Rose Cluster Faux Perfume Bottle Necklace

Every Mum deserves a bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day. But why not go one step further and make her a pendant with a beautiful rose cluster bead that will live on long beyond a bunch of flowers. Make it yourself with love and show her how much she means to you.

Rose bottle pendant featuring a red rose cluster bead, bead caps and silver Swarovski crystals

This stunning bottle-style pendant is surprisingly easy to make. You just need an assortment of bead caps and a couple of crystals to add some sparkle to this special rose cluster bead.

Here's a shopping list to help you out:

Beads and findings required for the Rose Bottle Pendant

Jesse James Feeling Rosy bead from Grenadine Strand #2
4mm and 6mm Swarovski crystals to suit your feature bead
An assortment of bead caps
70mm long headpin
Beadalon snake chain kit
Clasp
2 x jump rings

Tools: 2 pairs chain nose pliers; Round nose pliers; Flat nose pliers; Flush cutters; Bead mat

Work Out Your Design

To design your bottle pendant, you'll need to sort through your bead cap mix and find combinations that work well together. Starting with the base, string on a 3mm bead cap (or a round spacer bead). This will act as a stopper and make sure that the first bead cap doesn't fall off if it has a large hole.

Now, create the base and stem.

Try different combinations of bead caps: some bell shaped, some flat, some cupped. Place multiple pieces together to create fancy shapes, or string some upside down to give them a different look.

Include the 6mm Swarovski crystal in the stem and add the feature bead so you get a really good idea of how it will look. Just keep trying the bead caps in different combinations until you like what you see. I eventually went with number 2 because I liked its balance.

3 different bead cap combinations for the base of the rose bottle

Now do the same thing with the top. String different combinations of bead caps to create a fancy-shaped top for your faux perfume bottle. Include the 4mm Swarovski crystal in the top as part of the "cap". This time I went with the third combination.

Three different combinations of beads and crystals to make up a "lid" for the bottle.

Once you're happy with the design, firm all the bead caps into position so they nestle inside each other and there's no play in them. Grip the head pin above the last bead/bead cap with chain nose pliers and bend it at a 90° angle above the pliers.

Use chain nose pliers to bend the head pin at a 45° angle

With round nose pliers, create a loop large enough to string your chain through. Finish with the tail of the head pin on the side so that you have a complete loop.

Using round nose pliers to form a loop at the top of the neck of the head pin.

Hold the loop with one pair of pliers and grip the tail with the other pair. Wrap the tail neatly around the neck as many times as you need to. This will keep the components firmly in position so that there is no wiggle room. Two to three wraps is a good balance. If you need more than this, then make the neck shorter next time.

Wrapping the wire around the neck of the head pin

Trim away the excess tail close to the neck.

Trimming the tail of the head pin flush with the wire wrapping using flush cutters.

Make the Chain

Decide how long you'd like the pendant to be and take away the clasp length from this measurement. I cut my chain to 50cm (19.75") and with the clasp and jump rings added, it measures 52cm (20.5") long.

Cutting the snake chain to the desired length for the necklace, using flush cutters.

Place one end of the chain into the chain end. You can glue it into position if you wish, but this is optional. Suitable adhesives would be GS-Hypo Cement or super glue. Grip the loop and the very tip of the chain with the chain nose pliers. With flat nose pliers in your other hand, press one flap of the chain end over the chain. Do the same to the other side. Give it a gentle tug to make sure it's secure. If not, press the flaps down more firmly and then tug again.