Stamped Metal Jewelry

Had a lot of fun this weekend just playing around with my metal stamps. I created a cute bracelet for my grandmother from some scraps of sterling silver and some odds and ends charms and gemstone beads. I went with the “Birds, Bees and Buds” theme since that matched up well to the stamps that I have! I cut the scraps into rectangles, then stamped, oxidized and sanded them. Then I punched holes in the sides and attached everything with sterling silver wire. I used a square Aventurine bead, an Amethyst nugget, dyed turquoise bead (looks like a Robin’s egg!), lemon ”jade”, Snowflake Obsidian (2 beads), and a rose colored Swarovski Crystal. I made a little “bee” out of one onyx and one yellow glass bead.

I also made myself a “mother’s” pendant. I had been looking at several – some circles, some with gemstones, etc. but those just weren’t quite me. Then I decided to go vertical and it all fell into place. Lots of fun! And it goes with my hammered silver jewelry that I have so much of…

Would love to see your stamped jewelry! Share, please!

Inspired by Heavy Metal

A friend recently asked me what inspired me to work with metal? I’m kind of a girly girl and not one to get my hands dirty, so I can see why she asked. Because metal is dirty, and grimy and gritty. So I had to think about why I was drawn to it – because I have always been a beader and a crafter, but why metal?

Declan's Keystone by Kyle Van Lusk

I guess my interest in metal is intertwined with my interest in my husband, Kyle. He is a sculptor who creates large scale, immense, heavy metal sculptures and over the years I have seen him work with all kinds of metal – pouring iron and bronze and fabricating steel. I had been to countless iron pours and sat while he grinded or welded pieces. I’ve marveled at how his simple, small sketches become these looming, exquisite sculptures.

In theory I knew about welding and casting and how to rust or patina metal, but I never thought of it as a medium that I could work in. That is, until one day I picked up some copper wire we had laying around and I got our utility hammer and just started whacking at it and shaping it. Then, as it flattened and crumpled and dimpled, my wheels started turning.

Before I even took my first class, I started sketching. And my sketches were very much inspired by the shapes and the simplicity of Kyle’s work. Arches and negative space. Orbs and extensions. Rusty, patinaed, earthy textures. Tension and suspension. Of course, as a still developing artist, some of these sketches remain on paper, but some I have been able to bring to life.

Essentially, in Kyle’s artist statement he talks of how God’s creation inspires him, and I think it is those same elements of nature and earth that inspire me as well. I interpret it a bit differently, but I guess both of us are ultimately inspired by our Creator and his handiwork. And I am thankful for the opportunity to express that every day!

Handmade Gifts Bless the Giver, Too!

This past Christmas was perhaps the most special of any that I have ever known. We decided that my husband, children and I would make each other gifts instead of buying them. It turned out to be a wonderful lesson for all of us on giving from the heart.

My kids, ages 10, 8 and 4, of course were visited by Santa Claus and got tons of “store bought” presents from aunts, uncles and grandparents. And typically we unleash them in Target to buy yet another toy or trinket for their siblings and for myself and my husband, Kyle. But this year, we thought it would be a great idea to help cultivate their own talents to create something for each other, and really think about the person and the meaning of the gift. We are Christians and thought this would also be a way to talk about the original gift that was given to us in the birth of Christ.

It all seemed like such a good idea, that day in early November. But then reality began to sink in–three kids with four gifts each to make. That meant 12 gifts for Kyle and I to assist with in addition to the plethora of gifts that he was making for teachers (pottery) and the gifts I was making for female family members (jewelry). It became a bit daunting, but it was still fun.

Ian, Age 4

We began by asking each of the kids what they wanted to make for each other. Ian, my four-year-old, actually turned out to be the easiest one to work with. He knew exactly what he wanted to make and he had such awesome ideas. Of course Kyle & I pretty much “crafted” his presents but he contributed greatly to them.

