Tom Binns Get Real DIY Laminated Necklace Tutorial

Is this the new recession chic? This Tom Binns necklace, on the Colette website (via FashionMagazine and Pipeline and StyleFile), is part of latest tongue-in-cheek collection, “Get Real,” which consists of magazine clippings of necklaces, earrings, and rings, laminated in plastic, closed off with a safety pin, and retailing at $125. As the designer says: “Now you can get your diamonds, emeralds, and shit.”

Here’s a quick tutorial to create your own Tom Binn’s necklace using items around the house. The instructions may vary depending on what type of necklace you select. For example, my necklace had a “ruffled” chain. I decided to add this texture to the necklace instead of having it all laminated.

Tom Binns “Get Real” DIY Necklace Tutorial

Materials
Fashion magazines (with lots of pictures of jewellery)
Thin cardboard (I used a file folder)
White glue or glue stick
Masking tape
Scissors
Thread and needle
Safety pins x 2
Scrap fabric
Thin elastic/thick string

Instructions
1. Go through fashion magazines and cut out pictures of necklaces.

2. Pick your best necklace. Glue the necklace down to the file folder. Trim file folder material around jewels.

3. “Laminate” your pictures by sticking clear masking tape on top of your picture. Cover both sides. Trim masking tape around jewels.

4. To create the ruffled chain, I sewed three 10″x3.5″ fabric pieces into tunnels of strips of fabric. I then took a piece of elastic about 5 inches longer than the diameter of my neck and weaved it through each strip, which, because it was longer than the elastic, created a bunched together or ruffled effect.

5. Centre and sew the main part or “jeweled” part of the necklace to the ruffled chain. Tie each of your elastic ends to a safety pin – these are your clasps.

6. Place around neck and be proud of your new jewels!

Variation: You could also cut out random jewels from your magazines and attach them by punching holes into the jewels and using jump rings to connect them to a larger necklace.

Happy laminated jewellery making!