I wanted to try my hand at making a bezel style inspired by Kim St. Jean in Mixed Metal Mania, but with a considerably different set of materials, tools, and techniques. Trust me, mine turned out much much less impressive than hers. Kim uses real metal sheets, and since I had none, I used...an aluminum can! Kim would probably prefer that I didn't even link her name to this particular piece, but I had a lot of fun making it nonetheless! Now that I've got the basic idea, I think I could probably make one that looks an awful lot better ;-)
Materials and Tools
Aluminum can
Stone
Future floor polish
Paper
Copper metal blank, rectangular
Eyelets
Black acrylic paint
26 gauge craft wire
Jump rings
Old scissors
Black marker
Metal hole punch (ImpressArt)
Eyelet setter
Metal stamps (ImpressArt)
Brass brush
Wire cutters
Chain nose pliers
1. Use an old pair of scissors to cut apart your can.
2. Apply Future floor polish to the stone you plan to use if you want a wet look.
3. Trace around the stone on a piece of paper to plan the metal tabs of your bezel.
4. Add the tabs to the drawing as they will be when bent into place to plan placement of the holes for wire lacing that will be added later.
5. Cut out the shape from the can. Punch a hole in the bottom of the bezel and draw a dot through it to place the matching hole in the metal blank.
6. Punch the small holes around the tabs for the wire lacing. Punch a second hole at the other end of the bezel. Add an eyelet through the first bezel hole and the matching hole in the blank (do not set it yet).
7. Draw a dot through the second bezel hole to place a mathcing hole in the metal blank. Remove the bezel and eyelet and punch the second hole through the blank. Place eyelets through the blank and the bezel and set them.
8. Stamp the bottom of the blank with your metal stamps. Brush all over with a brass brush. Add black acrylic paint if desired to bring out the stamping. Wipe off the excess.
9. Twist a length of craft wire through one of the eyelets on the far left of the bezel. Add the rock and fold the tabs over. Begin to lace the wire through the holes in the tabs, weaving back and forth.
10. Tighten up the weaving and burnish the tabs close to the rock. Wrap the loose end of the wire around the base of the stone, forcing it between the bezel and the blank. Clip wire off and force end under the bezel.
11. Punch holes in the top corners (it might have been easier to do it before attaching the bezel!). Add jump rings. Your pendant is now ready to add chain, fibers, beaded strands, or whatever combo you desire.
Copyright 2012 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.
Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading
Comments