Wrap Choker Necklace (Tutorial)
by Rena Klingenberg.
The leather wrap choker necklace that was popular in the 1970’s has made a strong comeback.
(I have also seen this renewed style being called a “bolo necklace”.)
This necklace style is basically a long cord that wraps around the throat, with long or short ends that usually have some sort of decoration on them.
Of course there are all kinds of ways to springboard off the original leather or suede cord design to create interesting variations!
And that’s what we’re going to explore here today.
Let’s see how you might create a wrap choker necklace using components you already have in your stash.
IMPORTANT: Because this necklace style wraps around the throat, it is NOT appropriate for people under the age of 18.
Supplies:
- Cord or smooth chain, measuring anywhere from 18″ (45.7cm) to 60″ (152.4cm) long.
In the examples below, I’ve used:- 18″ (45.7cm) vintage twist chain.
- 36″ (91.4cm) multi-colored art fiber yarn strand.
- 38″ (96.5cm) robin-egg blue satin cord.
- 60″ (152.4cm) natural leather cord in 2mm size.
- Things to dangle from the cord / chain ends.
In my examples here, I used:- large hole beads.
- a pair of small metal pendants.
- beads with bead caps (if you’re new to making bead dangles with wire wrapped loops, see my How to Make Wrapped Loop Earrings Tutorial).
- tassels (you can make your own from my Color Tassel Jewelry Tutorial).
- Other things you might also consider using for your cord ends are feathers, mismatched (asymmetrical) pendants, or wire-wrapped briolettes (see my Briolette Wire-Wrapping Techniques Tutorial).
- For some of the dangles, you may need jump rings.
If you’re new to using jump rings, see my quick tip, How to Open and Close a Jump Ring. - Flat nose pliers and chain nose pliers if you use jump rings.
- Scissors to cut your cord.
How to Make a
Wrap Choker Necklace:
Below I’ll show you how I created each of these four different versions.
These materials are just examples – be sure to tap into your own stash to see what you’ve got in there for making your own necklaces!
Wrap Choker Necklace #1:
Satin Cord and Tassels
The smoothness of satin cord makes this a comfortable, lightweight necklace.
You can have the fun of making your own tassels using my instructions in the Color Tassel Jewelry Tutorial.
Here are the ingredients I used for this version:
- A piece of 38″ (96.5cm) robin-egg blue satin cord from a craft store.
- My handmade tassels made from embroidery thread, craft wire, and jump rings.
Here’s a step-by-step of tying the tassels to the ends of the cord:
When the tassels are attached, the cord ends look like this:
The finished necklace looks like this:
And here it’s worn wrapped around the neck:
Wrap Choker Necklace #2:
Leather Cord and Beads with Bead Caps
Of the four styles I made here, this version is closest to the original 1970’s leather or suede version of this necklace style.
I’ve used a super-long leather cord here, which you could use for multiple wraps around the neck, or for artistically long cord ends hanging down:
Here are the ingredients I used for this version:
- 60″ (152.4cm) natural leather cord in 2mm size.
- Teardrop beads and round beads with antiqued bead caps, strung on headpins and finished off with jump rings.
Tie the the beaded dangles to the cord ends, the same way as shown above in “Version 1 – Satin Cord and Tassels”.
The finished cord ends should look like this:
The finished necklace should look something like this:
And you can wrap and drape the long cord however it suits you:
Wrap Choker Necklace #3:
Art Fiber Strand and Large-Hole Beads
This colorful strand of art fiber adds an extra level of artsy-ness to the necklace.
If you’ll be using art fibers for jewelry, make sure they are soft and not scratchy.
You can find art fiber strands in various places online (etsy.com is a good source), by searching for “art fiber” or “art fiber bundle”.
You may also find them in your local craft or fabric stores.
The ingredients in this necklace:
- 36″ (91.4cm) multi-color art fiber yarn strand.
- 2 large-hole beads that will accommodate the art fiber strand.
String a large-hole bead onto each end of the art fiber strand.
Leave a few inches of the strand below each bead to tie a knot in the strand to hold the bead in place.
After tying the knots, fluff out the ends of the cord for a fringey effect:
The necklace ends should look something like this:
And the finished necklace looks like this; you could even wear it with the ends hanging down like a scarf as shown below:
Or you could do two wraps around the throat and tie the cord ends:
Wrap Choker Necklace #4:
1920’s Chain and Pendants
This is the shortest of the four necklaces I created here.
I like the 1920’s flapper-era feel that these components give it.
The chain needs to be smooth and flexible enough to wrap comfortably around the neck.
The ingredients of this style:
- 18″ (45.7cm) vintage twist chain.
- 2 medium-size lightweight pendants (mine are 15mm x 35mm [0.59″ x 1.37″]).
- 2 jump rings (my jump rings came attached to the vintage twist chain).
Use a jump ring to attach a pendant to each end of your chain:
The finished necklace should look something like this:
This chain length is too short to wrap around the neck more than once, so I did one wrap and then tied the ends in an easy overhand knot, and left the ends to dangle below the collarbone:
I’d love to see the wrap choker necklaces you make from your own stash! Please share them here! 🙂
