The Sautoir Necklace - How to Make this Elegant Vintage Style Necklace

If you are not familiar with the name, sautoir is a French term used to describe a long necklace, usually beaded, that terminates in a focal ornament or tassel. These were hugely popular in the 1920s and are often associated with flapper jewelry. Many times, you would see them made of pearls and long enough to wrap several times around the neck. There are also examples of bead woven and loom necklaces that fit this style as well. You can wear them with the tassel/focal in the front or draping elegantly down the back. Although widely associated with the 20s, this style of necklace has been popular throughout time and is still popular today. 

To make your own sautoir necklace, consider starting with an elegant tassel and building out from there. You can make your own beaded tassel out of seed beads if you wish and then create long strands of beads to hang it from. We have a video showing how to make an elegant beaded tassel:

Featured Video: How to Make a Beaded Tassel

Featured Video: How to Make a Tassel of Beaded Coral

If you want to use a pre-made tassel, there are some lovely options!

Another great place to start a design is to gain inspiration from some of our retired projects. Although these projects are retired (some of their supplies have been discontinued), they are still a great source of inspiration and can easily be adapted with existing supplies.