Rainbow Bead Necklace: How To Make A Beaded Necklace

This seed bead necklace is a fun spring craft, whether you want to add a pop of rainbow color to your outfit or just want to know how to make a beaded necklace.

If you love bright, color craft projects you’re going to love this rainbow bead necklace. I’m Keri from One Mama’s Daily Drama and I love encouraging people to be bold with color, whether that’s in their fashion or home decor.

seed bead necklace with rainbow colored strands on a white dress

Reusing seed beads

I was spring cleaning and decluttering my jewelry when I found a bag of bracelets that were all stretched out. I decided rather than just tossing them out, I could reuse the beads to make something new.

Since I love bright, bold colors I immediately thought of making something in a rainbow color scheme. I cut the beads off the elastic and restrung them, but you could also purchase new seed beads just for this project.

Rainbows have been trendy for a while and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. Make this seed bead necklace to add a pop of color to your outfit. Or make a few smaller versions with your kids to dress up festively for St. Patrick’s Day.

Beaded necklace ideas

You could even change up the color scheme. Here are a few pretty ideas:

Six shades of the same color for an ombre necklace
Metallic beads in shades of silver, gold, and copper
Any holiday color combo, such as pastels for Easter or red, white, and blue for Memorial Day
Your favorite color combo

If you love stacking necklaces together, this would look cute alongside a colorful paper bead bracelet or necklace.

rainbow seed bead necklace on a white background

How to Make a Necklace With Seed Beads

This is a simple craft, but threading all the tiny beads on six strands is a bit time-consuming. If you’re looking for a project to keep your hands busy while watching tv, this is the perfect activity.

What you need:

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Craft/DIY Tools Needed:

Scissors
Soft tape measure
Sewing needle
Containers for beads
Small binder clip (optional but handy)

Supplies or Ingredients Needed:

Seed beads in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo
Jewelry thread
Metal necklace clasp

craft supplies including scissors, a soft tape measure, white jewelry thread, a tomato pincushion with sewing needles, and a bag of assorted seed beads

bead necklace Instructions:

1. Measure the necklace thread

Start by deciding how long you want your necklace to be. The easiest way to do that is to use a soft tape measure. Just put it around your neck and measure to the point you want it to fall.

I made mine 30-inches long. That gave me some flexibility in case I ran out of beads. And I can put it on over my head or use the clasp if I’ve already done my hair.

left hand holding a tape measure at 30 inches

2. String the seed beads

Put your beads in a bowl or small container so they are easy to pick up without spilling. Thread the needle and start stringing the beads with one color. I started with red and went in rainbow order, but of course, you can go in any order.

glass bowl of red beads beside a threaded needle with more red beads

strand of red seed beads beside a bowl with more beads

Leave about 1.5-inches of empty thread at each end. Be careful when you finish each strand to set it down where the beads won’t slide off. Repeat the process with each color until you have all six strands complete.

6 strands of seed beads in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo

3. Tie off the bead necklace thread ends

After you have all six strands of beads finished, carefully tie the ends together. To do this I used a binder clip to hold one end of each of them together. I tied the end of all six strands together on the other end, then removed the clip and tied the other end.

hand tying a knot at the end of the gathered strands of beads

You may find that you need to add or remove a few beads to get the ends even. They don’t have to be precise since they’ll meet behind your neck, but if you’re picky about details like that you’ll want them to be close.

both ends of the rainbow necklace showing the 6 strands tied together

4. Attach the closure

Tie each end onto the metal necklace clasp. Use several knots to make sure it will stay securely together. Trim the thread ends if you like.

I’ve seen a small metal clasp that can be clamped over a knot to “hide” it. I didn’t use one, but it would give the necklace a more professional finished look.

rainbow seed bead necklace connected with a silver metal clasp

left hand holding a rainbow seed bead necklace in front of a white background

rainbow seed bead necklace on a lacy white background

how to wear your seed bead necklace

This easy bead necklace craft is fun for kids or adults. There’s definitely room to make it more detailed by adding patterns or using a combination of different bead sizes.

I love the contrast of how this looks against a white dress. You would never guess this pretty necklace is made from a kids’ craft supply staple!

woman in a white dress wearing a beaded necklace with each strand a single color of the rainbow

rainbow bead necklace on a white background

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