Here’s a DIY Mom, Mum, Grandma, or Nana necklace tutorial that makes an easy homemade gift idea for Mother’s Day, Christmas, or her birthday! This post was first published on April 17, 2017, and is regularly updated and re-published to stay current.
Learn how to make a personalized DIY necklace for Mom, Mum, Grandma, or Nana with the step-by-step beginning jewelry-making tutorial below. Moms love receiving handmade keepsake gifts from their children and grandchildren. So this hand-beaded personalized necklace makes a great gift idea for mom for Mother’s Day, her birthday, or Christmas. And if you want to make one for yourself as well, I suggest making a mother-daughter necklace or bracelet set!
Related: DIY Acorn Marble Necklace
How to Make a Personalized Necklace for Mom
A DIY mom necklace isn’t just for Mom or Mum. You can make a handmade personalized necklace for Grandma or Nana too! Or you can use the same instructions to write her name, or an inspirational word, instead of Mom. Young children might need some assistance starting and finishing their homemade mom necklace. While older children, teens, and adults can complete this beginning jewelry-making project from start to finish on their own. You might also enjoy How to Start and Finish A Beaded Necklace or Bracelet.
Related: Picture Necklace Photo Jewelry Tutorial
DIY Mom Necklace Materials
Please read through the craft supply options and the step-by-step instructions below before starting this beginning beaded jewelry-making project. This will ensure that you know the steps involved and what to expect, and you can make a more informed choice about how you would like to make it for your mom, mum, grandma, or nana. Or, try this Thumbprint Heart Necklace Tutorial for another lovely DIY gift idea for mom.
Mom Necklace Jewelry Making Material Options
- Monofilament bead cord (fishing line) OR flexible beading wire OR stretch cord
- Crimping pliers AND crimp beads OR bent nose jewelry pliers AND clamshell knot covers Clamshell knot covers
- Barrel clasps OR lobster clasps and jump rings OR toggle Clasps, ETC.
- Wire nippers OR craft scissors
- Beadboard (optional)
Clamshell knot covers
Tips and Bead Options for Mom Necklace or Bracelet
- We used 8mm gemstone beads for this beginning jewelry-making project. But 8mm faceted glass beads would work just as well.
- If you are assisting a child that has never strung beads before, 10mm round gemstone beads may be a better size for preschoolers and kindergarteners to hand-bead and would still look good with the alphabet bead options suggested below. As another option, these multi-colored lava-rock gemstone beads come in multiple sizes, including 8mm and 10mm.
- You can also use pony beads, colored wooden beads, or unfinished wooden beads. Unfinished wooden beads can be colored or dyed to make them any color you wish, and they come in sizes from 4mm to 30mm. Larger wooden beads make it easy for beginning jewelry makers to string a simple chunky necklace or bracelet for mom or grandma.
for this beginning jewelry-making project. But 8mm 
, 
or 
. Unfinished wooden beads can be Related: Painted Wooden Spool Necklace
Personalized Birthstone Necklace for Mom
- Use her birthstones, or a mixture of her birthstones and the birthstones of her children, to make a personalized mom necklace or bracelet for an extra special touch!
- If you are unfamiliar, gemstones associated with each month are called birthstones. In other words, a birthstone is a gem representing the month a person was born. There is at least one birthstone associated with each month of the year.
- If you want to design a birthstone necklace for mom, we have listed each gemstone by month for you to choose from below. Use mom or grandma’s birthstone and her children’s and grandchildren’s birthstones to string a personalized necklace for her.
- Suppose you are more interested in the color of your necklace than birthstones by month. In that case, you can use any gemstone beads from the list below to make a hand-beaded personalized necklace for Mom.
Gemstones or Birthstones by Month of the Year
- January – Garnet
- February – Amethyst
- March – Aquamarine or Bloodstone
- April – Diamond (Can substitute clear crystal beads)
- May – Emerald
- June – Pearl, Alexandrite, or Moonstone
- July – Ruby or Carnelian
- August – Peridot
- September – Sapphire
- October – Opal or Tourmaline
- November – Topaz or Citrine
- December – Turquoise, Tanzanite, or Zircon
(Can substitute 
, or 
or 
, 
, or Zircon
Another of my favorite gemstones for a mom or grandma necklace is rose quartz
. Rose quartz
is the stone of the heart and represents unconditional love. The pink and blue necklace pictured is made with 8mm rose quartz
and aquamarine
gemstones.
My daughter made the necklace with rose quartz and aquamarine for me for Mother’s Day a few years ago, and it is still one of my favorite necklaces because it pairs well with another longer necklace like THIS.
I love how the word “M❤️M” shifts around and is not always sitting at the bottom of it. Just make sure that when you put it on is not upside down, or it will read “wow” with an upside-down heart–lol!!
If mom has more than one child or you’d like to use a rainbow of gemstones to make birthstone jewelry for mom, try this gorgeous collection of mixed natural gemstones or natural multi-color Amazonite.
Alphabet Beads Options for Mom Necklace DIY
Once you have the gemstone beads you want to use, choose the alphabet beads you want to use to make a personalized DIY necklace for mom, mum, grandma, or nana. There are several options for you to choose from below.
