4 jewelry ideas to make with leftover chain

If you've ever bought chain from Perles & Co, you've probably noticed that it's sold in lengths of 20 centimetres, 50 centimetres or even 1 metre. But once you've finished your tuto, sometimes you haven't used it all. So, you scrupulously put the leftover chain away until you come up with a bright idea to get rid of it. Except that all those little bits of chain are starting to accumulate in the drawer.

Really, what? What do you do with the last bit, too small to make yet another necklace? We've got the solution: instead of keeping them, or worse, throwing them in the garbage can, create new jewels from the remnants of your chains. Not only will you get rid of the excess chain you're storing, but you'll also get new DIY jewelry.

Here's a list of jewelry tutorials to make the most of your chain purchases. They're easy to make and, what's more, they're part of the Zero Waste and anti-gaspi movement (yes, remember the 3Rs rule: reduce, reuse and recycle!) :

What to do with leftover chain?

1. Earrings with chain

• You can create original ear rings in no time at all. Take a piece of chain, hang a charm on one side and an ear stud on the other. And there you have it: a pair of fancy ear rings in the style of ear chains. You can use 2 or 3 pieces of chain with a charm, playing with the length for an elegant effect.
• Tiny pieces of chain are perfect for connecting the 2-hole acetate spacer you've just bought to an ear stud.
• In the case of a fancy chain with pearls, flowers, stars, hearts... Simply connect it to an ear stud using the chain's last open ring. The effect is immediate: you'll have a pretty pair of dangling earrings in no time at all.
• Leftover chain can be used to make fringed earrings. Multiply materials and shapes to create different styles.

2. A chain ring

• You're in luck: the chain ring is a must-have in your jewelry box! For a simple ring, measure the size of your finger. Cut to size, open one of the chain rings, connect the two ends and close the ring.
• When the chain pieces are long enough, you can create a multirang ring. Add a small medal or charm to personalize it.

3. A woman's chain bracelet

• If you don't have enough left over to go around your wrist, you'll have to find a way: add an extension chain or a spacer to get the few centimeters you need.
• If you have a large-mesh chain, add acrylic links until you get the bracelet size you want. It's a nice mix of materials and, what's more, this kind of XXL jewelry is very trendy.

4. A chain necklace

• The solution is to make an asymmetrical necklace with a mix of materials. There are no rules here, just trust your imagination. You can thread Heishi pearls, gemstone pearls, freshwater pearls... onto a wired thread and hang it on your chain.
  As with the bracelet, if you have a large-mesh chain, add acrylic links. This allows you to lengthen your chain for a trendy oversized choker.
• Another tip: combine different chains together. For example, a piece of pearl chain with a piece of fancy chain, a piece of rectangle mesh chain with Forçat mesh chain...
• Third method for recycling chain ends: create spacers with beads and long nails. Simply alternate them with the remaining chain pieces.