It never ceases to amaze me how different the same piece of jewelry can look in a photo.
Here are four different photos I took of my Bling Bar Necklace project. I used the same gray background for each photo and the same mix of silver and gold delicate chain necklaces.
Photo A: This photo shows how easy it is to layer these necklaces in small sets. I like that the bars are at angles rather than perfectly straight because it gives the photo a more whimsical, playful quality.
Photo B: This photo shows the necklaces hanging down with a straight-on view. This gives you a good idea of how they might look when worn by the dozen. It's also messier, which does have a certain appeal to some people. (Not me, I'll admit. I want to straighten those twisted chains so badly!)
Photo C: This is a side view of the necklaces, which makes the beads, not the chains, the main focus of the photo. The chains are a little neater and you can really see those wire wraps!
Photo D: This photo shows how the necklaces look individually. This minimalist view is the kind I sometimes see with high-end jewelry.
Which photo was chosen for the tutorial?
Take a guess and then go to the Halcraft website to see if you're right!*
How to Make a Bling Bar Necklace
Delicate, simple necklaces are in this season, which is great news if you need a last-minute necklace for a party or to give as a gift. You can make this necklace in five minutes or less!
The trick is to use premade chain that already has the clasp attached, so you only need to make the wrapped loop wire bar. You might be able to use an eye pin instead, but I found that most eye pins available at places like Michaels are too thick to go through the links of this delicate chain. (You could make your own eye pins with wire if you can't find the right size.)
You can use any beads you like. My favorites (as you can see from the sample necklaces) are the tiny (3-5mm), faceted glass beads which have a lot of sparkle. Tiny pearls would make an elegant option for your cocktail dress, while rough turquoise chips would make a necklace perfect to wear with jeans on a Saturday afternoon.
See the full Bling Bar Necklace instructions (with step-by-step photos) on the Halcraft website.
* There are actually two different photos used in the blog post on the Halcraft website, one at the top of the blog post and one for the tutorial itself. So give yourself credit if you chose either of those two photos!
P.S. Look for my blog post on photographing jewelry on halcraft.com on December 9, 2015.