For his sister, Julia, he said he wanted to make a “pillow with a sheep on it.” I had him pick out some fabric and I used some roving to “felt” a sheep and we even found some ribbon with sheep on it. Then I took a photo of Julia and Ian together and printed it out on iron on material and made a pocket on the back. This was her “dream pillow” and the pocket was for her to write down her wishes and dreams. I sewed the pillow but Ian helped me with that by pushing the pedals and he helped me tie the ribbons, etc.

For my oldest son, Declan, Ian wanted to make a sword so Kyle took over on that count and made a sword to Ian’s specifications. He crafted it from wood and then made a traditional leather wrapped hilt.

Ian told me he wanted to make a video game for his father but we decided to make a “movie” instead and Ian sang, told stories and told things he loved about his father, all while dressed in his Thomas the Tank costume!

For me, Ian made a beautiful ceramic ring (Kyle helped with this). It was a bit big so I added some beads and wire and I just love it!

Julia, Age 8

Julia makes me something every day. She draws pictures for me, makes cards for me or will take tiny scraps of yarn and make bracelets for me. She is a natural born handmade gift giver!

She decided to paint something for Kyle and for Declan so I bought her 2 canvases and she painted away.

Julia's Painting for Kyle

Then for Ian she wanted to make a train so Kyle took her into the studio and she worked on the lathe and with other tools – then she painted it. It was really nice – the wheels move and everything. For me, she made a little purse out of a basket and made me some ornaments – one I especially love with our photos in it.

Kyle bought a glass ornament and helped her print out photos, etc.

Declan, age 10

Declan is so loving and he wants to do wonderful things for people but he had a bit of trouble thinking of what to do. But I knew he loved to watch me torch and hammer things in the studio, so for Julia, I suggested he make a hammered pendant.We originally decided to make a pendant with a bee stamp and the word “happy” but my bee stamp was a bit hard for him to manage so we just went with a flower and the word “happy” on a copper disk.

For Ian, he wanted to make a little wooden sword so Kyle helped Declan make one, paint it and wrap the hilt.

Declan knew he wanted to build something for Kyle but wasn’t sure what to do. I found a kit in Lowes for a pencil cup/photo frame and he built and painted that.

For me, he made a beatiful pendant that Kyle helped him refine, paint and fire. It is so amazing!

Kyle & Heidi

This year I made Kyle a belt buckle. This is the first bucklet I have made (and maybe the last – ugh!). The trickiest part is the findings!  I tried making the top part out of nickel silver and copper but it was so heavy so I used aluminum and copper and just used cold connections.

Kyle made me a yarn bowl to trap my yarn in while I knit – but it didn’t survive the kiln so he is remaking it – I’ll post a photo of it as soon as he remakes it (which should be by 2012).

It was a wonderful experience making these gifts. Our children thought about others in a way I don’t think they had before and the true meaning of giving of themselves became apparent. Those were the most special gifts I have ever received – except for the gift of salvation.

Cleaning Intentionally Patinaed Copper

Hammered and patinaed copper earrings

Several of the copper pieces of jewelry that I make have been hammered, then covered with Liver of Sulfur to blacken it, and then is sanded gently so that the recesses remain black, but the surface is a bit shinier and more vibrant. This technique makes beautiful jewelry but presents a bit of a conundrum to some of my customers when they go to clean their pieces.

There is plenty of information out there on how to clean copper and many techniques involve using a salt and acid based cleaner. This is fine for regular copper, but for copper that has LOS or an intentional patina applied to it, this will take all of the character out of your piece. What I advise is to clean it with soap and water, dry it  and then gently brush it with 0000 steel wool. This will get rid of the surface patina and any dirt or oils but will leave the recessed patina in tact.  Be sure to rub the steel wool in the same direction because it may leave a bit of a scratch pattern. You may need to wash it again gently or rub it with a silver cloth.

Please share other techniques for cleaning patinaed copper in the comments! We’d love to get some additional ideas.

Men’s Rings

I have created jewelry for almost everyone in my family–everyone except for my husband. He’s a sculptor and so I guess I was a bit intimidated to create something for someone who I think is so talented himself. But I got over that and a few months ago I set out to create a new wedding band for him to celebrate 15 years of marriage.

