Friday, November 30, 2018

How to Make Pendants from Resin Art Overflow

If you've ever created a resin painting, you'll have noticed that the resin flows over the edge of the canvas and onto the table below. As it drips, it pools and creates incredible marbled eddies and flows. Most resin artists just leave it to cure and then discard it. But some of the prettiest pieces of marbled resin jewellery I've made have come from this resin waste. The way the resin drips and flows is unpredictable and the patterns are much more intricate than you could ever create in a bezel so I save any of the larger pieces that I think I can use for other projects. Read on to see how easy it is to turn that waste into some unique pendants. To start with, you'll need some cured resin overflow from a resin project. The overflow I'm using here is from a marbled cheese board. (Check out my class schedule if you'd like to learn how to make these.) You'll also need some bezels . They come as a variety of different jewellery components: pendan...
Thursday, November 15, 2018

Jewellery-Making Basics - How to Turn a PERFECT Loop on Memory Wire

There are a few basic jewellery-making skills that every jewellery maker should master and turning a loop on memory wire is one of them. It seems quite straightforward... until you actually go to do it and end up with a lopsided, half-open loop that small beads slide around or, the unclosed loop catches on your clothes. But this simple trick will change all that and make your memory wire jewellery look really professional. Read on... You'll need: Memory wire Round nose pliers  - this is the style I use. Memory wire shears .  These are absolutely essential .   Memory wire is made of steel and trying to cut it with your regular jewellery wire cutters will destroy the cutting blades. I know this from FIRST-HAND experience!  This is what happened to the blades of my wire cutters when I used them on memory wire.  Eventually, they were unusable even for soft wire. Investing in a pair of memory wire shears is TOTALLY worth the outlay . How to Turn a Perfect Loop in Memory...
Thursday, November 8, 2018

Scalloped Christmas Choker Necklace

Red, green and gold might be the traditional colours at Christmas but why not shake things up and put a modern spin on them? Here, I've swapped the usual emerald green out for a more muted olive tone which works really well with the soft gold dagger beads. The combination of textures, colours and finishes make this Christmas choker a stand out! Here's a shopping list of what you'll need: 1 Red top-drilled marquise bead: 25x10mm ( try these which are similar ) 2 Red faceted top drilled tear drop:13x6mm ( these are similar ) 2  Red Czech dagger bead: 15x5mm 1 10mm Olivine Helix bead 2 7mm Olivine Czech tri-cut rounds 2 4mm Olivine Czech faceted rounds 130 4mm Gold or bronze Haematite tube beads  (or glass bugle beads if you can't find these) 4 15x5mm Gold dagger beads Gold necklace memory wire 22g gold wire 26g gold wire 5 Gold head pins Tools: Chain nose pliers; flat nose pliers, round nose pliers, flush cutters, memory wire shears , ruler Cut ...