This blog post and cracked marble jewelry project first appeared on Made From Pinterest.
As a teenage girl growing up in Paramus, New Jersey I worked at the mall. As did many of my high school classmates. Paramus Park Mall was legendary in New Jersey. It may have even been one of the first enclosed malls in the state. And people flocked there on the weekends. To shop. To hang out. To play hide-and-seek among the fountain …
My first job in the food court serving up Greek fare — giros and moussaka and baklava — was short-lived. The free food was doing nothing to help my waistline, and the aroma of onions and beef and lamb in my hair …
my clothes …
my pores …
was doing nothing to help my love life.
Luckily, my second job at the mall was in jewelry store. Fortunoff’s. A high-end jewelry store. Filled with sparkling jewels this New Jersey born-and-bred teenage girl coveted. Drooled over. And tried on over and over again when the store was slow.
Needless to say, a good portion of my paychecks were reinvested in the store.
If only I knew then what I know now. That you can make your own sparkling jewels for a fraction of the cost. Using plain old marbles. I first spotted the idea on this Pinterest pin …
You start by baking them in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes …
Then you immediately dump them in ice cold water. Ice cold water in a metal container …
The temperature difference makes them crack on the inside …
but not the outside.
Pretty cool, right?
Now for the tricky part. Turning this into a necklace.
Oh how I wish I had worked in the service center of that jewelry store!
Instead, I turned to Pinterest once again. And found this pin that led to an excellent tutorial.
So, I started with some supplies I found in the jewelry department of my local craft store.
Per those excellent instructions I found on Pinterest (complete with pictures too), I thread the eye pin through the ball cap. Then I cut the excess eye pin wire and created a loop inside the ball cap to hold it in place. At this point, there may have been some cursing. And frustration. And digging through the tool box hoping we had a second pair of needle nose pliers.
After lots of glue and a giant mess, I ended up with this …
I added jump rings (the two needle nose pliers strategy worked here too).
And strung them up on cording and chains.
Voila. Now you have a unique sparkling jewel necklace that you definitely won’t find at the mall …
Sharing:
what kind of glue did you use and how did you tie off the cord? They both look VERY nice. Thanks for sharing.
I was wondering about the glue too—super glue?
I’ve had this pinned for years. Of course I haven’t done it yet! They are gorgeous. What glue did you use? I think jewelery making is easier with jewelery making tools – but I don’t make enough jewelry to justify that. I’ve made enough to understand your frustration and the two needle nosed pliers thing.
So pretty! Can I tell you how much I wish I knew you during your Paramus Mall days?!
I remember making those cracked marbles as a kid (not so long ago…ha!)…Love, love the necklaces…and my very first “high school job” was in a jewelry store too…
It probably won’t surprise you when I say cake tester daughter has gifted me with these necklaces. They are awesome, and each of hers cracked different.
How perfect to be able to make a gorgeous necklace so easily and inexpensively. Love that kind of project. Glad you shared this idea. I’m also asking what kind of glue you used? Happy weekend