In thinking about the design of the ring, I wanted to incorporate things that were meaningful to us, but I wanted to do it in an abstract, and not too obvious manner. He’s not the kind of man who wears serious bling, so I knew it had to be simple.

We met seventeen years ago and our courtship basically took place in the North Carolina mountains. We hiked and even rock climbed and he proposed to me at a waterfall. So I wanted to somehow convey those mountains in the ring.

I used 16 gauge sterling silver sheet and sized it for his ring size in width. The height of the ring is about a half inch. While it was still flat, I fashioned some wire in the shape of mountains and rolled it (with some assistance from Ruthie Cohen & her husband David at Mountain Metalsmiths School of Lapidary & Design) on a roller press. Then the ring was formed and soldered and I used a dremel bit to go over the mountains and also to carve the “fields” below.

The result was an abstract ring that was exactly what I wanted it to be. I engraved the inside and gave it to him on our anniversary. He genuinely loved the ring!

This made me want to delve a bit more into handmade rings for men, since I always have such a hard time making something for my dad and brothers. So look for some more “man rings” soon!

Fused Glass Pendant Tutorial

For Christmas last year, my husband bought me a microwave kiln. I was so excited. Unfortunately, the first few pendants I made were blobby and really, really ugly. So I started experimenting with cook times, methods of cutting, widths of glass, and found that though these microwave kilns are small, there are some great projects that you create with them.

There are several microwave kilns out there. I have the Fuseworks kit that included the kiln, gloves, glass, millefiori, glass cutter, kiln paper and several findings. The kit has so much with it that I have only had to reorder glass once since I got it and I’ve made dozens of pendants and earring sets with it. They also offer decal/stickers and several pre-cut shapes and being the lazy crafter that I am, I love that.

Below is a tutorial that gives information on making some cute summer pendants–one flower pendant and a patriotic, abstract 4th of July pendant.

For this tutorial I’ve listed a few links and a supply list below:

Fuseworks Microwave Kiln Kit
(click on photo for more info)

(comes with glass cutter, confetti, millefiori, glass pieces, kiln shelf paper, gloves and more)

Fuseworks Round Clear Glass Disks
(click on photo for more info)


20 Gauge Sterling Silver Round Wire
(you need 3-4 inches but buying by the foot is more cost-effective)

Glass/metal glue (I’m listing a couple of options here…)

E6000 Adhesive – 3.7 Oz

Diamond Glaze – 10 Oz(dries clear)

Round Nose Pliers

Bent nose pliers

Wire cutters

Work Gloves

Safety Glasses

Fire Brick (optional)

Polymer Clay Inspirations

I’m an instant gratification kind of gal and after trying so many different media and exploring clay in so many ways, I was delighted to discover polymer clay. A few years ago I began working with it, but it wasn’t until I began taking classes and tutorials and became inspired by other polymer clay artists, that I dove in with both feet.

My initial problem was bright colors. I love bright colors but somehow, because my jewelry is more natural or organic, I didn’t think that I could work with polymer clay and stay true to my inspirations. I found a tutorial by Cindy Lietz, on Faux Carved Beads that really helped me to see that it could really take on an organic look. The tutorial shows excellent carving techniques and also how to use paint to highlight the recesses and age the piece. I also discovered the more muted, suede-like Studio by Sculpey polymer clay that incorporated well into my designs.

I put this together with some of my copper, wire wrapping and also began forging my own clasps, a technique also inspired by one of Cindy’s tutorials on Hammered Copper Wire findings–which was honestly the beginning of my love of metal (I have now taken several metalsmithing classes and love it). That really gives my necklaces and neck collars that finishing touch and makes my pieces truly entirely handmade.

Below are some photos of some of my polymer clay neck collars and necklaces:

Mountain Fossil Necklace

Polymer clay, stamped, carved & antiqued, forged copper necklace & clasp

Mountain Mud Necklace

Studio by Sculpey polymer clay, stamped, carved and antiqued, copper findings, steel wire, copper forged clasp

Blue Mud Necklace

Studio by Sculpey, antiqued, copper wire and leather necklace with hammered copper findings.

