Homemade Hippie Jewelry
Use natural materials. Hemp is a popular material used in some hippie jewelry. It is woven, like macrame, to create ropes for necklaces or bands for bracelets. Strands of the hemp can be braided together to create necklaces or bracelets. Beads are slipped in during the weaving to create a pattern on the finished item. Wooden or clay beads are preferred over plastic or synthetic products. Leather strips are also used as necklace chains or bracelet straps. The two ends of the leather are tied together in a knot, and then the necklace is slipped over the head.
Use appropriate colors. Bright florescent colors such as shocking pink, lime green, blue and orange were popular with hippies. Natural colors were also used. Beads can be fashioned from small pieces of clay. Insert a hole through the center of each bead, using a sharp nail. After the beads have been fired, paint them in bright florescent colors.
Familiarize yourself with the icons of the 1960s. Popular retro logos such as the peace sign or ecology symbol were often used in making hippie art and jewelry. Another popular hippie shape is the flower, typically a cartoonish daisy-like drawing, with rounded petals. A hole is drilled on one end of the pendant to allow it to be slipped onto hemp or leather necklace.
Recycle when creating hippie jewelry. It is easy and inexpensive to create hippie jewelry using a papier-mache technique. An empty masking tape cardboard circle can be wrapped with strips of newspaper that has been dipped in liquid starch or a paste solution made from flour and water. After the bracelet dries it can be painted in the colors and designs of the hippie era, and then coated with varnish.