Make A Dreidel Bracelet

Before: Dreidel

It's Chanukah and there are many dreidels floating around the house. Gather a few extras and create a fun bracelet to celebrate the holiday.

Happy Chanukah!

Materials
Dreidels
16-gauge copper wire

Tools
Size 52 drill bit
Flex shaft, Dremel or drill press
14-gauge cup burr or wire rounder
Needle files

Order the dreidels

Step 1
Select the dreidels and arrange them in the order you like. We used seven dreidels but the number you need will depend on the size of the dreidels. The size links you make and the length you need for your bracelet.

Wash the dreidels with soap and water. Some of our dreidels had smudges of chocolate on them since some of the game players ate their loot.

Mark the dreiel

Step 2

Drill the dreidel

Mark the dreidel with a center punch and then drill a hole in the dreidel to create a bead.

Step 3

Feed the wire through the dreidel. Use pliers to create a medium sized loop on either side of the dreidel.

Step 4

Assemble the bracelet. Attach the dreidels link by link until the bracelet is the desired length.

Step 5
Make the hook and eye clasp. Make a few chains of links to create several eyes so the bracelet is  adjustable.

After: Dreidel Bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

Step 6
Attach the hook and eyes of the clasp to the bracelet.

Related Tutorials
Make Chanukah Menorah Earrings from Plastic Bottle Caps
Make a Dreidel Pendant
Make Dreidel Earrings 

Further Reading
"500 Judaica: Innovative Contemporary Ritual Art (500 Series)"; Ray Hemachandra, Daniel Belasco.
"500 Bracelets: An Inspiring Collection of Extraordinary Designs (500 Series)"; Lark; 2005.

Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: dreidels, sivivon
New Jewelry a Day.

Make Chanukah Menorah Earrings from Plastic Bottle Caps

Before: Bottle Cap

Only two more nights of Chanukah, so we decided to continue our Chanukah themed projects. This project begins with plastic bottle caps collected from Seltzer bottles. Bottle caps make great raw materials. You can make bottle caps into beads and you can use bottle caps as bezels. Change the bottle cap and you change the look.

For this project, we embellished the bottle cap with a Menorah to continue our Chanukah theme, but if you do not celebrate Chanukah you can easily create a similar project for your holiday celebration.

After: Upcycled Menorah Earrings by GeltDesigns

Materials
Plastic bottle cap
Glue and paper or craft sticker
20-gauge brass wire

Tools
Size 51 drill bit
Flex Shaft or drill

Wire Wrapping Tools
Nylon jaw plier
Wire rounder
Round nose pliers
Mandrel or three step pliers
Flush cutter or a side cutter

Step 1
Select to identical plastic bottle caps. We picked two blue bottle caps from seltzer bottles, but you can use any bottle cap.  Plastic is light weight and yet creates a sizable earring. Look for a bottle cap that has little or no lettering or decoration that may conflict with your design.

Step 2
Locate menorah stickers or cut out a piece of paper in the shape of two menorahs (one for each earring) and glue the menorah cut-outs to the bottle caps. We decided to create contrasting yellow menorahs, but you can use any color.

Step 3

Straighten the Wire

Drill a hole in each bottle cap with a size 51 drill bit.

Step 4
Feed the 20-gauge brass wire through the drilled hole and make a loop at the end of the wire using round nose pliers. Adjust the loop so it is centered on the top of the wire. Check to be sure the loop is large enough that there is no way it can slip through the drilled hole.

Step 5

Harden the Ear Wire

Make the ear wire. Straighten 20-gauge brass wire using nylon jaw pliers. Sand the end of the wire smooth using a wire rounder. Create a small loop in the end of the wire using round nose pliers. Wrap the wire around a mandrel (we used our favorite block) or three step pliers. Cut the wire from the spool using a flush cutter or a side cutter.  Bend the ear wire so that it will fit into the loop of the ear wire. Sand the end of the wire smooth using a wire rounder. Hit the formed finding with a rawhide or plastic mallet to harden the wire. Adjust the finding so it is easy for the wire to snap into the loop to secure the earring on

Adjust the Finding

the ear.

Step 6
Repeat to create second earring.

Related Tutorials
Make Dreidel Earrings
Make a Dreidel Pendant
Make Your Own Dreidel
Chanukah Craft Projects for Kids 
How to Measure Wire
How to Use a Wire Gauge
How to Make Your Own Hoop Ear Wires (with or without Beads)
How Use a Wire Rounder
How to Straighten WireGeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics  

Further Reading
500 Judaica: Innovative Contemporary Ritual Art (500 Series) 




Day 17. Week 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: bottle caps
New Jewelry a Day.

Happy Chanukah!

Make a Dreidel Pendant

Repurposed Dreidel Pendant by GeltDesigns

Yesterday, we made earrings from dreidels. Today, we made a pendant out of a larger,  green-painted, wood dreidel that we wore on a simple brass neck-ring.

Materials
14-gauge brass wire
Dreidel

Tools
Automatic center punch
Flex shaft and size 46 drill bit
Mandrel or Wrap n' Tap Pliers
Chain nose  pliers
Wire rounder or needle file
Wire side cutters or flush cutters
Small ball pein hammer, plastic or rawhide mallet

Step 1
Select the dreidel you plan to use. We used a medium sized wood dreidel painted green.

Step 2
Mark the dreidel with an automatic center punch and then drill a hole in the dreidel. We used a flex shaft and size 46 drill bit to drill the hole. The drill bit is larger than the drill bit we used to make the dreidel earrings because the stem of the dreidel is larger and can accommodate a hole large enough to slip 14-gauge brass wire through.

Step 3
Make the finding. Use a mandrel  Wrap n' Tap pliers to make a large ring from the 14-gauge wire. Cut the wire using wire cutters. File the ends of the rings smooth using a wire rounder or a flex shaft with a cup bur. Adjust the ring so the ends are flush. Hit the ring with a rawhide or plastic mallet to harden the metal.

Step 4
Open the ring and slip the dreidel onto the wire of the finding. Close the ring with your chain nose pliers. Turn the ring until the wood on the dreidel covers the closure of the ring you made.

Step 5
Feed the dreidel pendant onto a chain. We used a brass  neck-ring we hand made in our studio, but you can use any chain of your choice.

Related Tutorials
Make Dreidel Earrings
Make Your Own Dreidel
Chanukah Craft Projects for Kids 
How to Make a Hanukkah Menorah
GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics  

Further Reading
500 Judaica: Innovative Contemporary Ritual Art (500 Series)

Day 15. Week 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Wooden Dreidel
New Jewelry a Day.