These necklaces were some of my larger pieces that were perhaps less functional and more “artsy.” I’m working on adapting these into some smaller versions and also offer earrings as well.

100 FREE Jewelry Tutorials

Want to expand your jewelry making prowess? Check out these 100 Free Jewelry Technique and Project Tutorials created by various artists and designers throughout the web. We have divided these into categories: Beading, Chains, Glass, Holiday, Tips & Projects, Kid’s Jewelry, Macrame & Hemp, Metalsmithing & Stone Setting, PMC & Polymer Clay, Resin, String/Thread Art and Wirewrapping/Wire Jewelry.

1. BEADING

1. Barefoot Summer Sandal Tutorial
   The Beading Emporium – Judy Markwell
2. Beginning Looming
   Fire Mountain Gems – Marlynn McNutt
3. Cluster Drop Earrings
   Auntie’s Beads – Karla Kam
4. Cubed herringbone beaded bracelet
   Auntie’s Beads
5. Daisy Chain Stitch
   Fire Mountain Gems – Marlynn McNutt
6. Knotted Silk Cord Necklace
   ringsnthings.com designed by Angela Womach
7. Knots Tutorial
   Fire Mountain Gems
8. Leather Crimp end Necklace
   Auntiesbeads.com – Karla Kam
9. Loopy Chain Bracelet
   Auntiesbeads.com – Karla Kam
10. Memory Wire Bracelet
    Fire Mountain Gems
11. Paua Shell Bracelet
    Fire Mountain Gems
12. Peyote Stitch
    Aunt Molly’s Bead Street
13. Traditional bead knotting
    jewelrymaking.about.com – Tammy Powley
14. Vintage silver beaded necklace
    Rio Grande – Mark Nelson
15. Wool Felt Beads
    woolcrafting.com
    • CHAINS
16. Byzantine Chain
    Beaducation.com – Colin Mahler
17. Chain Mail – Introduction
    Beaducation.com – Colin Mahler
18. Figure 8 Chain
    www.jewelrylessons.com – Abby Hook
19. Old Fashioned Chain
    www.jewelrylessons.com
20. Spanish Style Chain
    jewelrymaking.about.com
    • GLASS JEWELRY
21. Fusing Glass – Beginner
    jewelrymaking.about.com
22. Glass Pendant
    www.simplymodernmom.com (crafts)
23. Glass Tile Pendant & Ring
    John W Golden
    • HOLIDAY JEWELRY TUTORIALS
24. Beaded Christmas Earrings
    The Beading Emporium – Tracy Bretl
25. Beaded Spider Earrings
    jewelrymaking.about.com – Tammy Powley
26. Mother’s Day Bracelet
    www.how-to-make-jewelry.com
27. Paper Bead Christmas Tree Earrings
    infarrantlycreative.blogspot.com
    • JEWELRY TIPS & PROJECTS
28. Color Basics
    Fire Mountain Gems – Judy Hendrix
29. Kidney Hook Earwires
    www.jewelrylessons.com
30. Knotted Headpins
    www.jewelrylessons.com
31. Make Earring hoops from wire
    youtube.com – stonesfindings
32. Make Your Own Earwires
    Beaducation.com – Lisa Niven Kelly
33. Making loops on headpins and eyepins
    The Beadery
34. Tips for filing metal
    jewelrymaking.about.com – Tammy Powley
    • KIDS JEWELRY PROJECT TUTORIALS
35. Beaded Bracelet
    www.cloudclaytv.com
36. Funky Rubber Necklace
    Auntie’s Beads – Karla Kam
37. Water Bracelet
    family.go.com
    • MACRAME & HEMP JEWELRY
38. Beaded Hemp Anklet
    eclecticdesigns
39. Macrame Jewelry for Beginners
    www.how-to-make-jewelry.com
40. Spiral Knot Hemp Bracelet
    www.expertvillage.com
    • METALSMITHING & STONE SETTING TUTORIALS
41. Bezel Fabrication – Part 1 – Measuring bezel
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
42. Bezel Fabrication – Part 2 – Soldering bezel
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
43. Bezel Fabrication – Part 3 – Shape bezel to stone
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
44. Bezel Fabrication – Part 4 – Adjusting size of bezel
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