Round Plastic Alphabet Bead Options:
- Multicolor on white (These are the alphabet beads that we used.)
- Black on white
- White on black
- Black on silver
- Black on gold
- Gold on white
Square Plastic Alphabet Bead Options:
Ceramic, Wood, and Sterling Silver Alphabet Bead Options
- Wooden alphabet beads (These are 10mm beads and are a tad bigger than most. Perfect for little hands)
- Ceramic alphabet beads
- Sterling silver alphabet cube beads
(These are 10mm beads and are a tad bigger than most. Perfect for little hands)
Heart Bead Options for DIY Necklace
Related: Alphabet Bead Necklace
Handmade Mom Necklace Step-by-Step Tutorial
Stringing beads is a great way for children (and older adults) to practice fine motor skills and develop the fine motor muscles in the hand. Creating patterns and counting out beads will create even more learning opportunities for children. Children can also make a name necklace as a preliteracy activity.
1. Gather jewelry-making supplies to make a personalized for Mom, Mum, or Grandma.
- Choose the gemstone beads, alphabet beads, heart beads, and type of clasp that you would like to use from the bead supply lists provided in the jewelry-making materials section above.
- Use one or multiple types of beads to design the necklace with the type of beads you think she will like best. Scroll up to see the different beading options and choose your favorites.
- For an extra special touch, use her birthstones or her children’s and grandchildren’s birth month gemstones to make this personalized necklace for mom or grandma.
2. Start hand-beading the Mom necklace.
- Start, or help your child start their beaded gemstone mom necklace using one of the three methods described in How to Start and Finish a Beaded Necklace or Bracelet.
- Each method has step-by-step directions, with photo tutorials that make it easy for young and old alike to hand-bead a gorgeous necklace for her.
- Once you decide on your method, return to this jewelry-making tutorial to follow the next steps. There is a link to this Mom necklace tutorial in the post that makes it easy to find your way back here.
3. String gemstone beads onto the personalized necklace for Mom.
- Before starting, decide how long you would like the “mom necklace” to be.
- Necklace lengths are typically 14, 16, 18, 20, and 24 inches long.
- Deciding on the pattern you will string before beginning is also a good idea if you use more than one type of gemstone. Putting beads in patterns on a beadboard makes it easy to test ideas and see how they will look once it’s finished.
4. Use alphabet beads to string Mom, Mum, Grandma, or Nana onto the Necklace.
- Use your favorite kind of alphabet beads on the jewelry-making supply list above to string “Mom,” “Mum,” “Grandma,” or “Nana” onto the necklace when you are about halfway finished with it.
- For example, if you make a 16-inch necklace, string the alphabet beads onto it when it is seven and 3/4 inches long. Once again, using a beadboard makes this a lot easier.
- Feel free to use hearts on both sides of “Mom or Mum” or use a heart instead of an “O” or a “U.” The same goes for grandma and nana necklaces. Feel free to use a few hearts in them too. <3
5. Finish stringing gemstone beads onto the second half of the Personalized DIY Necklace for Mom, Mum, Grandma, or Nana.
- Make sure to string the same number of beads you placed on the other side of Mom, Mum, Grandma, or Nana, and you are good to go.
- Counting the number of beads on both sides is a great way to ensure it is even.
6. Finish the personalized necklace for Mom, Mum, Grandma, or Nana.
- Complete the necklace using the same method you started with.
- In other words, go back to the step-by-step jewelry-making tutorial about How to Start and Finish a Beaded Necklace to learn how to finish it using the same jewelry-making method or technique you began with.
Related: Fingerprint Flower Necklaces
Mum or Mom Necklace Tutorial
A DIY mom, mum, grandma, or nana necklace makes a perfect homemade Mother’s Day gift idea that kids can make because most Moms love receiving homemade personalized keepsake gifts from their daughters and sons. And grandmas and nanas love getting homemade gifts from their grandkids.
Remember, there are three simple ways to start and finish a necklace for this DIY jewelry project: infinity, crimp beads & pliers, or clamshell knot covers. Or use these step-by-step how-to instructions to make a mother-daughter or BFF necklace or bracelet set!
For more fun ideas for Moms, check out this list of homemade Gifts Kids Can Make or these Gifts for Moms she will LOVE! You may also enjoy this gorgeous collection of Jewelry and Adornments for Her.
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
More Homemade Necklace and Bracelet Gift Ideas for Mom
- Alphabet Bead Necklace Craft for Kids
- Picture Necklace Photo Jewelry Tutorial
- Fingerprint Flower Necklace and Keychain Charms
- Wooden Bead Bracelet
- Painted Wooden Spool Necklace
- Fingerprint Art Necklaces
- Thumbprint Heart Necklaces
If You Liked This DIY Mother’s Day Necklace Tutorial, You Might Also Like:
- Thumbprint Heart Crafts and Gift Ideas
- Personalized Candle Holder for Mother’s Day
- Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make
- Ultimate Family Gift Guide
- Gifts for Mom That Will Put You in the Good Book
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