How to Make Warmhearted DIY Story Necklaces

Create warmhearted DIY story necklaces with these simple and easy steps. This post will share how to use thoughtful charms and basic jewelry supplies to create unique and individualized story necklaces guaranteed to make anyone feel loved. Warmhearted DIY story necklaces make for the best gifts!

The Charm of Story Charms

Why are charms so, well, charming? There is no other piece of jewelry that evokes the same curiosity. The curiosity comes from the story. Charm jewelry carries emotion because it offers a sentimental chronicling of a loved life story. The tiny tokens are reminders of treasured moments held dear by the owner. They are keepsakes of moments gone by, great loves, goals, and things that capture the spirit. Story charm necklaces can reveal parts of a person otherwise unknown. Moreover, they remind us of humorous or meaningful times past. Finally, endearing story necklaces often represent people and ideas held dear to the keeper of the piece.

My Warmhearted DIY Story Necklace

I have my own story necklace. My necklace is in the process of being carefully curated over time. It started with two simple arrows and a bible verse. Psalm 127:4-5 says, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” I got my story necklace from a sweet jewelry maker at a vintage market. Two charm arrows lay aside a charm with two simple words, “raise arrows.” The charms represent my twin boys. To me, they are a reminder of my humble purpose as a parent in raising young men to be sent into the world with great intention and goodness. 

Over the years, I added pieces that felt meaningful to my story. Words like intention and bravery hung around my neck to remind me of my goals. Currently, “be daring” holds a lot of meaning for me. The charm represents a time in my life when stepping out of my comfort zone is critical for happiness. The plan is to replace the trinket with new goal tokens defining new growth goals as they come.

I love my story necklace so much that I decided it would make an incredible gift to those I love. As I create these story necklaces, I carry with me the intent that each receiver will change and add to the string as they see fit. Hopefully, the story necklaces become timeless expressions of each person’s heart.

How to Make a DIY Story Gift Necklace

Materials

• ball bead chain or necklace chain of choice
• charms/pendants
• jewelry pliers
• wire cutters
• wire jump rings (if the charms don’t include them)

Many different chain types are available. They come in separate pieces ready to be crafted or in premade chains. It’s important to consider the style of necklace desired and match them to the style of charm. The chain used in this tutorial is a ball bead chain like the ones used in military-style dog chain necklaces.

Step 1:

Cut the chains and add connectors.

When it comes to this type of necklace, I like my chain a little longer. This style is not dainty, so off the neck is a better fit for my liking. A longer chain allows for admirers to hold and chat about the story the string bears. In this case, the chain measured 26 inches. Using wire cutters, I cut the first one and then used it to rough measure the rest of them. In other words, cut the chain to your desires and preferences.

The ball bead-style chain is easy to use. In the next step, you attach the clasp by pushing the end bead of the chain into one end of the connector clasp. Craft stores and Amazon sell premade necklace chains, so the options are relatively unlimited. Still, I love the rustic warrior look of a dog chain necklace. That is to say that those who dream big likely have a warrior story.

Step 2:

Add rings and charms.

Next, you want to attach the wire jump rings to the charms. Wire jump rings enable the individual charms to come on and off the chain. As life changes, so too does the soul living it. In light of this, the cherished tokens should also be interchangeable. I especially love this quality about my story necklace. For this reason, it continues to grow with me and hold meaning.

Next, attach the wire jump by looping it through the charm and pinching the wire to the closed position with the jewelry pliers. Continue until all the charms have been prepared.

Step3:

Add the story charms.

Finally, the best and most thoughtful part of the DIY story necklace is here. In my mind, it’s fun to add charms in an order that looks nice and tells the story of the beautiful person receiving this thoughtful gift. The process endears me to the person even more as I make each necklace.

Another thought I’ve had is how fun it would be to host a story necklace party. Each guest could bring charms to share. The conversation around making the story necklaces would be priceless as each guest shares why they are choosing each charm and its meaning. I did this with a friend once and found it to be a great way to connect.

Hopefully, this thoughtful gift idea makes it into your life. Arguably, there is no gift so loving as one that points out all the reasons for loving someone. Therefore, I usually make it a point to add a little note with the necklace describing the unique meaning behind each charm. Specifically, I use it to characterize how each token makes that person extraordinary in my eyes. While it may seem like an extra step, I find that it adds all the sentiment to the warmhearted gift necklace.

Thank you for joining along as I shared how to make these warmhearted DIY story necklaces. I appreciate your time here and would love to hear about any story necklaces you decide to make.

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