Easy Lanyard Making Instructions
for Making a Bead Neck Lanyard

Use step by step lanyard making instructions to make a neck lanyard. Learn how to make a lanyard with illustrated free jewelry making instructions!

Designing a Beaded Lanyard Pattern for Neck Lanyards

This bead neck lanyard struts a beaded lanyard pattern that will suit most any business attire. It is designed as a badge lanyard.

Crystal Quartz Bead Neck Badge Lanyard

First, Design the Necklace of a Badge Lanyard

Crystal quartz chip beads make up the necklace portion of this badge lanyard.

The necklace portion is accented with rectangular sodalite tube beads that are flanked by sterling silver spacer beads and sodalite rondelles.

Then, Design the Cinch of a Neck Badge Lanyard

The cinch of neck lanyard is made using a sterling silver chandelier earring finding.

The finding has been turned upside down so that the two ends of the lanyard can be connected the finding's multiple ring side.

Lastly, Design the Drop of a Neck Badge Lanyard

The lanyard drop can then be connected to the finding's single ring side that is usually connected to an earwire.

Notice how the sodalite accents of the necklace portion are repeated in the lanyard drop. This design element connects the two sections of the lanyard.

Color Choice Considerations for a Neck Badge Lanyard

I chose the blue and white color combination because for one it's pretty neutral.

And, secondly a lot of companies' ID badges are blue and white. So, no chance of a color clash here!

Beaded Lanyard Pattern

The beaded lanyard pattern for the necklace portion of this neck lanyard was strung in this order...

• 24" (61 cm) crystal quartz chip beads
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rectangular tube bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• 2.5" (6.4 cm) crystal quartz chip beads
• 2 3mm sterling silver metal beads
• 1 tube crimp bead and crimp cover
• 1 25mm chandelier earring finding

The beaded lanyard pattern for the drop portion of this neck lanyard was strung in this order...

• 1 tube crimp bead and crimp cover
• 2 3mm sterling silver metal beads
• 3 crystal quartz chip beads
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rectangular tube bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• 3 crystal quartz chip beads
• 2 3mm sterling silver metal beads
• 1 tube crimp bead and crimp cover
• lanyard clip

Beaded Lanyard Making Instructions

Beading Technique Used:

Bead Stringing

Beading Skill Level:

Beginning Beading

Prerequisite Jewelry Lessons:

If you're stringing beads for the first time, practice the step by step prerequisite jewelry lesson or beading technique first.

Approximate Length of Bead Lanyard:

36.75" (93.3 cm)

(Necklace 32" (81.3 cm), Cinch 1" (2.5 cm), Drop 2.5" (6.4 cm), Lanyard Clip 1.25" (3.2 cm))

Jewelry Making Supplies

• 36" (91.4 cm) strand of chip beads (your color choice)
• 1 25mm chandelier earring finding
• 4 tube crimp beads (sterling silver)
• 4 crimp covers (sterling silver)
• 8 3mm metal beads (sterling silver)
• 1 swivel lanyard clip
• 1 38" (96.5 cm) length of .014 or .019 diameter beading wire
• 1 6" (15.2 cm) length of .014 or .019 diameter beading wire
• beading mat

Jewelry Making Tools and/or Pliers

• Crimping pliers
• Wire cutters

If you need it, here's a review of jewelry pliers used in bead stringing projects.

How to Make a Lanyard
Beaded Lanyard Making Instructions

1. Gather supplies, tools and beads. Work on a beading mat so that your beads will not roll around.

2. Working with the beading wire directly from the spool (do not cut the beading wire yet), string the beads onto beading wire in this order...

• 2.5" (6.4 cm) crystal quartz chip beads
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rectangular tube bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• 24" (61 cm) crystal quartz chip beads
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rectangular tube bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• 2.5" (6.4 cm) crystal quartz chip beads

Check the Fit of Your Bead Lanyard

3. Though not pictured, check the fit and length of your lanyard.

Pushing all the beads together on the beading wire, hold both ends of the beading wire in one hand between your index finger and thumb.

Use your other hand to pick up the curved end of the beads and fit the strand over your head.

Remember, there is no clasp on this lanyard so you'll want to make sure that it goes over your head without a struggle.

Still holding the beading wire ends, bring the strand to its full outstretched length to see where it falls along your body.

Remove the strand from around your neck and add or remove beads to suit your desired length.

Once you have a suitable length of beads, move on to the next step of these lanyard making instructions.

Note: For me, a 32" (81.3 cm) length of beads fits easily over my head as well as my shirt collar and falls just below my twins (as this is a family-oriented website, please say that you know to which part of our anatomy I'm referring).

The rest of the lanyard is about 4.5" (11.4 cm), putting the end of the lanyard clip 1-2" (2.5 - 5.1 cm) above my navel. Perfect for me.

Don't worry, after making one or two lanyards, you'll perfect your length.

Lanyard Making Instructions Continued

Resume Making Your Beaded Lanyard

4. String the following beads onto the loose end of the beading wire...

• 2 3mm sterling silver metal beads
• 1 tube crimp bead and crimp cover
• 1 25mm chandelier earring finding

5. Thread the beading wire back through the tube crimp bead, making a loop to hold the earring finding.

6. Using the crimping pliers, crimp the tube crimp bead.

Lanyard Making Instructions Continued

7. Add a crimp cover. (This step is optional.)

With your fingers, push the crimped crimp bead into the crimp cover.

Using the tip of the crimping pliers, close the crimp cover over the crimped crimp bead.

8. Push all the beads down the beading wire to the crimped end.

Using the wire cutters, leaving about a 3" (7.6 cm) length of beading wire to work with, cut the other end of the beading wire from the spool.

Lanyard Making Instructions Continued

9. On the second end of beading wire, repeat Steps 4 - 7.

Using the wire cutters, cut the excess wire.

10. Close up of attached earring finding.

Make the Drop of Your Bead Lanyard

11. Cut a 6" (15.2 cm) length of beading wire.

On one end, repeat Steps 5 - 7.

12. String the beads for the drop portion of the neck lanyard in this order...

• 2 3mm sterling silver metal beads
• 3 crystal quartz chip beads
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rectangular tube bead
• one sterling silver daisy spacer bead
• one sodalite rondelle bead
• 3 crystal quartz chip beads
• 2 3mm sterling silver metal beads
• 1 tube crimp bead

Lanyard Making Instructions Continued

Connect the Lanyard Clip to Your Bead Lanyard

13. Thread the last end of the beading wire through the ring of the earring finding.

14. Thread the beading wire back through crimp bead, two metal beads and three chip beads.

Draw the beading wire to tighten the beads against the earring finding and crimp bead.

15. Using the crimping pliers, crimp the crimp bead.

Using the wire cutters, cut the excess wire.

Add the crimp cover.

Close up of finished lanyard drop.

You're done! You've completed your neck lanyard.

Finished Bead Lanyard

These lanyard making instructions are lengthy because they are step by step and illustrated. But, they make making lanyards easy. Don't you agree?!

Return from Lanyard Making Instructions to Lanyard Instructions page

Return to Making Beaded Jewelry home page