45. Bezel Fabrication – Part 5 – Soldering bezel to backplate
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
46. Creating a ball on wire ends
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Jill Erickson
47. Cutting metal discs with disc cutter
    Roma Buchanan – The Roma Zone
48. Dapping metal
    Rio Grande – Mark Nelson
49. Fused Seamless Silver Heart
    www.jewelrylessons.com
50. Intro to Metalsmithing
    jewelrymaking.about.com
51. Lost wax casting
    jewelrymaking.about.com – Tammy Powley
52. Making Silver Granules
    Ronda Coryell – Ganoskin Project
53. Riveting/Cold Connections Tutorial
    www.hathorrising.com
54. Riveting Jewelry
    www.eHowArtsandCrafts.com
55. Russian Filigree Pendant
    Victoria Lansford – Ganoskin Project
56. Sawing & Piercing metal sheet
    Rio Grande – Mark Nelson
57. Soldering Jumprings
    Rio Grande – Mark Nelson
58. Squiggle Ring
    Rio Grande – Mark Nelson
59. Stamping on Metal
    Beaducation.com – Lisa Niven Kelly
60. Setting a stone into a bezel – Part 1 – Adjusting height of bezel for stone
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
61. Setting a stone into a bezel – Part 2 – Use bezel pusher to set stone
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
62. Setting a stone into a bezel – Part 3 – Using burnisher
    Art Jewelry Magazine – Addie Kid
63. Wire bezel fabrication for pear shaped stone
    Luis Moreno – Ganoskin Project
    • PRECIOUS METAL CLAY (PMC) and POLYMER CLAY
64. Art Clay Pendant
    Fire Mountain Gems
65. Basic  Jelly Roll Cane
    Polymer Clay Central – Sunni Bergeron
66. Conditioning Polymer Clay
    Cindy Lietz – Beadsandbeading.com
67. Creating a photo transfer on polymer clay
    www.sculpey.com
68. Faux Opals
    Polymer Clay Central – Barbara Reider
69. Faux Rose Quartz
    Polymer Clay Central – C.A. Therien
70. Faux Snake Skin
    Desiree’s Desired Creations
71. Hook & Eye Clasp – from Silver Metal Clay
    Gelt Designs
72. Intro to PMC  -Part 1
    Cool Tools Videos
73. Intro to PMC – Part 2
    Cool Tools Videos
74. Layered Lentil Bead
    www.carolynsclaycreations.com
75. Mica Shift Technique
    www.sculpey.com
76. Mokume Gane Pendant – Polymer clay
    Sculpey.com – Patricia Kimle
77. Mold making for PMC
    Cool Tools Videos
78. Mosaic Cane
    Elissa Powell – Polyzine
79. Raku (faux) Techniques
    Linda Twohill – Polyzine
80. Skinner Blend
    Polymer Clay Central – Leigh Ross
81. Wet sanding polymer clay
    Cindy Lietz – beadandbeading.com
    • RESIN JEWELRY
82. Drilling into resin
    Resinobsession.com
83. Resin Jewelry – Part 1
    John W. Golden
84. Resin Jewelry – Part 2
    John W. Golden
85. Resin Jewelry – Part 3
    John W. Golden
86. Sanding Resin
    Resinobsession.com
    • STRING/THREAD ART JEWELRY
87. String Art Pendant Tutorials (also called Peruvian Thread)
    Camille Sharon
    • WIRE JEWELRY/WIRE WRAPPING
88. Beaded Wire Cross
    www.jewelrylessons.com
89. Crocheted Wire Necklace
    Auntie’s Beads – Karla Kam
90. Fancy Headpins
    www.jewelrylessons.com
91. Herringbone weave (wire)
    Eni Oken – Enioken.com
92. How to Wire Wrap a Cabochon
    jewelrymaking.about.com – Tammy Powley
93. Knit with Wire
    jewelrymaking.about.com
94. Rabbit Ear Pendant Bail
    www.jewelrylessons.com
95. Tree of Life Pendant
    Camille Sharon
96. Two Bead Ring
    www.jewelrylessons.com
97. Wire spiral
    Beaducation.com – Lisa Niven Kelly
98. Wire Wrap a Cabochon – for beginners
    Tumbleweed Glass Studio
99. Wire Wrapped Briolette
    www.jewelrylessons.com

