This is a technique I’ve been meaning to try for some time and I was amazed at how beautifully it worked up.

I have several “pearl” necklaces that were my grandmother’s, but none were at all my personal style.  Muliple strands of white pearls is just so not me.

But I had read about dying pearls with Rit dye and wondered if it really worked.

Turns out, it does.  🙂 Not only is it easy, it’s quick, which is quite the bonus.   All you need is ten minutes in the dye bath and you’re good to go.

Imagine making custom pearls to match any focal beads you have on hand.  Don’t forget that you can mix the Rit dye colors, as well as over-dye the pearls to get your own perfect custom colors.

Donja just love the infinite possibilities?

Happy creating!

Materials:

For dying pearls:

• 21 pearls
• Rit Dye in color of your choice
• warm water (not boiling)
• small glass container
• small whisk
• paper towels
• sieve

For necklace:

• 21 dyed pearls
• 22 eye pins
• focal bead
• one decorative head pin
• 23 5mm jump rings
• two 4-inch pieces chain
• necklace clasp
• chain nose pliers
• round nose pliers
• wire cutters

Instructions:

To dye pearls:

1. Add 2-3 teaspoons of powdered dye to small glass container. Whisk in 1 tablespoon warm water.
2. Add a small piece of paper towel to bottom of container; then add pearls on top of toweling. Add more warm water to cover pearls.
3. Allow pearls to sit in solution for 10 minutes; then drain into a metal sieve. Rinse and allow to dry on toweling.

To make necklace:

1. Slide a pearl onto an eye pin. Use chain nose pliers to grasp wire just at point where it exits pearl. Bend wire at 90-degree angle.
2. Grasp bend with round nose pliers and wrap wire around pliers as far as possible to start to make a loop. Reposition pliers to finish loop.
3. Use wire cutters to trim wire where it crosses beginning of loop.
4. Repeat to make 20 pearls links.
5. Repeat steps 1-3 to add focal bead to an eye pin and to make one pearl dangle with decorative head pin.
6. Connect all 20 pearl links with jump rings. Attach a 4-inch piece of chain to each end of chain of pearls. Add a jump ring to one remaining end of chain and a clasp with a jump ring to other end of chain.
7. Attach pearl dangle to focal bead with jump ring.
8. Use a jump ring to attach focal bead to center jump ring of necklace.

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