Fun with Lariat Necklaces! (Tutorial)
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
Raid your stash to design these lariats!
Make lariat necklaces with components you already have in your jewelry stash!
In the examples shown in this tutorial, I’ve used a variety of chains for the necklace strands – plus odds and ends from my stash for the lariat ends.
One end of the lariat necklace needs to be some sort of hoop, loop, or donut.
The other end needs to be an object that can pass through the center of the lariat’s hoop end.
You can even make the components for both lariat ends from wire, sheet metal, polymer clay, metal clay, beads, etc.
Important:
Lariat necklaces are not a safe jewelry style for anyone under the age of 18 to wear or play with.
Supplies:
- A length of chain. The chains I used for the examples here were
72″ (183cm), 30″ (76cm), 18″ (46cm), and 16″ (41cm). - Two jump rings – one for each end of the the chain.
- Some sort of hoop, loop, or donut component with a large enough center hole to pass another jewelry component through it.
- A jewelry component that can pass through the center of the lariat’s hoop end. It might be a bead, coin, key, smaller donut, etc.
- Flat nose / chain nose pliers – for opening and closing jump rings.
Lariat #1 –
How to Make a Lariat Necklace:
For this first lariat, I used a flat, gold-plated, asymmetrical ring for the hoop end.
I used a faux coin for the other end of the lariat:
Before going any further, I made sure the coin could pass easily through the hoop (it could):
For the necklace part of this lariat, I used this 6-foot (183cm) long vintage basemetal chain that belonged to my grandmother.
I left this chain at its original super-long length, so this lariat would have the ability to be wrapped in interesting ways:
Then it was time to attach the components to the ends of the chain.
I used my chain nose and flat nose pliers to twist open one of my jump rings.
If you’re new to using jump rings, see my quick tip for opening and closing a jump ring:
https://jewelrymakingjournal.com/open-and-close-a-jump-ring/
Then I threaded the open jump ring through the hole in my coin, and through the last link on one end of the chain:
I used my chain nose and flat nose pliers to twist the jump ring shut again:
I used the other jump ring to attach my hoop component to the other end of the long chain:
To wear this lariat necklace, first drape the chain behind your neck and over your shoulders.
The hoop end should be a few inches below your neck, and the long end of the chain should drape down on the other side:
Pick up the long side of the chain and wrap it around your neck once, a few inches away from your throat.
Then let the long chain end hang down in front again:
Wrap the long side of the chain around your neck a few more times, keeping the chain well away from your throat.
When you don’t have enough chain left to wrap around again, let that end of the chain hang down:
Pick up the coin at the end of the long chain, and pass it through the back of the loop end of the lariat, so that the coin end comes out on the front side of the loop:
Lariat #2 – The Double Teardrop:
I happened to have this wavy brass teardrop hoop – and also a wavy turquoise teardrop pendant that fits through the hoop:
I double-checked that the turquoise pendant would fit through the hoop – and it did:
I decided to use a shorter chain for this lariat – so I found a 16″ (41cm) piece of antiqued brass chain.
After using jump rings to attach the hoop and pendant to this chain, the necklace looked like this:
To wear this lariat, drape the chain behind your neck and over your shoulders, so the pendant and hoop are hanging down on the front:
Then pass the pendant through the back of the hoop, so that it comes out the front side of the hoop:
Lariat #3 – Hot Pink Hoop and Bead:
Both of these hot pink pieces are acrylic, so they’re light weight:
I didn’t really need to check that the bead would fit though the hoop here:
I attached the hot pink components to the ends of a 30″ (76cm) long oxidized silver chain:
Like the first necklace here, this one has a chain long enough to wrap around the neck – although it can only wrap once.
So you can put it on as usual, by draping it behind your neck with the ends of the chain hanging down in front:
Then wrap the long end of the chain once around your neck, with the chain a few inches away from your throat:
Then pass the bead through the back of the hoop, so that it comes out the front side of the hoop:
Lariat #4 – Filigree Donut and Feather Pendant:
These brass components work nicely together, and I like that the filigree donut is antiqued, while the feather pendant is raw and shiny:
The feather fits nicely through the donut:
. . . so I used my flat nose and chain nose pliers to open and shut the jump rings to attach the donut and feather to this 18″ (46cm) long antiqued brass chain:
This chain length isn’t long enough for extra wrapping, so after draping the chain behind your neck:
. . . you can simply pass the feather through the back of the donut, so that the feather comes out the front side of the donut:
Lariat #5 – Navy Oval Donut and Brass Key:
This smooth navy oval makes an interesting difference from the usual round donut pendants:
When you turn the key sideways, it fits through the oval pendant:
I attached these components to a 16″ (41cm) brass chain to complete the necklace:
You can put it on as usual, by draping it behind your neck with the jewelry components at the ends of the chain, hanging down in front:
Then pass the key through the back of the navy hoop, so that it comes out the front side of the hoop:
I’d love to see the lariats you make from this tutorial, if you’d like to share your creations with us!
