side of the pendant, and to start and finish the necklace.
You will also need two crimp beads. Crimp beads hold the wire and toggle clasp in place and keep your necklace secure. They’re awesome and make necklace creation simple.
Step 1: Clamp on one side of the toggle clasp.
As you can see in the picture above, you will need to use a crimp bead to secure one side of your toggle clasp onto the bubblegum necklace. Do this by cutting about 18″ of beading wire to start.
First, string on a crimp bead onto the wire. Then run the wire through the loop on the bottom of the toggle clasp, and back through the crimp bead. Let the wire overlap about an inch, pull it snug as shown, and use your beading pliers to squeeze the crimp bead flat.
Start with a silver spacer bead, and then continue backwards with your design working toward the pendant bead. So the last bead on the necklace will be the first bead you string on.
Use a jump ring (little silver ring with a split it in so you can open and close it) to attach your pendant onto your necklace. Use your pliers to squeeze the jump ring back together so your pendant stays put.
Finishing your bubblegum necklace
Once you’re done, and have all the beads on your patriotic bubblegum necklace, you’re ready to finish it up. It’s a little trickier to finish that it is to start, but once you’ve done a few it’s super simple.
Add the last bead, and then a silver spacer bead, and finally a crimp bead. Run the end of the wire through the other side of the toggle clasp, and then through the crimp bead, the silver spacer bead, and the last bubblegum bead on the necklace.
Use one hand to hold the pliers and gently squeeze the crimp bead to hold it in place, but don’t crimp it yet. Use the other hand to pull the excess wire tight so your necklace won’t have any slack. Once it’s tight, then squeeze the pliers to crimp the bead.
Use the jewelry pliers to cut (most jewelry pliers, if not all of them have a wire cutting function) the excess wire off and tuck the end back inside a bead.
That’s all there is to making a Patriotic Bubblegum Necklace! Etsy has the best pendants, in my opinion, and you can usually find them for just a few dollars. Isn’t the Minnie one I used for this tutorial adorable?
