Avery: Not long ago, my sister gave me this shard of bison bone to do something artsy with, so I’m going to be transforming it into a piece of jewelry. The bone already had a really cool shape to it, kind of reminiscent to that of a large shark tooth or arrowhead. I thought for a long time about if I should add some unique design or insignia on it, but ultimately I kept this bone relatively simple in design. Using a dremel, I first began cutting away unwanted sections of the bone and smoothing out the edges. I’m still not the best at using a dremel, I’ve only used it for a small handful of projects and I’m still learning how to use it properly.

As I continued to work on the piece, I realized the bone shard was too big for what I wanted, so using a hacksaw I cut the bone down into two pieces. This process took quite a while with how strong the bone is. I kept the 2nd piece for another necklace you will see later.

Using sandpaper I smoothed down the surface areas of the bone, for me, this is one of the more satisfying parts of the process. I did not polish the bone because I wanted the bone to remain natural looking. I drilled small circular notches on the edge of the bone so I can later wrap wire around it, the notches are also for the aesthetic.

With the bone now looking the way I want, I started wrapping some wire around the shard using the notches, and then I used hemp cord for the necklace string. I wanted more than just a bone pendant for the necklace, so I added a few beads, all of beads were made of natural material like bone or wood. I made simple knots in the hemp cord to place the beads in specific areas around the pendant.

And that’s it! These are really simple necklaces that just about anyone can make. It is a very easy Do It Yourself (DIY) creative project that looks cool and can also be a very meaningful piece of jewelry. You can make one for yourself, your family or friends. I don’t ever make jewelry, I’ll wear it, but this is the first time I made a piece that is truly personal, and that makes it special.