Herkimer Diamond Necklace

I went to Herkimer, NY and mined for Herkimer diamonds. They are a beautiful colorless quartz crystal that typically have two ends that come to points, instead of only one pointed end like most quartz crystals. I thought the crystal would make a beautiful necklace, but I'd never made a piece of jewelry before. I was worried that I'd ruin the crystal if I tried to attach a loop at the top to run a chain through. So I thought that making a wire "cage" would still showcase the stone, but I wouldn't be gluing or drilling into the crystal, so I was sure it wouldn't be damaged. I ended up with a beautiful necklace that really showcases my Herkimer diamond!

Herkimer Diamond (or any other pretty mineral or rock)

Metal wire

necklace chain or ribbon

2 pair of small needle-nose or jewelry pliers

Choose an interesting rock or mineral as the main feature of your necklace. I went to Herkimer, NY and mined Herkimer "diamonds" which are a type of quartz, so I used that mineral to feature in my necklace.

Choose your metal color. You can buy jewelry craft wire in silver, gold, and rose gold. I chose rose gold. Since my "diamond" is pretty large (2 cm x 1.3 cm) I chose 20 gauge wire (about 1mm in diameter). If your feature is smaller, you might want to use a thinner gauge wire.

Using the pliers, twist the wire around to make a circular "cage" that will enclose the feature. Use one pair of pliers to hold the end of the wire in your non-dominant hand (or get a friend to hold it for you), and use the second pair of pliers with your dominant hand to do the twisting. Start by making a small loop at the bottom that will hold your feature in place.

Continue to twist the wire to follow the shape of your feature. My "diamond" was more narrow at the top and the bottom, so my "cage" follows that shape.

The top of your "cage" will need a loop to run your chain or ribbon through. Be sure that the loop is tight at the end, you don't want the chain or ribbon to be able to slip through an opening. Now you have a pendant!

Run a chain or a ribbon through the loop and put your necklace on. Enjoy!