How to Make a Pop Top Necklace

Create a stylish pop top necklace with this fun and eco-friendly DIY project. You can make this unique accessory with a simple nail clipper and an emery board -- professional jewelry-making tools are not needed for this project.

Materials:

• Pop tops (about 100), cleaned
• Two jump rings
• Lobster clasp
• Jewelry pliers (optional)
• Nail clippers (or jewelry trimmers, optional)
• Emery board
  

Ready to get started? Follow these simple steps and transform soda can tabs into wearable art.

Gather Pop Tops
Collect a few handfuls of aluminum pop tops from soda or beer cans. You can ask your friends and family to save them for you. Discard the tabs that are too dirty or too twisted and damaged.

Prep -- Trim and File Sharp Edges, Wash the Tabs
Use a toenail clipper to trim sharp edges and an emery board to file down rough corners of the pop tops. Wash the smooth tabs in a bowl of dish soap and warm water. When the tabs are smooth and clean you'll have excellent materials to make your necklace.

Create Links
Use a nail clipper or cutter to make a snip to the side of a tab. Repeat this step and make cuts in the exact same place in several more tabs. This will create an 'opening' so that you can create links.  Carefully open the slit in one tab sideways, then while holding a stack of four uncut pop tops in your other hand, press the snipped edge of a cut top against the stack, so it snaps into place. Then close the cut tab so that it returns to it's original position. Repeat this step to create links of chain.

Add a Clasp
Once you've made your necklace to the desired length, you can add a lobster clasp and jump rings to make a closure. Connect a lobster clasp to a jump ring on one side of the chain, and one more jump ring on the other side. If you’re using nail clippers,  the jump rings by gently bending them sideways.

Here is a schematic drawing of what the tabs will look like when they're joined. This drawing is from a patent that we were awarded for this design. We are happy to share the instructions for this design free!

If you don't want to go through the trouble of making a pop top necklace, Escama Studio also sells an already-made pop top necklace and a DIY pop top necklace kit with all the materials that you need to make one necklace and two bracelets.

If you're looking for more fun DIY craft projects with pop tops, here is a FREE DIY TUTORIAL on how to crochet a flower with pop tabs!