Thursday, March 24, 2011

Enchanted Bracelet

Who says your jewelry has to be made of silver or gold and cost a fortune? I think this antiqued brass bracelet made with Vintaj findings looks every bit as rich as one made from pricier metals. The secret for achieving this look is picking a few special gemstones (no two are alike) and using the machine-made findings in unique ways to give them a handmade feel. For example, the large Vintaj leaf was turned into the clasp by curling the tip around a large jump ring and the hook was made by spiraling a two leaf brass piece. As is usually the case, the pearls had very small holes, too small to fit a head pin through, so I curled the end of a thin copper wire to form a head and used that for a customized head pin. This handmade head pin adds to the overall artistic vintage feel of the piece. Even if you are a novice jewelry maker, you can make a similar 'enchanted' bracelet with just a few basic tools, Vintaj findings, and a handful of gemstones. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope I have inspired you to give jewelry making a try. I'm sure you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make something you'll be proud to wear.





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