I saw this tutorial at Sarah Ortega’s blog about how to make a birds nest necklace a while ago. It’s one of those things I’ve seen in etsy stores or similar small shops and thought, “Oh how pretty!” but because I don’t really buy myself jewelry, that’s as far as it got. But when I started learning how to bead my own jewelry last year, it was a quick jump to the realization that I could probably learn to do even more – and that with enough practice and time I could make myself my own bling.

This necklace promised to be simple to put together and I immediately wanted one of my own badly so I bought the supplies to make my own, then hummed and hawed for months because I’ve never done anything involving wire wrapping or chain before and I was weirdly intimidated by the whole thing but I finally made the necklace photographed above on Wednesday night.

Here are the supplies I used:

• some 22 gauge wire – anything between 20 and 24 should work well – the thicker you get though the harder it is to bend
• beads to represent the kid’s birthstones (cheap red and clear stones because rubies and diamonds are a bit out of my price bracket
• and pearl to represent me (get it? mother of pearl). But you could use any kind of beads you want.
• some chain and a jump ring

Like I said, this was a new jewelry making experience but it really was so easy to put together and came out great even with all my “winging it” improvisations and less than nimble fingers. I’m planning to make another one soon in a golden colored metal to look more like a real nest, but I am pretty smitten with how this one came out and have been rocking it with pride ever since!