How To Make A Cord Necklace Without A Clasp

A necklace without a clasp needs a way to go on and come off. You can make an adjustable cord necklace with a sliding closure, or join the ends into a fixed loop that is large enough to pass over your head. A beaded endless necklace uses a different finish again.

For a simple pendant necklace, overlap the cord ends and make a sliding knot closure. For a fixed cord or beaded loop, check the finished opening before joining the ends. Choose a finish that suits your stringing material: a crimp for beading wire is not interchangeable with a knot in cord or thread.

Start with the material and the fit. That avoids making a short necklace that cannot open, or buying a finishing tool that does not work with your cord.

Choose the material and finish together

• Visible pendant cord: choose a cord that fits through the pendant bail and holds the knot you want to use. Waxed cotton or suitable leather cord can be used for an adjustable design. Test the closure on a scrap before cutting the final length.
• Fine beading thread: use it with a compatible needle and beads, then finish it with the knots and thread path for your beading project. Allow room in the bead holes for the return passes.
• Flexible beading wire: use compatible crimp findings and their specified tool. Check the wire diameter, crimp size and number of wire passes before assembling the necklace.

For the adjustable option, Mandala Crafts 1mm black waxed cotton cord, 109 yards is one spool to consider. The linked variant is cotton cord; it is not elastic. Check that 1mm cord fits your pendant and makes a closure that slides while holding the chosen length. A large spool is useful for several projects, but you may already have enough suitable cord for one necklace.

For the fine-bead method, Beadsmith FireLine 6lb crystal beading thread, 50 yards is a beading thread to consider. The selected listing specifies a 0.15mm diameter. It is not a replacement for the thicker visible cord in the sliding closure below, and the test rating is not a guarantee that any finished necklace will be secure.

Fire Mountain Gems’ stringing-material finishing chart separates cord, thread and beading-wire findings. FusionBeads’ beading-thread guide also advises against finishing FireLine with ordinary crimp beads.

Measure the opening before cutting or tying

For a fixed loop, use a temporary loop of cord to check that it passes comfortably over your head. Measure that loop, then allow additional material for the joining knot, tail ends and any knots between beads. Do this off the body; do not tie a permanent loop around someone’s neck.

For an adjustable necklace, the largest opening must pass over your head, and the smallest opening should give the pendant the drop you want. The overlap and closure consume cord, so leave generous tails while you work. Trim them after checking both positions.

There is no single finished length that fits everyone. Beads, a bulky knot and the shape of the pendant can affect how the necklace goes on and sits. Try the planned arrangement before using up the whole strand or spool.

Method 1: an adjustable sliding square-knot closure

This closure uses a separate piece of cord tied around the two overlapping necklace ends. The necklace ends slide through the closure; the knotting cord stays wrapped around them. It is different from simply joining both ends with one square knot.

Gather the necklace cord, pendant, scissors and a separate piece of knotting cord. KerrieBerrie’s illustrated sliding square-knot tutorial uses a 20-inch piece for the closure. Its diagrams are useful for seeing the cord positions.

1. Thread the pendant onto the necklace cord. Arrange the cord in a loop and overlap its two ends in opposite directions. Keep both ends long.
2. Place the middle of the separate knotting cord underneath the two overlapping ends. These two straight strands are the core; avoid tying them to each other.
3. Spread the knotting ends left and right. Pass the left end over both core strands and under the right end. Bring the right end behind both core strands and up through the loop on the left. Pull the knotting ends gently to form the first half.
4. Reverse the directions: pass the right end over both core strands and under the left end. Bring the left end behind the core and up through the loop on the right. The two halves make one square knot. Repeat complete square knots to form a short closure, checking that the core still slides as you work.
5. Secure the knotting cord’s ends. If your chosen finish uses adhesive, keep it off the core strands and follow the adhesive’s instructions before moving the closure.
6. Open the necklace to its largest position and check the fit. Add stopper knots at the necklace tails so they cannot pull through the closure, then check the adjustment again before trimming.

