How To Turn A Lapel Pin Into A Necklace: A Complete Guide

Being able to repurpose your favorite pins into beautiful necklaces is a great way to keep them as a part of your wardrobe. The process is a piece of cake.

How to turn a lapel pin into a necklace? It is easy to turn your pins into an eye-catching necklace. All it takes is a chain, tools that most of us already have at home, and a little bit of your time. The precise steps for converting your pins into a necklace will depend on the pin backing itself.

Whether you have some vintage pins that you want to try using in a new way or custom enamel lapel pins that you have decided might look better around your neck, we have a quick and easy transformation guide for you. There are several types of pin backs, and each one will have their own step by step walkthrough so that no matter what styles you have, they can be converted.

What Materials You Will Need

If you often create DIY jewelry, you most likely have the majority of these tools already in your craft room. If not, they are cheap to purchase online. Below is a list of tools you will need.

• A pushpin or mini hand drill
• 3 to 4 metal jump rings big enough to fit over your necklace chain
• A necklace chain of your desired weight and material
• For safety-pin backed pins, you will want to get a “pin to pendant” converter
• Jewelry pliers
• A closed pendant bail

For the Chain

When possible, you will want to work with premade jewelry chains instead of creating your own, as the pendant pieces you will be attaching must be able to fit within a small space. Thicker materials may not work. You can get metal or fabric chains in the jewelry or craft section of most in-person and online retailers.

Choosing a Pin

The most straightforward pins to change into a necklace have a plastic clutch or a safety-pin backing. Metal clutch and magnetic backings are harder to add a pendant ring to when making the necklace.

Tools

What tools you will need is going to depend on what materials and type of pin backing you are dealing with. For safety-pin backings, there is a very convenient item called a “brooch to pendant” converter, which you can buy from online retailers such as Amazon. These make it a breeze to transform a pin into your next necklace centerpiece.

Determine What Kind of Necklace You Want

Pins that have been turned into pendants work best on longer necklaces though they can also be made into chokers as well. There are a few pros and cons between the two. In the end, it will depend on both the size and style of the pin since ones with sharper edges or which are too large may not fit well close to the throat.

Choker

Chokers are near the skin, so this type may not be a good fit for anyone with metal allergies. They work best with small pins that can easily be turned into a dangled pendant. Safety-pin Backings have a tendency to tip forward a bit on chokers, but they lay flat on longer necklaces.

Standard Length

The standard length for a necklace with a pendant is approximately 18 inches. These are the best options for enamel pins.

Step by Step Guide for Turning Your Pin into a Necklace

Depending on what type of pin you have and the style of necklace you want to make, there are a few different steps you might need to take. The exact pin may require you to improvise since some backings like double-backed pins are not as commonly used for this and are a little more complicated to balance into a suitable pendant. It is recommended that you avoid using double-backed and magnetic bar pins.

Safety-Pin

If your pin has a safety-pin backing, then it cannot be easier to transform into a necklace. It takes three simple steps.

1. Purchase a pin to pendant converter
2. Slip the converter over the latch mechanism
3. Thread your necklace chain through the pendant bail

That is all you have to do! So simple, and you can use this to turn beautiful pins into personal fashion pieces or as gifts for birthdays or holidays.

Rubber Clutch

There are a few more steps for those who are using rubber clutch backs. These are common among Disney and pop culture pins. You will need a tool for punching through the plastic, and this can be anything from a pushpin to a mini hand drill.

4. Make sure the pin is securely clasped, and then make a hole in the plastic. It should be toward the top of the plastic clutch
5. Insert a jump ring through the hole and close it with your pliers
6. Thread the necklace chain through the bail
7. Connect the closed jump ring and bail with another jump ring and close it with your pliers

Now you have a brand new, fun necklace to give as a gift or wear on your next night out.

Metal Clutch

The most challenging pin to turn into a necklace pendant are those with metal clutch backings. The good news is that you can either replace the metal with a plastic piece and use the same technique as listed above, or you can try the following.

8. Close the clasp
9. Superglue a closed jump ring to the too middle of the pin back.
10. Thread the necklace chain through the bail
11. Connect the closed jump ring and bail with another jump ring and close it with your pliers

Pins with Magnetic Backings

If your pin has a magnetic backing, then you can either get a magnetic bail and connect it that way or use the superglue option. For chokers, you can even glue a pin magnetic strip to thin material (e.g., lace, satin, velvet, etc.), which will allow you to change out which magnetic pins you can wear on that necklace.