Make Earrings from Grommets

Before: Washers from Grommet

Yesterday, we made a bracelet from brass grommets. The bracelet was so much fun to wear that we decided to make earrings using some of the still remaining grommet parts.

We used the large brass ring as the focal point to create dramatic earrings that swing as you wear them. We used the same style ear wire finding that we used in our earrings made from steel wire because we wanted the shape of the ear wire to echo the shape of the grommet. Same finding. Really different look.


Materials
Brass grommets
20-gauge round brass wire

After: Earrings by GeltDesigns

Tools 
Nylon jaw plier
Wire rounder
Round nose pliers or wire looping pliers
Flush cutter or a side cutter 
Three step wire looping pliers or mandrel
Steel bench block
Rawhide or plastic mallet

Step 1
Check the two grommets to be sure there are no sharp edges. Use 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper to sand away any sharp edges, if needed.

Step 2
Make the chain. We used 20-gauge brass wire and then made "S" links using the tip of our pliers because we wanted to create a very fine chain. In the last link of the chain, we made one very small loop and one very large loop so we could attach the chain to the grommet.

Step 3

Make the ear wires. Use nylon jaw pliers to smooth out and harden the wire. Make a small loop at the end of the 20-gauge wire. Wrap the round wire around a mandrel. For these earrings we used an orange block we "borrowed" from the toy box. Cut the wire with flush cutters after you wrapped the wire completely around the block one time. Bend the blunt cut end of the wire so it is parallel to the loop.

Use a wire rounder or a flex shaft ( or pin vise) and cup burs to file the end of the ear wire smooth. Place the ear wire on a steel bench block and hammer the ear wire to harden the metal and prevent the finding from changing shape when used and worn.

We used 20-gauge round brass wire and a mandrel to create the ear wire in the same style we used and demonstrated how to make in earrings made from steel wire. The middle portion of wire looping pliers are also a good size to create ear wires. Copper or sterling 20-gauge wire can be used to create an interesting color contrast, but today we decided to stick with brass.

Step 4
Assemble the parts.

Step 5
Repeat to create second earring. 

Related Tutorials
Make Your Own "S" Chain
Make a Bracelet from Grommets
Make Earrings from Steel Wire
How to Make Your Own Wire Wrapping Tool Kit
How to Care for Your Wire Wrapping Tools
How to Straighten Wire
How to Smooth Sharp Edges on Wire
How to Measure Wire
How to Use a Wire Gauge
How to Make Your Own Silver Bangle Bracelet
How to Store Beads 
GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics

Further Reading
"Making Designer Jewelry from Hardware, Gems, and Beads": Nicole Noelle Sherman; 2008.
"Hardwear: Jewelry from a Toolbox"; Hannah Rogge; 2006.
"Making Wire Jewelry: 60 Easy Projects in Silver, Copper & Brass"; Helen Clegg, Mary Larom; 1999.

TGIF. Enjoy your weekend. :)
 
Day 27. Week 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Brass grommets
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make a Bracelet from Grommets

Before: Grommets

We had a box of grommets leftover from a project. Actually, there were only half of the grommets left (the washer side of the grommet)....but the parts that were left are brass and really, really pretty. Clearly, they were meant to be jewelry.

After playing with our bead board for a while arranging the washer side of the grommets into different patterns using different shaped and sized links that we made from brass wire, we decided we would make a very simple, but elegant bracelet using our 18-gauge round brass wire.

After: Bracelet by GeltDesigns

Materials
Brass grommets
18-gauge round brass wire

Tools 
Bead board
220-grit wet/dry sandpaper
Nylon jaw plier
Wire rounder
Round nose pliers
Flush cutter or a side cutter 
Steel bench block
Rawhide or plastic mallet 



Step 1
Check the grommets to be sure there are no sharp edges. Use 220-grit wet/dry sandpaper to sand away sharp edges, if needed. Wash the grommets to remove dirt, grease and grim.

Step 2

Make the links. We made links with three circles. Begin by running nylon jaw pliers along the brass wire to harden the wire and help the wire retain its shape once formed as a link. Wrap the wire around the base of your round nose pliers to make the first circle. Wrap the wire one and a half times around the base of the pliers to make a second circle. Wrap the the wire around the base a third time to make the third circle for the link. Cut the wire from the spool. Use your wire rounder to smooth the ends of the wire.



Step 3
Test the links to be sure the link will fit over the grommet and there is enough slack so the bracelet will move nicely. Repeat to create four more links (or the number needed to make the size bracelet you want).

Step 4
Make the clasp. We made the clasp so it is the same shape as the link. We used the same technique as outlines in step 2, except we left the last circle slightly open and shaped it into a hook. Test the hook to be sure it also fits over the grommet.

Grommet Bracelet by GeltDesigns

Step 5
Assemble the links, the grommets and the clasp.

Related Tutorials
How to Make Your Own Wire Wrapping Tool Kit
How to Care for Your Wire Wrapping Tools
How to Straighten Wire
How to Smooth Sharp Edges on Wire
How to Measure Wire
How to Use a Wire Gauge
How to Make Your Own Silver Bangle Bracelet
How to Store Beads 
GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics 

Further Reading
"Making Designer Jewelry from Hardware, Gems, and Beads": Nicole Noelle Sherman; 2008.
"Hardwear: Jewelry from a Toolbox"; Hannah Rogge; 2006. 
"Making Wire Jewelry: 60 Easy Projects in Silver, Copper & Brass"; Helen Clegg, Mary Larom; 1999.

Day 26. Week 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Brass grommets
New Jewelry a Day.  

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.