Jewelry Editing 101 by Marilyn

I found this necklace recently on ebay and thought I would love it. I thought about how great it would look with different outfits and all the places I could wear it. However once it arrived at our home and I tried it on, I realized that it didn't really look the same on me as it did on the model online. I decided at that point that I wasn't going to have my money wasted and that I was going to make this necklace work for me.

So I thought I'd share with you all how to edit your own jewelry (specifically necklaces or bracelets). This necklace was still beautiful the way it was when it arrived, but it had more ornamentation and 'things going on' than fits my personality. All you will need to fix your items are some jewelry pliers and/or some ordinary tweezers. You can purchase jewelry pliers and cutters in a package from most craft stores. 

When you have your tweezers or pliers, you can twist off the tiny hooks holding the charms on your necklace to remove them. Then remove any charms you don't want on the necklace.

For this necklace, I removed the gold leaves, disco ball ornaments, and beads. I reattached the disco balls and beads and spaced them more evenly. I also raised the white plastic beads by removing a link or two from each holding it onto the main chain. Since I am kind of short, this is more flattering for my torso than longer and dangling beads. 

Photos by Marilyn Nimz

The great thing about this is that I have charms I can use for another project later. Don't be afraid to pull out some of that old jewelry you've been hiding and sprucing it up a bit. You can add charms or take away if it doesn't suit your style.