How to Make Bottle Cap Necklaces

Learn how to make bottle cap necklaces and you'll have a fun and easy craft to give to friends. Every creation will be unique and durable, and you can choose to embellish plain bottle caps or mix and match printed caps. You can even use vintage caps that are inexpensive and easy to find in antique stores and flea markets.

Embellishing Bottle Caps
Plain bottle caps can be found at craft stores. If you don't have any luck there, try a store that sells supplies for canning or home beer making. To embellish plain caps, cut out pictures or fancy craft paper and glue them to the bottle cap. Caps are easy to paint with acrylics, and you can even cover them with glitter or beads. 

One thing to watch out for is sharp edges around the caps. Gluing a piece of felt or trim around the metal edge can make them more comfortable to wear. For new, unused bottle caps, this usually isn't necessary. 

No-Punch Bottle Cap Necklace
This project doesn't require any special tools, making it ideal for young crafters.

Materials

• One Yard #20 Hemp
• Assorted wooden beads
• Small split ring
• Craft glue or low-temperature hot glue
• Various bottle caps
• Scissors

1. Cut hemp into two 18" pieces.
2. Fold each length of hemp in half.
3. Take one folded length of hemp and attach it to the split ring with a half hitch. To make the half hitch, place the folded end down through the ring and draw the cord ends down through the folded end loop. Repeat with the other folded half of hemp. Position the cords so they are opposite each other on the split ring.
4. Using the craft glue or low-temperature hot glue, secure the ring inside your bottle cap. Ccheck the bottle cap to make sure it's facing the right way.
5. String an assortment of beads on each side of the bottle cap.
6. The necklace can then be tied around the neck.

Punched Bottle Cap Necklace
For this project, you'll need to punch holes in the bottle caps. This is a craft for older kids, or mom and dad can help with the punching.

Materials

• Assorted bottle caps
• Jump rings
• Nail
• Hammer
• Wood board
• Rubber Mallet
• Pliers
• Sterling silver beaded necklace or other stringing material
• Lobster claw or other closure

1. First, you need to flatten the bottle caps. Place the bottle caps on the wood board, ridged side down, and hit them with the rubber mallet.
2. Use the hammer and nail to pound a hole at the top of the flattened bottle cap. Create one hole only if you are hanging the bottle cap as a pendant. Two holes are necessary if you are linking several bottle caps together.
3. Using the pliers, open the jump ring and slide it through the hole in the bottle cap. If it is a pendant, you then thread the jump ring onto a necklace or other stringing material and close the jump ring with the pliers.
4. If it is the first in a series of bottle caps you need to open another jump ring and thread it through the second hole on the bottle cap, then attach this to an un-opened jump ring. This allows you to connect the next bottle cap in the chain.
5. Continue stringing until you have the length of bottle caps desired.
6. Finish by attaching the lobster claw (or other closure) to one end. If using a lobster claw make sure, the other end has a plain jump ring.