kirrily bengal choker DIY tutorial

What you need:

5 copper capillary couplings (I used 20mm ones but you can either go bigger or smaller, like the three 15mm ones shown here, depending on what look you want)

2 copper capillary end caps (the same width to match your couplings)

Metal polish (I used Brasso)

Earring hooks, clip fastening, jump rings

Clear gloss spray paint (can be either enamel or acrylic)

Minuscule drill (to make holes in the end caps)

Jeweller's pliers and clippers

Scissors

About 2m of black shock cord

Thick cotton thread

Hot glue gun

(Materials sourced from Bunnings Warehouse and jewellery supplies stores)

Start by polishing up all your copper using the metal polish and an old cloth rag, wear gloves otherwise you will have black hands. Once they are all shiny and nice, spray all pieces with the clear gloss paint, this protects the copper's shine and stops it from discolouring (copper goes green with age). Give the copper several coats (making sure you spray from a distance or else the paint will form drips).

Drill a small hole in the centre of each end cap (the hole shouldn't be much wider than the earring hook wire you will be feeding through them).

To make the end caps:

Thread through your earring hook so the wire is poking through the outside. Thread on a little metal bead (not sure what you call these things exactly). Using the pliers, twist the wire around to form a small loop, cut the excess wire and nestle the cut end into the metal bead so you can't see it.

Attach a jump ring. Repeat these steps with the other end cap.

On one of the end caps, attach the fastening clasp (these things also have a name I'm unaware of!).

Get your shock cord and measure it around your neck to the length you want. I used large couplings and needed 3 widths of the fatest shock cord I could find. Cut three pieces of cord all at the length you want.

To whip the ends: wrap the ends of the shock cord in your cotton thread to bind them together. Trim the ends. I also used a lighter to melt the ends of the cord so they wouldn't fray, but be careful not to set the rubber inside the cord or your cotton thread alight!
Make sure your glue gun is extremely hot and place a blob of glue on the end of the cords and immediately push on the end cap, holding tight until the glue has cooled (don't put the glue in the end cap because it will squish out and make a mess when you push in the cord).
Repeat on the other side.

Voila! There you have a beautiful statement necklace, a near replica of Kirrily Johnston's Bengal Choker, at a tiny fraction of the cost!

DIY Bengal bracelet coming soon