High Five Hand Stamped Necklace

Hey friends!  I have a fun hand stamped necklace idea for you DIY-ers out there today to share your appreciation of a friend, or simply remind yourself that you are awesome.  It’s true.  I know this time of year a lot of us beat ourselves up, but stop and take a moment and give yourself a high five for everything you’ve accomplished, for the good friend you’ve been – whatever the case may be.  I’ve been struggling to have a cheerful and uplifting design for you on the hand stamped necklace front, because like a lot of you – this time of year is hard!  But set aside some time for self-care, and maybe stamp up a reminder while you’re at it.  Here’s a high five from me!

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Here’s what you’ll need for this high five hand stamped necklace:

• Steel block
• Ergo-Angle Brass Stamping Hammer
• Stamp enamel 
• Stamp straight tape (optional)
• Your favorite font (mine is Scarlett’s Signature 2.5mm)
• 6mm Right handprint design stamp
• 1″ ImpressArt premium alkeme border blank
• Awl (optional)
• Jewelry headpin
• 4-6mm beads
• 2 – 5mm jump rings
• 2 – 8mm jump rings
• 30″ 2mm cable chain
• Chain nose pliers
• Round nose pliers
• Flush cutters

I started with my 6mm hand, my high five, and then worked my letters in around it.  I’m using a 1″ Alkeme border blank which does decrease your stamp-able area a little, but the circle border really sets this style apart from the plain circle blanks.  If you haven’t read up around here, I’ll tell you, Alkeme (which is a proprietary alloy by ImpressArt) is my favorite metal to use – it’s a nice heavy gauge which gives it a substantial feel, it shines like silver, doesn’t scratch as easily as aluminum, and the price point is far less than silver.  I’m thrilled to see that most of ImpressArt’s blanks are available in Alkeme.

Along the border for a little added detail, I stamped a few dots with my awl.  (You can also just use the period stamp!)  Once you’re happy with the design, add a few drops of stamp enamel to the blank, and polish it with a paper towel to darken your impressions.

Next I added a beaded charm in gray and crystal – slip these beads onto your head pin and bend the excess wire around one prong on a pair of round nosed pliers to form a loop.  Then, wrap the wire around the pin between the top of the beads and the loop you created, filling that empty space.  Trim off any excess wire with flush cutters.

Attach a jump ring to your stamped blank and to your beaded charm, and string them onto a long chain.  I like a 30″ chain (I skip the clasp and just connect the two ends of chain with a small jump ring) but you can make yours shorter if you want!  A standard women’s size is a 18″ chain with a clasp.

Keep on being your bad self, and remember just how awesome you are.  If you’ve got a friend who needs to be told, send them this post, or make them a high five they can wear to be reminded that they’re appreciated!