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Oct. 29, 2008, Vol. 2 No. 15 |
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After daylight savings goes into effect each year, the change in weather is undeniable and the days seem so short! My solar-heated studio only offers marginal comfort on rainy days, prompting a move to the living room. I set up a cache of beads, tools and wire under my favorite chair; safe from household mishaps with four legs and names!
Jewelry Talks Back
The history of jewelry demonstrates a range of totemic designs made from found objects and naturally occurring beads or pendants. Jewelry can create a perfect medium for expressing how we feel through what we wear. During October, I noticed a lot of Awareness jewelry, which focused my attention on designs that "talk back."
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On a September trip to the Bay area, a small coffee shop near my hotel offered a cup of tea strong enough to start my mornings out right. One friendly barista wore an attractive piece of jewelry, a silver charm bracelet with coffee charms, hearts and a flat disk stamped "I (heart symbol) TIPS!" She told me her tips had doubled since she began wearing the bracelet, a testimonial to the language of jewelry and the power of coffee talk.
Speaking with jewelry can be done through charms, letters, words, stamping, symbols, collage and a number of other easy techniques. Personalized jewelry also makes a great gift, an important consideration as we get closer to the holidays. A simple keychain can be transformed by a stamped name or a scissors charm that acknowledges a friend's love of sewing.
If a close family member or friend has a medical condition or allergy and needs to wear a medic-alert bracelet, consider crafting them a chain bracelet. Add a medic-alert emblem and change a utilitarian accessory into something fashionable and comfortable by using quality chain and a good clasp. Personalized jewelry can look good and be a lifesaver.
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| Car Talk Keychain: I stamped a brass square to make a keychain for a friend who just bought a little red sports car. The black and white bead charms hint at a winning checkered flag. |
Sassy sayings, favorite quotes and song lyrics give your jewelry a chance to speak beautifully to anyone who admires what you have on!
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 Geometric Dangles
Design by Candie Cooper
These simple earrings add style to any outfit, whether casual or dressy.
Materials
- Precious metal clay
- Beads: 2 red bicone, 2 black tubes
- 2 (20-gauge) sterling silver eye pins
- 2 sterling silver ear wires
- Smooth plastic mat
- 150 grit sandpaper
- Waxed paper
- 6 playing cards
- Olive oil
- Dishwashing soap
- Kiln
- Clay roller or brayer
- Square cutters: 1/2-inch, 1/4-inch
- Toothpick
- Dremel tool with a #55 drill bit
- Brass brush
- Polishing cloth or a tumbler filled with stainless steel shot and water
- Round-nose pliers
- Wire nippers
Finished Size
1 3/4 inches long
Project note: Read all manufacturer's instructions included with metal clay before beginning.
Instructions
| 1) |
Place plastic mat on work surface. Lay sandpaper with textured side faceup on mat. Rub a teaspoon of olive oil on hands before handling clay to prevent the clay from drying out while working with it. |
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Roll a small amount of metal clay into a ball slightly larger than a marble; place clay on top of sandpaper. Place a stack of six playing cards beside clay ball. Proceed to roll out clay to this thickness. Gently pick up clay slab; remove sandpaper from work surface. |
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Place the clay on plastic mat with textured side face up. With square cutters, cut out a pair of 1/2-inch squares from clay; cut out a 1/4-inch square from the center of both squares. |
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With a toothpick, make the start of a tiny hole in one of the outside corners of clay square by gently pushing the tip of the toothpick into the clay, being careful to not place hole too close to edge. Note: Do not push toothpick through clay completely. Repeat for remaining square. |
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Let squares dry on a piece of waxed paper. Squares will be fragile at this stage, so handle carefully. |
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When dry, lightly sand the sides of the squares to clean up edges. Following manufacturer's instructions, fire the squares in a kiln. Once fired, finish drilling the holes with Dremel tool and #55 drill bit. Sand the reverse side of each square. |
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Add a small amount of dishwashing soap and water to brass brush; brush the surfaces of the squares to remove the white finish. Polish the squares using either a polishing cloth or a tumbler. |
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Slide a black tube bead and a red bicone bead on an eye pin; use round-nose pliers to form a loop above top bead. Trim excess wire. Open bottom loop and slide on one of the metal squares. Close loop securely. Open loop on ear wire; attach remaining loop of beaded eye pin. Repeat to finish second earring. |
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Source: Metal clay from PMCSupply.com
Copyright © September 2005 Simply Beads magazine. All rights reserved.
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Glass Bead Makers Hit the Road
A recent update from bead maker Kim Miles (her beads grace the cover of June Simply Beads) provided an interesting bit of news. Kim and husband Rick are off to Ethiopia in November to teach bead making to participants in the HOPE Bracelet Project.
The HOPE Project was started in 2003 by Noel and Tammy Cunningham who began teaching Ethiopian students to make bracelets from donated beads. In 2006, visiting American bead makers began to teach students how to make their own beads to use in future bracelets, moving them a step closer to self-sufficiency. Finished HOPE bracelets will go on sale online on November 10, and you can sign up for e-mail notification. Find out more at Cunninghamfoundation.org.
To help offset the cost of the trip, Kim is hosting a thank-you raffle of personal jewelry on her Web site, Kimmiles.com. Each $10 donation gives you a chance to win a stunning necklace, earrings or a matching set. A slideshow previews each of Kim's luscious jewelry creations.
You can also donate lampwork or silver beads, or check Kim's blog for an extensive list of other sought-after donation items (Greetingsfromtaos.blogspot.com). The list contains educational items to help teach biology, physics, chemistry, math and English at Project Mercy's Medhane-Alem School in Yetebon, Ethiopia.
My best wishes go out to Kim and Rick for a successful trip. And, if anyone is interested in buying a lovely house in Taos, New Mexico, there is one of those on Kim's Web site, too!
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Carve a pumpkin, collect a few pretty leaves and celebrate the season. Happy Halloween!
Barb Switzer
Editor, Simply Beads magazine
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