Zulu Princess Choker Necklace

Jewelry is like any piece of adornment that a person wears such as rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, or watches. People wear jewelry for many reasons. Today, Jewelry has become modernized. They are made from different materials, each more original than the other.

Zulu culture is fraught with a plethora of women, the most important of whom were Princess Mkabayi kaJama; Queen Nandi, the mother of Emperor Shaka, and queen Monase who contributed to shaping the Zulu monarchy into what it became in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and making kings behind the scenes.

Today, I would make a Zulu princess choker necklace with many different pieces color of leather pieces, black, red, white, and blue. It is not so easy to make, but I have tried my best to document every process so that it would be easier for you to follow through.

Materials:

1.      Leather Sheet small with each different colors light blue, red, black and white or you can also use 3/32” (2.5mm)-wide Sof-Suede lace of variant colors.

2.      3mm gold spacer beads

3.      1 grey stone of 1in

4.      31/2’’(9cm) diameter gold necklace memory wire

Tools:

1.      Memory wire shears

2.      Ruler

3.      Round nose pliers

4.      Hand sewing punch

5.      Nose pliers

6.      Cutter

7.      Knife

8.      Scissors

Cut one and a half coils of memory wire and turn an outward facing loop on one end of the wire of length (41cm) then start to other stage.

Cut eight 2’’(5cm) lengths of each color of leather sheet to cut a piece for thirty-two pieces in total. Cut one of each of the following lengths from the colors indicated Black(8cm), Red(10cm), White (13cm) and Blue(16cm).

Start punching the cutted pieces into holes. Set the hole punch to the smallest setting and punch a hole of 1/8” (3mm) from each end of every lace piece. Set the longer lengths aside to add to the middle of the choker later.

Thread one end of a light Blue lace onto the wire followed by a gold bead continue threading adding a white color of lace , a gold bead, a cut of red lace , a gold bead, black color of lace and a final gold bead.

Thread the tail end of the light blue lace onto the wire, forming a loop. Make sure the lace loop passes behind the other laces not the finish of step.

String a gold bead onto the wire and another light blue lace

String a gold bead onto the wire and then thread on the tail end of the white lace, forming a loop which passes in front of the light blue loop which we have already created but behind the other laces.

Add a gold bead with another white color lace, followed by a gold bead.

Thread the tail end of the Red color lace onto the wire forming a loop make sure it passes in front of the light blue and white lace loops. But behind the black color piece. Add a gold bead. Then add another Red color lace and a gold bead.

Thread the tail end of the black lace onto the wire, forming a loop. Make sure it passes in front of all the other loops which we have created previously and add a gold bead. Then added another black lace and gold bead. This completes the first set of loops. Then continues in this fashion repeating step in all other colors but remember this four-color lace use a fourth time repeating on one side of all steps.

After threading on the tail end of the one side of necklace is ready then the fourth short light blue lace, add one end of the long light blue lace set aside previously, followed by a gold bead.

Continue the color pattern, threading the tail end of the next short lace, a gold bead, the corresponding long lace and a gold bead then last one this step long blue lace, a gold bead after that add small white lace, a gold bead.

Add then continue the color pattern may be start middle of the stage completed all different size of lace seen it. following next step.

After threading one end of the long black lace and a gold bead, string on the stone , a gold bead, the tail of the long Black lace, also seen it pitchers and another gold bead. Add a short black lace and gold bead.

Finish Stringing the Long Lace: Thread the tail end of the long red color lace onto the wire , making sure it passes behind the black laces. Add a gold bead, a short Red color lace and a Gold bead. Thread the tail end of the long White color lace onto the wire , making sure it passes behind the Red color and black lace.

Add a gold bead. Add a short white lace and gold bead. Thread the tail end of the long light blue lace onto the wire, making sure it passes behind the white color lace, Red color lace and black color lace. Add a gold bead. Add a short light blue lace and gold bead.

Create the loops for the other side of the necklace: Thread the tail end of the short black lace added as per above section and a gold bead onto the wire. Make sure the lace passes in front of the long, center laces. Add a short black lace and a gold bead.

Finish the loops: Continue the pattern of loops for the other side of the Necklace, adding laces and gold bead. Until you have used up all the remaining short laces. Make sure the laces pass in front of the long center laces but behind the loop just created.

String twenty-five gold beads onto the wire. Trim the end of the wire to 3/8’’(1cm) and turn an outward facing loop.