How to make an Ancient Egyptian scarab necklace

How about making your own scarab necklace like the one in the photo?

All photos Rachel Hayward

You will need:

Tin foil / paint brushes / red, blue and gold paint or you can use a gold pen, if you haven't got gold, try yellow paint - or if you don't have paints - use felt tips pens / card (an old cereal packet will do) / macaroni pasta painted in red, blue and gold colours - save some gold macaroni for the necklace 'chain' (or you can cut up straws and cover them in tissue paper or coloured paper) / a needle and thread for the chain of the necklaces / glue (PVA glue is best) / tissue paper or paper to cover the tin foil scarab and red jewel decoration on the necklace.

For the scarab necklace
Make a scarab beetle by scrunching up tin foil into an egg shape and then flatten it enough so you can stick it to the necklace. Make another circle out of tin foil for the red jewel decoration and flatten one side of it.

Draw the shape of the scarab beetle's body and legs on card as shown.

Cover the beetle shape in blue tissue paper using the glue. If you haven't got tissue paper, use newspaper and then paint it when it's dry. If you don't have these - draw a scarab beetle, colour it in and stick it to your necklace. Do the same for the red jewel decoration.

When your painted macaroni is dry, glue it to the gold card in a pattern around the scarab beetle.

For the necklace 'chain'
Use a needle and thread to string up some of the gold macaroni. If you don't have these, try string instead and colour it in with a yellow felt tip pen.

Did you know that the scarab beetle was a symbol of creation for the Ancient Egyptians?

Find out more and see a real scarab Ancient Egyptian beetle decoration in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery's online collection, BMAGiC.

Look at another scarab beetle in the Tyne and Wear Museums' online collection, Imagine.

Why not visit one of the museums we've mentioned and see their Egyptian collections?

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

The British Museum

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.

Good luck with your scarab necklace and don't forget to
send us a photo!