How to Make Beaded Bag Charms with Wire, Crimps, and Key Rings

Cut beading wire with working tail, crimp a jump ring start, string beads, close the strand, then hang it on a key ring or lobster clasp. Optional second strands and dangling charms.

What You'll Need

  • Beading wire
  • Crimp beads
  • Jump rings
  • Key ring or lobster clasp
  • Assorted beads plus seed or spacer beads
  • Optional: small metal charms
  • Crimping pliers
  • Chain-nose pliers
  • Wire cutters
  • Optional: bead board

Thrifted broken jewelry works for beads and charms. Buy only what you lack: wire, crimps, jump rings, and a clasp or key ring.

A beaded bag charm is a short strand (or a few strands) that hangs from a key ring or lobster clasp on a bag or zipper. You finish each end with a crimp and a jump ring, then clip the strand onto the hardware. This is a bag accessory, not a bead animal figure.

1

Measure and cut the wire

Decide a single-strand hang length, or a double-loop span that reaches across your bag hardware. Cut beading wire to that length plus 6 to 8 inches of working tail.

2

Start the finish

Slide on a crimp bead and a jump ring. Loop the wire through the jump ring and back through the crimp. Pull snug, then crush the crimp with crimping pliers using the fold sequence for your pliers. Leave about 2 inches of tail to tuck into the first beads.

3

String the design

Lay beads on a board if you want to plan the pattern, then string them onto the wire. Hide the start tail inside the first few beads. Mix a focal bead with seed or spacer beads so you can control length without gaps.

4

Close the strand

Add an end crimp, and a jump ring if you want a double-loop design. Crimp, then tuck or trim the excess wire through nearby beads so no sharp ends stick out.

5

Hang and add optional charms

Open jump rings with a twist, not a pry. Attach the strand or strands to a key ring or lobster clasp sized for the bag hardware. Add a dangling charm on a second jump ring or a jewelry safety pin if you want. Repeat strands for a multi-strand look.

For a thrift upcycle, strip beads from broken necklaces and mix them with a few new spacers so the strand still hangs straight. Skip clay charms and resin pours here; those are a separate project.