crystal skully

Skulls and bones and the deep mahogany tones of this necklace - complete with fire opal sparkles courtesy Swarovski - mean this might be one of my favorite pieces yet.

The inspiration started with this shimmering tiger's eye skully pendant. Tiger's eye is one of my most favorite stones, as each stone transforms, depending on the angle of light.

To compliment the caramel colors in the pendant, satin pearls and 14k gold plated beads were knotted into a long mala. Adding a feather drop for a bit of whimsy finished off the piece.



To recreate the look yourself, start with a large gemstone skull pendant. You can find similar small 20mm stone skull charms here, or can get larger ones on eEbay for pretty cheap.

I used Swarovski flatback crystals in 3mm, 4mm and 5mm (plus the focal Flame stone in Fire Opal) to create the headdress. You can find Swarovski clear crystal flame flatbacks here, and Swarovski mixed color flatbacks here. I used Gem-Tac glue to adhere the crystals.




After decorating the skull with your desired crystals, knot a mala necklace using 8mm pearls, crystal accents, and golden bead caps. It's super important to use nylon cording here for a strong mala, but make sure the beads you have can go through this cord. I used 1mm nylon cord (similar here) in brown.

I actually slid on the pendant first, then knotted each side around it. For me, it was easier to gauge how long I wanted it (ended up about 28" long).

Make sure to have even amounts of beads on each side of the skull - close the necklace either with clasps or a sliding knot closure.

Finally, add a bronze or gold feather charm with a 10mm or 6mm jumpring to the nylon cord between the pendant and bead next to it.

For fun, glue some Swarovskis onto it for extra sparkle. You can't go wrong with extra sparkle.


These would be amazing in an array of colors and themes - try different stones and use the stones as the color inspiration. Aquamarine would be gorgeous with silver beads and milky white crystals. Try a black obsidian skull with deep garnet crystals and black pearls. Mix and match, it's up to you!

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Content within this post is copyright Allison Beth Cooling for Quiet Lion Creations.
If you'd like permission to use a photo, email me at allison@quietlioncreations.com