How to Make a Photo Necklace

Personalize your necklace pendants with photos.

Adding photographs to jewelry can create wearable art with personality and flair. Choose from multiple methods to create a striking photo pendant that can be worn on a necklace.

Things You'll Need

• Printable shrinkable plastic
• Digital photograph
• Toaster oven
• Hole punch
• Clear nail polish
• Bottle cap
• Epoxy resin
• Printed photo
• Decoupage paste
• Industrial-strength adhesive

Instructions

Shrinkable Plastic Pendant

1. Create plastic photographic charms with shrinkable frosted film sheets designed for use in an ink jet printer. Prepare your images on the computer first. The images need to be four times the size of the desired piece. For instance, if you want the jewelry pendant to be 1 square inch, the printed image should be 4 square inches. The printed image should also have an opacity level of 25 percent. The opacity can be altered using photo-editing software. The opacity needs to be lower because the image will darken as it shrinks. Once the image is prepared, print it onto the film.

2. Cut the printed image out using scissors or a utility knife. Use a hole punch to place a hole from which the charm will hang. Remember that the hole will shrink to one-fourth its size just like the rest of the charm.

3. Heat a toaster oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, place the printed charm on a piece of thick paper and lay it on the toaster oven rack. It should shrink and harden within a couple of minutes. Once it has shrunk, pull it out and let it dry. Paint a layer of clear nail polish over the top of the image to waterproof it.

Bottle Cap Photo Charm

1. Use a bottle cap and epoxy resin to create a photographic necklace charm. Epoxy resin is a clear plastic that starts in liquid form but becomes hard and durable once it sets up. Start by placing a bottle cap upside-down so the rippled edge is pointed up. Cut your image to fit inside the bottle cap and coat it with a layer of decoupage paste. The decoupage paste will protect the image from bleeding or fading when the resin is added.

2. Lightly glue the image to the inside of the bottle cap with decoupage paste and let it dry.

3. Mix your epoxy resin, if needed, following the package instructions carefully. Once mixed, pour the resin over the image slowly so you don't get air bubbles. If air bubbles occur, a toothpick can pop them or a heat gun can sometimes eliminate them. Once poured, set the resin aside for a day or two to dry.

4. To attach the bottle cap pendant to a chain, affix a store-bought bail to the back of the pendant using industrial-strength adhesive.