How to Make Peacock Bead Necklaces From Real Feathers

Peacock feathers make very pretty jewelry.

Peacock feathers are a popular item used in making jewelry. You can make your own peacock feather and bead necklace at home with a few simple materials. Using real feathers will add to the individuality of your necklace, since real feathers are quite large and attention-getting.

Difficulty:

 

Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Necklace chain with clasp
• Needle-nose pliers
• Silver- or gold-plated copper wire
• Beads in the color of your choice
• 3 peacock feathers of roughly the same length
• Scissors

1. • 1
     Cut the quills of each feather down to about 1 inch using your scissors. Do not cut into the feathered part.
   • 2
     Cut off 1 foot of your plated copper wire with the needle-nose pliers. Line up the end of the piece of wire with the end of the quill, so the length of the wire lies against the length of the feather. Hold the wire in place with the needle-nose pliers. Bend the wire and start wrapping it around the quill. Don't leave any gaps between the coils of wire. Wrap the wire all the way up the quill.
   • 3
     Bend the wire into a loop at the end of the quill. String the necklace chain through the loop. Wrap the rest of the wire down the length of the quill until you run out of wire.
   • 4
     Adjust the necklace chain so the feather is at the bottom in the center. String your beads onto either side of the necklace chain until you have 2 to 3 inches of beads on each side of the feather. Close the clasp of the necklace so the beads don't slide off, and set the necklace aside.
   • 5
     Wrap the quills of the two other feathers in the wire in the same way you wrapped the first. Create the loops at the end of the quills. Unclasp the necklace, and string one feather onto each side. Re-clasp the necklace.
   • 6
     Tighten the loops of the two end feathers with the needle-nose pliers, then wrap the rest of the wire around the quills.