Mala bead necklace is a necklace of Tibetan Buddhism. It consists of 108 beads that are used to count when meditating and or reciting mantras. Although it sounds religious, this necklace can also be used for casual needs like hanging out. The materials you need are simple and there are only 5 steps to make one.
Supplies:
- 108 pieces of beads (in this example, the size of the beads are 8mm)
- Bead cord
- 1 pendant
- A tassel or charm
- A board or bead smith to layout the beads
- 1 stone of medium size for the necklace’s end
- Glue
Step 1. To start, you need to layout the beads. Put all the beads on the board in your desired order of stringing. Lay outing the beads visualizes how the beads will look when the necklace is done. Remember that the necklace’s center part is going to be knotted so you can hang a pendant. So, start to string the beads from the center of the necklace.
Step 2. If you already satisfied with the visualization of the necklace’s final look, you can start making the necklace. First, tie a knot by taking 9 to 10 inches before the string ends. Make sure that the knot is big enough so that the knot can hold the beads. Also, make sure that you string the beads from where the center beads will be. After every bead is inserted to the string, you need to make a knot.
Step 3. After knotting all of the 108 beads, tie together both ends of the cord. Make the knots as tight as possible and as close to the two beads as you can. After that, cut the short rope off. Remember, the rope is not the one you started your necklace with and the one you left some inches before making the first knot. Next, apply some super glue to the knot. Let it dry.
Step 4: Add a pendant, stone, and a little lotus at the necklace’s end. To start, string the clear stone first and then make a knot. After that, string the big stone and make some knots and apply some glue if you need. Lastly, string the charm, make another knot and apply little glue on the knot. If you think you don’t like a charm, you can string a tassel instead.
Step 5: You are done now! You can use the necklace for many occasions like doing yoga or hanging out. This is a really gorgeous necklace!