Creative Packaging for Handmade Jewelry

After spending hours and sometimes days creating a piece of jewelry, there is just no way I’m putting it in a plain white box. I want it to be experienced from it’s wrappings to its essence.

However, I don’t want to pass along the cost of fancy wrappings to my clients, so I started searching for a creative alternative. I wanted something that was customizable, yet inexpensive. Something easy to assemble, and practical to store.

Box template - 2 15/16" base

One day I was looking through a pile of old scrapbooking stuff  and found this really nifty template for a “dome” box. I am not sure where it came from–it was too small and a bit awkward for what I needed, so I scanned it into Photoshop and fiddled with the dimensions until it was just right for my purposes. The final product creates a “dome” box that has a square base that is 2 15/16.”

I played around with it & discovered I could get 2 boxes from one piece of 12×12 scrapbooking paper. Eureka! This was the personal touch I had been searching for. These were easily cut from the template (4-5 pieces at a time with my mega shears) and can be stored flat and assembled in a jiffy (for shows, etc).

I was so excited–I ran right out to my local scrapbooking store (Sandy’s Scrapbook Corner – if you are ever in Brevard, NC) and bought a ton of paper from their clearance racks. I cut about 50 boxes the other day and they ended up being about .30 a piece or so.

Customized boxes

The awesome thing about these boxes is that you can customize it to your jewelry. If it’s a funky pair of earrings, then you can use funky paper. If it’s a Christmas gift, then use Christmas paper, etc. And if you are at a show, you can even tell your clients they can pick the box they’d like. Custom Wrapping!!!! In seconds.

Now, this is not a sturdy box–not one that will protect the jewelry, it’s more like wrapping paper, but it does have a bit more girth and dimension than plain wrapping paper. I place the jewelry in a tarnish-resistant bag, then wrap it in tissue, and that along with my tag goes into the box. It will also fit a bit of bubble wrap if needed.

I’ve thought about exploring creative ways to seal the boxes – with custom labels or a custom wax seal or something. For now I just leave them as-is.

Also, you can enlarge the template if you need it for a larger box–you might want to use heavier paper (like card stock) if you are doing that.

Box closed

Box cut from template, opened

Enjoy & please share your ideas as well!

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Jewelry for the Senses

I am currently exploring the use of more than just the sense of sight to create my jewelry. I love the aged look of patinaed silver and copper, and the feel of smooth, yet topographical hammered surfaces. I like the sound of my substantial ring hitting the table, or the delicate clinks of my cha-cha bracelet. I also love the way a balanced pair of dangly earrings sway during conversation and the feel of the ripples and bumps in my mother-of-pearl coin ring.

When I first began to design jewelry, I thought it was all about visual appeal. It wasn’t until I made my first pair of heavy, stiff, metal earrings that I realized it’s not just about how gorgeous the piece is, but its also about comfort and appealing to the sense of touch. My favorite ring isn’t fancy, but is so comfortable and has interesting twists and turns around fused wire. I love the look of the ring, but I also love to twirl it around my finger and trace the grooves.

Smell isn’t a sensual factor in my jewelry–I’d love to find out how to create that experience but for now, not part of my prowess! In fact, most of the processes I implement to create the jewelry involves a lot of mask wearing and nose holding, so I think I’m doing well for them to be void of smell!