Make a Necklace from Figurines

Before: Toys in the toy box

The toy box is a great source of material for jewelry making. Toys tend to be bright, colorful and attractive. Toy manufacturers' conduct extensive research and work hard to create a pleasing color palette and extraordinary detail for toys so kids and the adults around them will want to buy the toys.

Many toys are easily made into charms, beads or other jewelry components. Moreover, child safety laws for toys dictate that most toys are safe to wear against the body as jewelry.

After: Necklace by GeltDesigns.com

For this project we collected some animal figurines of similar size. When I first saw these figurines I thought I would paint them with electro-conductive paint and electroform the figurines so they had a copper coating. My daughter thought better. After discussing the design, we decided it would be a shame to cover up all the great color of the figurines. Thus, we converted the figurines into beads to use "as is" without first electroforming.


Materials
Toy figurines
16-gauge round brass wire

Gather your tools

Tools
Drill (flex shaft, Dremel or drill press)
#55 (1.3mm) drill bit
Bead board
Side cutters 
Wire looping pliers 
Flex shaft or Dremel and cup burr 
(or wire rounder ) 

Select & arrange the toys

Step 1
Select the toy figurines you want to use and arrange the toys in the order you plan to string them using a bead board.


Step 2
Turn the toys into beads. Wash the toys and drill a hole through each toy.

Slide wire through bead.

Step 3
Create beaded links. Slide the wire through the first toy.

Make a loop.

File the end of the wire until smooth. Make a loop at the end of the wire.

Make second loop.

Make a second loop on the other side of the figurine. Cut the wire and file smooth using a needle file, cup burr or wire rounder.


Step 4
Repeat to create the additional beaded links.

Step 5
Create "S" links to insert between beaded links.

Assemble the links.

Step 6
Assemble the links.

Add clasp

Step 7
Select or make the clasp. Attach the clasp to the chain.


Related Tutorials
How to Use Electroplating Equipment
Make Your Own Hook & Eye Clasp
Make Your Own "S" Link

How to Select a Cup Burr
How to Measure Wire
Drill Bit Size Chart

Further Reading 
"Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry by Sharilyn Miller"; Sharilyn Miller; 2009.
"Wire-Jewelry Workshop: Techniques For Working With Wire & Beads"; Susan Ray; 2008.
"Bead & Wire Art Jewelry: Techniques & Designs for all Skill Levels"; J. Marsha Michler; 2006.
"Making Designer Bead and Wire Jewelry: Techniques for Unique Designs and Handmade Findings"; Tammy Powley; 2005.
"Making Bead & Wire Jewelry: Simple Techniques, Stunning Designs";  Dawn Cusick; 2002.

Day 59.  Month 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: toys
New Jewelry a Day.

Make a Leather & Button Bracelet

Before: Button Box

I do not know where these buttons came from; they were in my button box. You may have a button box. My button box is the place I threw the extra buttons that used to come with most clothes. Its also the place I store "reclaimed" buttons from clothes that no longer fit, are terrible out of fashion or are otherwise relegated to the giveaway pile.

Great buttons often find themselves starring in my

After: Bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

favorite clothes for years. Buttons can update or transform clothes and create a new look with little work.... but buttons can also make fun jewelry. Today's project was made with only two brightly colored buttons and the imitation leather from the spool we've used in a few projects.

Materials
Two buttons
Leather, imitation leather or other stringing material
16-gauge brass wire or the clasp of your choice
Barges glue

Step 1
Select the buttons you want to use and feed the stringing material through the buttons. Tighten the stringing material so the buttons sit the way you like-- in our case we wanted the buttons so sit one on top of the other.

Knot the Leather

Step 2
Measure about 1-inch and create a square knot on either side of the buttons. Repeat to create a chain of knots.

Step 3
Create the "S" clasp from 16-gauge round brass wire or select a commercially made clasp. Attach the clasp by doubling over the stringing material. Feed the clasp onto the loop and then tie a knot to secure the clasp. You can add a drop of Barges glue to the knot for added security.

Brass "S" Clasp & Leather Chain

Step 4
Create the eye for the clasp by doubling over the stringing material and then making a knot at the bottom of the loop. Again, add a drop of Barges glue to the knot for added security.

Step 5
Trim the excess stringing material.


Related Tutorials
How to Make a Simple "S" Clasp (with or without Beads)
Make Your Own "S" Clasp 
Make Your Own Beaded "S" Clasp

Related Projects
Make a Glass & Knotted Leather Necklace
Make a Ring from Gimp
Make a Button Bracelet
Make Button Earrings

Further Reading
"Leather Jewelry: 30 Contemporary Projects (Lark Jewelry Books)"; Nathalie Mornu; 2010.
Knots & Knotting
"Mod Knots: Creating Jewelry and Accessories with Macrame"; Cathi Milligan; 2009.
"Decorative Knot Craft: Over 20 Innovative Knotting And Macrame Accessories"; Kim Sang Lang; 2008.
"Elegant Knotted Jewelry: Techniques and Projects Using Maedeup"; Becky Meverden; 2009.
Buttons
"Beautiful Button Jewelry: 60 Easy Heirloom Treasures"; Susan Davis; 2010.
"Button Jewelry & Accessories: 20 Unique Projects"; Tair Parnes; 2006.
"Beautiful Button Jewelry"; Susan Davis; 2006.
"Button Jewelry: Over 25 Original Designs for Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets and More";  Sara Withers; 2006.
 

