DIY: How to make the necklace
YOU TRY IT: Oren Sheper, who started making jewelry almost by accident when inspiration struck, is happy to share his method. (Ken Hively / LAT)
HOW TO MAKE THE NECKLACE
Adapted from Oren Shepher
Time: 10 minutes
Measurements: A 24-inch necklace
Materials: A 24-inch chain, 24-gauge craft wire, one chandelier crystal
Equipment: Wire cutters, round-nose pliers, flat-nose pliers
Step 1 Shepher lays out a gold chain on a jeweler’s black board. “I’m a gold person,” he says, but any chain 24 inches or longer will work. (Ken Hively / LAT)
Step 2 Using a wire cutter, he snips a 2-inch length of thin gold wire (sterling or any craft wire also works) and carefully threads the wire through the bright octagon that tops the teardrop chandelier crystal, twisting the wire twice to anchor it. (Ken Hively / LAT)
Step 3 With round-nose pliers, he makes a loop with the wire, attaching the gold chain before closing the loop. Shepher dangles the finished necklace in the early spring light streaming through the window. His work is done. (Ken Hively / LAT)
Adaptations: Add a series of charms to the necklace, making wire loops to anchor each of them strategically along the chain. Or use two chains or even three of differing metals and weights, twisting them around each other before stringing them with coins, old singleton earrings and vintage keys. (Ken Hively / LAT)
Capture the look of this chunky crystal necklace, which was seen at Viktor & Rolfs spring-summer show. (Jean Jacques Ceccarini / EPA/Corbis)