I've been obsessed with the Anthropologie Stormy Seas Necklace for quite a while now, starting
way back when I saw Kendi sporting it. It's a stunning statement piece and automatically caught my eye. Of course, the darn think is circa 2009 and any left on Ebay are marked up enough to make any blogger on a budget flinch. My solution? If you can't buy it, make it. And I even threw together a little tutorial:
My Anthropologie look-a-like took about an hour to put together and cost me about $20 for the supplies - still a fraction of the price I would have paid originally. The turquoise faceted beads I used started out as clear oversize rhinestone because nothing like them seem to exist in Oregon. I used a power drill and small drill bit to add the holes, then spray painted when the color I wanted. Here is what I used to put together my necklace:
Faceted beads or pendants - I used about 16
Round beads for between the pendants
2 large O rings for the ribbon
Enough jump rings to attach your pendants
Thin cord or thread - I ended up using thread to string my beads
Wide ribbon or cord for the ties
Scissors and pliers
Spray paint to paint your beads, if needed
Preparation: If you are planning to paint your beads a certain color like I did, I recommend using a quality spray paint. Most art stores carry spray paint in fun colors. Of course, do the painting outside with plenty of fresh air. Lay the beads flat on newspaper and over them with a coat of paint. Let dry over night and repeat if needed.
Step one. I started by attaching jump rings to each of my faceted beads, using the pliers to make sure the rings were completely closed so they wouldn't slide off the thread.
Step two. I then decided what sort of pattern I wanted for my beads. I decided on three round beads between each pendant. Remember that you're doing two separate rows. My bottom row used 9 pendants and my top row used 7.
Step three. I finished my first row and tied off the ends by looping the thread through the bead a second time and making a knot. I made my second row the exact same way. Then, I tied both of my strands to my large O rings so that I could attach the ribbon ties at the end. Trim any extra thread.
Step four. Finally, I cut two equal lengths of ribbon to use as my ties. I looped them through the O rings, like the photo shows above, and tied them in a bow in the back. You could also use cord, fabric or a thick chain, depending on the look you were going for.
And there you go! This necklace, for as complex as it might look, took very little effort to put together. It isn't perfect, but I love that is captures the general idea of the Anthropologie Stormy Seas Necklace. Plus, it cost me a quarter of the price. The bright color makes it a fun statement piece for summer as well!
