DIY Necklace!

I've liked making jewelry for quite some time, but I have a confession to make: all I really do is buy pendants and put them on chains. Until now, that is.

That's right, I made this. It may be a little rough and derpy-looking, for lack of a better description, but I've got to start somewhere, and this is the first time when, in a metalworking class I'm taking, I've had the materials and knowledge to make something like this.

The eye in the center is fused glass, a process which took a great deal of cutting glass with an annoyingly dull knife and sending little shards everywhere. The pendant itself is from cut sheets of steel and copper. I cheated and used a manufactured chain and gears.

Scrollwork Ring Tutorial

A very simple ring that I designed for a jewelry making class, inspired by the ironwork gates of Victorian manors. This takes only a few minutes and supplies that can easily be found at a craft or hardware store.

1. Cut a length of wire (approx. 12 gauge) about 2 inches long. Exact length, of course, will vary depending on the size of your finger, so you may have to do some trial and error.

2. Use a pair of pliers to bend the ends of the wire into two spirals. To do this, curl the tip of the wire into a small hook, steady it with the pliers, and curl the wire around it. The two spirals should be pointed in opposite directions.

3. Curl the ring around a ring mandrel or other ring-sized cylindrical object that you find lying around the house. Gently pounding it into place with a wooden mallet will help it form a more geometric ring shape.