How To … Make jewelry
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Here’s the beauty of creating your own jewelry: You are in control of capturing that style every time; be it with the materials you use, the method, the design or how you wear it.
It is something anyone can do and it’s the perfect outlet for exercising your creative side in a small, manageable way. You don’t need a lot of space to make jewelry and it doesn’t have to require a lot of tools or supplies.
And, as with any creative venture, ANYTHING goes.
Found objects are especially fun to work with. Those odds and ends that fill our junk drawers, the broken bits of this and that, the little things we find too interesting to just toss in the trash bin. Those hidden gems can be worn in an instant, in a few easy-toassemble ways. It all starts with a blank. A belt buckle blank, a bracelet blank, a ring blank, a belt blank or a blank necklace chain. Jewelry blanks give you an easy starting point to build off of and they’re a fun way to put those junk drawer gems to fashionable use.
Belt buckle blanks — are the perfect background for some of your larger, flat items. A great method of connection is with the double cap rivets. It just involves drilling a few holes and setting your rivets. It’s a fun way to wear things like those miniature license plates from the 1950s cereal boxes, front and center.
Ring blanks — A new collection of rings can be yours in just a few minutes by simply taking a ring blank and gluing your treasure to the top. Use the appropriate adhesive for the materials you’re connecting.
Leather bracelet blanks — Bottle caps and metal tags look fabulous against these blanks. Best way to secure is with double cap rivets or screw posts.
Blank chain — All you need is an assortment of jump rings and you can hang your treasures from the chain. They work like a charm!
— DIY Network
