Sliced Cork and Bead Necklace

I love using basic crafting supplies in an unexpected way.

Like using plain old corks and turning them into unique pieces of jewelry. It took me a little while to figure out this process but I like the end result. Corks. Who knew?

Supplies:

• Corks
• Silver Plated Cable Chain
• Czech Glass Bead Strand – or other beads
• 18 Gauge Jump Rings -8mm
• Retractable Razor Knives-Assorted – optional
• Grab and Stab Tool

The first thing to do is to cut the corks into discs. I first tried using a small craft saw but it made very ragged pieces. I used a thin craft knife that worked pretty well but my favorite tool to cut the corks ended up being a very large sharp kitchen knife.

The cork cuts pretty easily and ends up much smoother if you can make the cut in one smooth motion. Pushing straight down results in a ragged finish as does sawing back and forth. I think that is why the large kitchen knife worked best. More leverage and a longer blade surface.

NOTE: Use extreme caution when cutting the discs.

Using the Grab and Stab Tool or another similar piercing tool. Place holes in the discs to accommodate a jump ring. The trick is to get the hole close to the edge so the jump ring will go into the cork but not so close to the edge that inserting the jump ring breaks the cork.

Open the jump ring by twisting it open (not pulling it apart) and insert it gently into the cork.

Attach the pieces of cork to one another with chain. I used 5 links of chain in between each disc of cork.

Then I simply attached the flowers from the Ivy and Grape Bead Strand with simple loops. There is a video on my website that explains How to Make Simple Loops.

I like seeing the natural grain of the cork but you could also paint, stamp or otherwise decorate the discs. And now that I’ve got the discs cut I’m seeing all sorts of ways I could use them to make more jewelry.