If the closure locks solid, check for trapped core strands, over-tight knots or adhesive on the sliding parts. If it slips too easily, check the knot structure and try a different cord or closure. Pull-test the completed join off the body before wearing the necklace.

For the two-knot style made from the necklace cord itself, see our sliding-knot guide. Keep the two constructions separate when following the steps.

Method 2: a fixed cord loop

A fixed loop is useful when you want a long necklace and do not need to adjust it. The join can sit behind the neck or form part of the design. It must stay large enough to remove over the head.

1. Add the pendant or beads and check the complete loop length. Leave room for the joining knot.
2. If the cord and design suit a square-knot join, cross the right end over the left and pass it underneath. Then cross the left end over the right and pass it underneath. This reverses the direction of the second half.
3. Dress the knot so it lies neatly, pull the ends evenly and check the join on a scrap of the same cord first. A slippery or stiff cord may need another finish.
4. Check that the finished loop still goes on and off. Pull-test the join, secure the tails as appropriate for the cord, and trim only after it holds.

A fixed square knot joins the ends. It does not make the necklace adjustable. Do not depend on a drop of glue to rescue a knot that already slips; change the finish or material instead.

Method 3: an endless beaded necklace

For a beaded loop, choose a beading thread and needle that suit the beads and the finish. Test the smallest bead holes with the number of thread passes you need. A thread that fits once may not fit again when you weave the tails back through it.

1. Lay out the beads and check the planned opening. Add extra thread for finishing at both ends; do not cut it to just the finished necklace length.
2. Use a bead stopper or a temporary stop bead to keep the first end in place, leaving a long tail. String the design.
3. Remove the stopper when ready to join the loop. Pass the working thread through the starting bead so both sides of the join can be finished. Keep enough slack for the strand to bend.
4. With a finish suitable for your thread, tie half-hitches around the adjoining strand near the join. Loop the tail around that strand, pass it through the loop and snug the knot; repeat as required by your project. Finish both tails.
5. Weave each tail back through several adjacent beads. Check the join and movement before trimming; follow your thread or pattern’s finishing instructions if they specify a different knot or thread path.

Avoid pulling every bead hard against its neighbor. The strand needs to bend into a loop without forcing the thread against sharp hole edges. If the beads cannot accommodate the return passes, change the beads or stringing method before finishing.

What about knots between every bead?

An endless knotted necklace follows the same fit rule, but each knot adds length. Choose a cord whose knots are large enough to stop the beads sliding over them. Check that the final joining bead can accept the required passes from both ends.

Leave long tails, knot beside each bead, and use a knotting tool or blunt positioning aid to bring each knot into place before tightening. Plan the closing section in advance. If you cannot hide and secure both tails with that bead-and-cord combination, use a different finish rather than cutting the tails short.

Use crimp tubes with compatible beading wire

A crimp tube is a separate metal finding that secures suitable flexible beading wire. An endless wire-strung necklace can have its ends joined with a compatible crimp arrangement, but the opening still needs to pass over the head.

Use the instructions for the particular wire and crimp. Some crimps use crimping pliers; other designs use a different compression method. A crimp cover hides the finished crimp but does not replace it or correct a poor join. Fire Mountain Gems’ Accu-Flex crimp-tube demonstration shows why the finding and tool must be matched.

Do not copy wire-crimp instructions onto ordinary cotton cord, satin cord or FireLine thread. Check the stringing material used in a demonstration before following its finishing steps. The video below covers a necklace finish without a clasp.

Check the finished necklace

• The largest opening fits over your head without forcing it.
• The join holds during an off-body pull test, and no tail is cut before the finish is secure.
• An adjustable closure moves as intended without adhesive locking it.
• Beads sit without pinching the cord or forcing the thread against sharp edges.

For more help choosing and threading cord, read how to string beads on leather cords or our friendship-bracelet string guide.