Making Arrow Head Necklaces

File down the end of your arrowhead if it's too sharp.

You can display an artifact that represents a key advancement in civilization while wearing your everyday attire. Originally arrowheads allowed people to skin animals for leather, hunt large game, make medical incisions, cut food and fight enemies during battle. Some early native Americans even put poison on the ends of their arrowheads. This artifact, worn as jewelry, can be a sign of progress, a reminder of how far we have come as a species and motivation to move forward. With a few supplies, no poison necessary, you can create your own arrowhead necklace.

Things You'll Need

• Leather cord
• Scissors
• Lighter
• Beads
• Jump rings (2)
• Pliers
• Hot glue gun
• Cone coil clasps
• High-speed drill
• 1.2-mm drill bit
• Safety goggles

Instructions

Preparing the Arrowhead

1. Put your arrowhead on a solid work surface. Mark the spot where you want the hole to go with a marker or pencil. Put on a pair of safety goggles.

2. Hold the arrowhead down with one hand. Turn a high-speed drill on medium speed and start slowly drilling through the arrowhead.

3. Drill until you go all the way through the stone. Turn the drill off. Look at the stone to make sure the hole is correct.

Stringing the Necklace

1. Cut 16 inches of leather cord with scissors for a woman or 18 inches if the necklace is for a man. If the necklace is for you, put the cord around your neck and choose a length. Quickly run the ends of the cord through the flame of a lighter. This eliminates fraying and ripping.

2. Open a jump ring with a pair of pliers. Put the jump ring through the hole in your arrowhead and close it tightly. Open another jump ring and put it through the jump ring attached to the arrowhead.

3. Close the second jump ring around the the leather cord. Match the ends of the cord so the arrowhead slides to the middle of the necklace. Put beads down each side of the cord in a pattern of your choice.

4. Put glue on one end of the necklace. Set one piece of the coil cone clasp set over the glue. Hold it while it dries with the pliers. Secure the second clasp on the other end with glue and hold it with the pliers. Make sure the hooks link together.

Tips & Warnings

• Never leave a hot glue gun unattended.

• Always wear eye protection when drilling.

References

• University of Iowa: American Indian Archery Technology

Resources

• UniversityofCalifornia: Hot Glue-Gun Safety