After: Back Side of Button Bracelet

Day 42. Month 3.  Jewelry from Found Objects.
Found materials: Buttons
New Jewelry a Day.

Happy New Year!



How to Make Other Clasps

• Hook & Eye Clasps
  
• Make Your Own Hook & Eye Clasp
• Make Your Own Clover Shaped Hook & Eye Clasp 
  Toggle Clasps
  
• Make Your Own Hand Shaped Toggle Clasp
• Make Your Own Heart Shaped Toggle Clasp
• Make Your Own Clover Shaped Toggle Clasp
  Metal Clay Clasps
  
• How to Make a Metal Clay Toggle Clasp
• How to Make a Metal Clay Hook & Eye Clasp   

Make a Glass & Brass Link Bracelet

Before: Broken Plate

Sometimes ideas are born from failure. One of the things I love about glass is that almost all glass -- even reclaimed glass-- can be reused and made into something new and exciting.

This piece of glass was reclaimed Cathedral glass. We tried to slump it into a bowl and the glass very nicely demonstrated the trouble with using reclaimed glass in the kiln. Reclaimed glass is even more unpredictable than other glass and it is more difficult to control when firing.

After: Bracelet by GeltDesigns

I am not entirely sure why the huge, unsightly bubble formed in the glass when we were slumping it. We may have fired to rapidly for this glass. We may have drilled the holes improperly when we made our slump mold. We may not have checked to be sure the holes in the mold were not clogged with kiln wash before we slumped the glass. Or the glass may have had an imperfection that would have caused the bubble no matter what we did. At any rate, the glass was a failure as a bowl.

We decided to cut up the glass and make it into a bracelet.

Step 1
Wash the glass with glass cleaner to remove kiln wash and other dirt, grease and grim.

Step 2
Cut the glass using a glass cutter into three -1-1/2 inch square glass pieces.

Step 3
File the edges of the glass smooth using a diamond hone, diamond files or a glass grinder.



Step 4
Drill two holes in two of the glass pieces using a drill and diamond coated drill bits. The holes are needed to attach the chain to the glass.

Eye of Glass Clasp by GeltDesigns

Step 5
Use a hole saw to drill a hole in the center of the third glass piece to create the eye of the clasp for your bracelet.

Drill a second smaller hole in the glass piece; the second hole should be the same size as you drilled in step 4. This second hole is used to attach the chain to the glass.

Glass Clasp by GeltDesigns

Step 6
Fire polish the glass in the kiln.

Step 7
Make or purchase the chain and the findings. We made an "S" chain from 16-gauge round brass wire. We also made a "hook" for our hook and eye clasp.

Step 8
Attach the chain and findings to the glass pieces.

Boxed Bracelet by GeltDesigns

Related Wire Tutorials
Make Your Own Hook & Eye Clasp
Make Your Own "S" Chain
How to Make Your Own Wire Wrapping Tool Kit
How to Care for Your Wire Wrapping Tools
How to Use a Wire Rounder or Cup Burr
How to Straighten Wire
 
Related Glass Tutorials
How to Drill Glass
How to Cut Fused Glass with a Tile Saw 
How to Slump Glass
How to Add Oil to a Glass Cutter 
How to Prepare a Slump Mold with Kiln Wash for Fused Glass 
How to Make a Slumping Mold
How to Remove Devitrification from Fused Glass
Repurpose Empty Wine Bottles 
How to Melt Wine Bottles into a Bead
How to Melt Wine Bottles into a Cheese Tray
How to Melt Wine Bottles into Jewelry
How to Melt Wine Bottles for Lampwork 

Other NJAD Projects
Make a Kiln Formed Bracelet
Make a Glass Charm Necklace
Make Recycled Glass & Sterling Silver Earrings
 
Further Reading
"Warm Glass: A Complete Guide to Kiln-Forming Techniques: Fusing, Slumping, Casting";  Philippa Beveridge, Ignasi Domenech, Eva Pacual; 2005.
"Contemporary Warm Glass: A Guide to Fusing, Slumping & Kiln-Forming Techniques": Brad Walker; 2000.
"Fused Glass Handbook"; Gil Reynolds; 1987.
"Fuse It - 18 Fused Glass Projects": Petra Kaiser; 2007.
"Innovative Adornments - Introduction to Fused Glass & Wire Jewelry";  Jayne Persico; 2002.
"Richard La Londe: Fused Glass Art and Technique"; 2006.

New & Noteworthy
"Contemporary Fused Glass";  Brad Walker; 2010.
"Microwave Kiln Techniques: For Fused Glass Jewelry, Stained Glass Projects and Silver Clay"; Geneva Perkins.

Day 25. Week 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Broken glass plate
New Jewelry a Day.