Necklaces Made With Old Watches: Old watches, particularly antique pocket watches, often are miniature works of art. Even those with simple faces usually have delicate and complicated workings that make attractive jewelry features. Modern watches also make eye-catching accessories. Converting a broken watch into a necklace is a great way to recycle. Your new necklace will prove you're up to the minute in terms of environmentally friendly fashion
Watch faces: Choosing the correct watch face for your necklace is the most important factor in determining the style of your piece of jewelry. Old pocket watches with Victorian-era decorations are ideal for those who love vintage dressing, burlesque glamor or gothic romanticism. Large, brightly colored digital watch faces suit 1980s style fashions. For a more delicate, subtle necklace, lady's dress watches make pretty accessoriesPreparation: Preparing your watch face to hang as a pendant will depend on the style of watch you're using. Pocket watches come with links attached for a chain. Most watch straps are attached by small spring pins on either side of the face. Pressing down on these pins with a flat blade will release the strap attachment. Many jewelers also provide a watch-repair service and will remove straps for you if you have difficulty doing it yourselfHanging: Lengths of ribbon compliment the style of antique pocket watches. Vintage lace, rich burgandy velvet or black satin ribbons all evoke Victorian fashions. All you need to do is slip the ribbon through the link of the pocket watch and tie it in a bow so it fits around your neck. For a 1980s-inspired necklace, tie a length of neon-colored plastic strap to each side of a large, brightly colored digital watch through the links where the straps were attached. Knot the other ends to make a necklace. Create a more sophisticated necklace by suspending a lady's dress watch from a fine chain through the links where the strap wasAdded Decor: Add extra interest to your watch necklaces with more accessories. Thread large neon beads onto the straps of your 1980s-style digital watch necklace. Delicate pearl beads threaded onto a fine chain compliment a lady's dress watch necklace. Use metal-suitable craft adhesive to glue the cogs and wheels from a broken watch onto the velvet ribbon you used to make a pocket watch necklaceIdeas for Wearing Pocket Watches: A pocket watch is often a fashion statement. People wear them on chains or leather straps and as pendants hung on a necklace or brooch. The style for men is usually to wear the pocket watch hung on a chain fastened to a belt loop or to wear it in a vest pocket Classic-style watch chains with decorative fob drops are still popular with three-piece suits or just to wear with jeans. Chains and straps for ladies' watches often sport attractive charms or medallionsChains: A simple and stylish way to wear a pocket watch is with a decorative chain. Watch chains come in several styles and many different metals. The most common style today is a chain with a fastener that attaches to your belt loop, with the watch carried in a pants pocketOrnaments often decorate the chain to make your own individual style statement. Western-style watch chains are gaining in popularity. Heavy Spanish-style gold or silver chains clip onto a belt or pants loop and hang down from your jeans pocketPendant: Pocket watches are popular with ladies as well. Professional women, teachers and nurses wear pocket watches. A popular style is to wear the watch pendant from a gold chain worn around the neck. Other women favor wearing small pocket watches in their pants pocket with a decorative leather strap with an attractive medallion or charm attachedDuring the early twentieth century, ladies' watches were fashioned into brooches that pinned to a blouse front. This fashion spurred the development of smaller, lighter-weight pocket watches to protect delicate fabrics from tearing |