How to Make a Beaded Bag Charm | Easy Natural Stone Keychain Tutorial

How to Make a Beaded Bag Charm | Easy Natural Stone Keychain Tutorial

How I Make My Most Popular Beaded Bag Charm

If you’ve seen my bag charms before, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen this one.

My natural stone beaded bag charms have become one of my most popular items, especially the green aventurine version, so I figured it was finally time to show exactly how I put one together.

And yes—you can absolutely make one yourself.

If you’d rather watch me make it instead of reading about it, you can [watch the full Instagram Reel here]

And if gathering supplies, opening jump rings and trying to figure out which charm looks best where does not sound like your idea of a relaxing afternoon, you can also [shop the finished bag charm here]. I fully support both approaches.

What I Use

The basic design is actually pretty simple. Most of the finished look comes down to choosing beads, spacers and charms that work well together.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT GET PAID FOR THESE LINKS. I REALLY DID USE THIS STUFF 😊

For the one in my Reel, I used:

You definitely do not need the exact supplies I use. One of my favorite parts of making jewelry is figuring out how to make the supplies you already have work.

Different stones, silver hardware, tiny charms, oversized charms—there are approximately 4,000 ways you could take this idea and make it your own.

Step 1: Pick Your Beads

For my bag charms, I usually use 10x4mm natural stone rondelle beads.

They’re substantial enough to make the charm feel finished without making your purse feel like you’ve attached a small dumbbell to it.

Some of my favorites include green aventurine, Indian agate, rose quartz, yellow jade and white jade or marble.

Green aventurine continues to be especially popular—and it’s the version I carry on my own bag.

Start by choosing your stone and laying out enough beads to fill the section of the charm you want covered.

Step 2: Add the Spacers

I make these both with and without metal spacers, but adding gold spacer beads gives the stones a little more separation and adds some shine.

For this style, I use approximately 7mm gold spacers between the natural stone beads.

There is no secret mathematical formula here.

I move things around until I like how they look.

Very scientific.

Step 3: Add Your Charms

This is where the bag charm starts feeling personal.

I usually recommend sticking with a couple of charms and/or an initial rather than filling every available space.

Could you add twelve charms?

Technically.

Should you?

That is between you, your purse and the structural integrity of the carabiner.

For mine, I like finding a balance between the natural stone and the metal pieces so neither one completely takes over the design.

I offer options like initials, hearts, flowers, bees, fish and other small charms depending on what I currently have available.

You can [shop the finished bag charm here].

Step 4: Attach Everything

Once I’m happy with the layout, I use my jewelry pliers and jump rings to attach the individual pieces to the carabiner.

One small tip: open jump rings by twisting the ends sideways rather than pulling them directly apart.

That helps the ring keep its shape and makes it much easier to close securely again.

I also like to check each connection before I consider the piece finished. Bag charms get handled, tossed around, caught on things and generally live a much harder life than jewelry sitting nicely around your neck.

I want them cute.

But I also want them attached.

Step 5: Rearrange It Approximately 47 Times

This is an important step.

Technically the bag charm may already be finished.

Emotionally, however, I will probably move every charm around several more times.

I look at the balance of the stones, the placement of the charms and how everything hangs when the carabiner is actually being held upright.

Something that looks perfect flat on the table can look completely different once it’s hanging from a bag.

So move it around.

Change your mind.

Move it back.

Realize the original position was better.

This is crafting.

Make It Your Own

That’s really all there is to it.

One of the reasons I love making these is that the basic process stays the same, but every combination feels a little different.

Switch green aventurine for rose quartz.

Use silver instead of gold.

Add an initial.

Skip the initial.

Use one charm.

Use five.

Ignore my previous warning and attach the entire contents of your charm drawer.

There are no jewelry police coming.

If you make your own version after watching my tutorial, I’d genuinely love to see it. Tag @baubletimetrinkets on Instagram so I can see what you come up with.

You can [watch the full bag charm tutorial Reel here]

And if this tutorial mostly convinced you that you would rather have someone else make it, I can help with that too.

[Shop my customizable natural stone bag charms here →]

Each one is handmade in Southern California and can be customized with your choice of stone, charms and initials.

Happy making—or happy letting me make it for you. Both are completely valid.

Supplies Used in This Tutorial

Want everything in one place?

Reminder, I do NOT get paid for sharing this information or any purchases you make. Maybe one day ;P

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