DIY Gemstone Garland

By Kate Riley November 16, 2015

Greetings! Today (as I’ve said a billion times) we’re still traveling outside the country, but I wanted to pop in and share this really simple DIY project that’s easy and festive and adds a bit of bling to your home for the holidays. Before I left, I strung a garland of large beads that mimic gemstones across my mantel.

diy-gemstone-garland

I was in the mood for jewel tone colors and faceted shapes this season – this garland is  like jewelry for your tree or mantel and is made with large faceted beads that mimic gemstones.

gemstone-garland

To recreate you’ll need large gemstone like faceted beads available on Etsy (see sources below) and elastic stringing cord found in the jewelry making section at Michaels.

The elastic stringing cord comes in a few colors, I chose silver for the season and to complement the blue and green beads. The 1mm size fits perfectly inside the bead so you can string them easily by hand. Notice how large the beads are, they’re over 1½ inches wide.

thread thin cord

 The technique is so simple: create a double knot a few inches down the cord to start, string the first bead, then create a second double knot on the other side to secure the bead in place so it doesn’t slide up and down the garland. Repeat the double knot technique down the cord allowing about an inch or two between the beads.

double-knot

It takes some time, so I put on a movie while I made this. I also kept it wrapped around a piece of cardboard (not shown) as it got longer to avoid any tangles.

gemstone garland in progress

The elastic cord makes it easy for the garland to drape nicely on a mantel, and the double knots hold the beads in position. It would be equally as pretty strung on a tree! I like that the beads are chunkier and faceted compared to the traditional small circular beaded garland available this time of year.

gemstone garland swag

These large gemstone shaped faceted beads come in dozens of colors, I purchased mine from Swoon and Shimmer and Fox Supply, they’re the kind used for statement bracelets and necklaces.

 faceted beads

 14 beads of each color (total 42) made a gemstone garland 5 yards long.

 gemstone-garland-on-mantel

 gemstone garland strung on mantel

Use the garland year after year to bring the bling for the holidays! ..

15 comments

    • Haha. I’m not so sure it’d look that great as a piece of jewelry, but it definitely looks awesome as garland. If you could find orange and brown gemstones, you could have a nice fall-themed one. Or red and white for candy cane garland!

  1. I’m always on the lookout for pretty Hanukkah decorations-and I could absolutely see this looking lovely for the Festival of Lights.

  2. Hi! Love the garland! Going to give it a try…can you tell me the paint color on the wall?…thanks!

  3. This idea is cute, I love the faceted gemstone look! But I am really distracted by your lovely gold sconces! Where are they from?

  4. Love the bling-y garland! Thanks for sharing!
    And those sconces! May I ask where you found THOSE gems?

    • I just clicked on the link you provided for the mirror post & saw you scored them at Wisteria. And they’re still available! They’re fabulous!

  5. Love this idea! Such a simple DIY and looks great, you can use it any time of the year really!

    Thanks for sharing :)

    Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
    xx

  6. This garland is so beautiful and simple! It looks gorgeous on the mantel and not too difficult to make. Thanks for sharing!

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