DIY Virgin Islands Rock Necklace

These days, if you go on vacation or a hike with me, there are always backpacks or suitcases that end up a bit heavier from the rock stowaways that make their way back to the NYC apartment.

Recently went on medical school spring break with Sean and some of his classmates to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. I haven't been to the beach in ages so it was really refreshing to explore the most tropical place I've ever visited. And oh. My. Gosh. The ROCKS there. I looked especially ridiculous collecting them in St. Thomas because every morning before a run I'd pack a little sandwich bag and pick stuff up on my morning run beach pit stop.

There's something insanely complete-feeling as a rock hoarder to find souvenir rocks that match the landscape of the place you've visited. Before visiting St. Thomas, I'd never been to a place with water so many shades of blue. And I'd never seen rocks freckled with turquoise and navy.

I'd been to Puerto Rico before but St. Thomas was a lot different. The vivid colors, the patterns on the shells- it was so impressive and I really wanted to find a way to bring these things into a necklace.

To make a Rock Necklace You need:
-Leather for the necklace base backing (Got mine on Ebay)
-Rocks (The flatter the better.)
-E6000 superglue
-Beads to complement the necklace (I got mine in the trimmings shop in midtown Manhattan)
-Glue gun
-Fabric for necklace straps
-Beading needles
-Thread

First, I gathered all the rocks and laid them out in the pattern I wanted. Then I traced the rocks on the paper so that I could transfer the pattern to the leather later.

Next, I glued the rocks to the leather and stitched thread over the top to secure them. (Or at least give the illusion they're secured by thread instead of superglue.) Next, I filled in all of the front gaps with different sizes of seed beads.

After I had all the spaces filled in and the necklace ties stitched in place, I flipped the necklace over to glue on the leather backing. Since my leather collection is in a bunch of small pieces, the back of my necklace is a bit patchwork-y. I like using the small pieces because it makes my leather collection last a bit longer.

Once I had the back glued to hide all the stitches, I hid the seam of the two leather sides by stitching tiny seed beads to the outside of the necklace. (Definitely need the beading needle for this. I also always use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through so that it doesn't get all bent up.)

I also stitched a line of seed beads to cover the patchwork parts of the leather.

Some summer boots I found at Beacon's Closet in Brooklyn.

I do have a lot of necklaces made from souvenir rocks these days, but this one might be my new favorite. It's so fun making a piece that reminds you of special places, trips, and memories.

See more DIY statement necklaces here.