Faux Egyptian Perfume Bottle Pendant

Is it an Egyptian Perfume bottle?

Or a love potion?

Or maybe if you rub it, a Genie will appear and grant you 3 wishes!

Faux Egyptian Perfume Bottle made with hollow glass bead and jewellery findings

No matter how you see it, this exotic bottle pendant is sure to bring you lots of admiring compliments.

Its ornate appearance belies the simple materials it's made from. Would you believe the fancy metalwork is nothing more than a selection of bead caps layered and stacked together?

This clever arrangement lets you decide how simple or ornate you want your bottle pendant to be.

To make one of your own, you'll need a variety of bead caps.

Feature bead of your choice. Suggestions: venetian beads; lampwork beads; European-style beads (troll, pandora, etc), cloisonné beads
4mm and 6mm bicone crystals to suit your feature bead
An assortment of bead caps
50mm - 70mm long headpin (depending on your design)
Beadalon snake chain kit
Clasp
2 x jump rings

Additional if using a European-style bead or other large-hole bead

2mm - 3mm round spacer beads to fill the core

Tools: 2 pairs chain nose pliers; Round nose pliers; Flat nose pliers; Flush cutters; Bead mat

Plan Your Design

To design your bottle pendant, sort through your bead cap mix and find combinations that work well together. Start with the base, string on a 3mm bead cap or a round spacer bead. This will act as a stopper and make sure that the first bead cap doesn't fall off if it has a large hole.

Create the Base and Stem of the Bottle

Try different combinations of bead caps: some bell shaped, some flat, some cupped. Place multiple pieces together to create fancy shapes, or string some upside down to give them a different look.

Include the 6mm Swarovski crystal in the stem and add the feature bead so you get a really good idea of how it will look. Just keep trying them in different combinations until you like what you see. I eventually went with number 2 and added a filigree petal bead cap to the base to make it look more balanced.

Try out different combinations of bead caps

Now do the same thing with the top. String different combinations of bead caps to create a fancy-shaped top for your faux perfume bottle. Include the 4mm Swarovski crystal in the top as part of the lid. This time I went with the third combination.

Test out different combinations of bead caps

Once you're happy with the design, firm all the bead caps into position so they nestle inside each other and there's no play in them. Grip the head pin above the last bead/bead cap with chain nose pliers and bend it at a 90° angle.

Bend head pin above bead at a right angle

With round nose pliers, create a loop large enough to string your chain through. Finish with the tail of the head pin on the side so that you have a complete loop.

Form a loop in the head pin above the crystal

Hold the loop with one pair of pliers and grip the tail with the other pair. Wrap the tail neatly around the neck as many times as you can. This will keep the components firmly in position so that there is no wiggle room.

Wrap the neck of the loop with the tail of the head pin

Trim away the excess tail close to the neck.

Make the Necklace Chain

Decide how long you'd like the pendant to be and take away the clasp length from this measurement. I cut my chain to 50cm (19.75") and with the clasp and jump rings added, it measures 52cm (20.5") long.

Place one end of the chain into the chain end. You can glue it into position if you wish, but this is optional. Suitable adhesives would be GS-Hypo Cement or super glue.

Grip the loop and the very tip of the chain with the chain nose pliers. With flat nose pliers in your other hand, press one flap of the chain end over the chain. Do the same to the other side.

Give it a gentle tug to make sure it's secure. If not, press the flaps down more firmly and then tug again.