Jewellery Making Supplies Blog

This is a guest project designed by Linda Jones. Linda Jones specialises in wirework and has written a number of books on the subject.

“These beautiful lustre beads look gorgeous when linked into pairs, while the wire units create a pleasing overall shape.”

This beautiful necklace, bracelet and earrings set looks so glamorous and intricate, made up from individual beaded wire units that provide their unique shape. Yet this project only takes a little practise to master and you won’t need much in the way of materials, just wire and a pack of glistening oval beads! Before long, you’ll have a set to treasure.

You will need:

Beads

• Lamp beads, mixed, lustre, oval, 1mm x 9mm

Findings

• Wire, silver, round, 0.8mm x 6ft
• Caribiner,heavy, 11mm, silver
• Ring and bar, 14.5mm, silver
• Earwires, fish hook, silver

Tools

• Pliers: round-nosed, chain-nosed, flatnosed
• Wire cutters

STEP 1

There are 7 beaded units in this necklace, however, if you wish to create a longer piece, just make more! To make each unit, you will need 8 beads and 10” (25.5cms) of 0.8mm silver wire. Once you have cut a 10” (25.5cms) of wire, place your round nosed pliers at the centre of the length and bring the wire around to form a loop. Wrap one wire around the other where they cross over and straighten out the projecting wires in a ‘V’ shape.

STEP 2

Thread each projecting wire with a bead and bring the wires together, crossing them over at the centre. Straighten the wires out on either side.

STEP 3

Thread two more beads onto the projecting wires and once again, bring the wires together, crossing them over at the centre as in step. Repeat with 2 more sets of beads until you have formed a unit with 4 pairs.

STEP 4

To complete the unit, secure one wire around the other and using your round nosed pliers, create a circular link at the end of the projecting wire. Cut off any excess wire and neaten the ends. Use your flat nosed pliers to twist this link so that it sits at right angles to the beaded unit.

Attach the trigger clasp at the end. To connect the beaded units together, open the end link of one unit and attach to the wrapped the loop of another, forming a continuous beaded chain.

You have completed the project. This is the finished Crossed Wires Necklace. You can get everything you need to design it by clicking here. Have fun making your own!

You could also try…

Earrings

STEP 1: Cut 20cm of 0.8mm round silver wire and form a unit with two pairs of beads in the same way as the bracelet. Before finishing, thread one more bead onto one of the projecting wires. Take the other wire and wrap it around the perimeter of the bead, framing the oval shape.

STEP 2: Secure at the top end and if you have any leftover wire, spiral the end and flatten at the reverse of the bead. Create a spiral with the other wire projecting from the bead and flatten this against the front as added detail and decoration. Suspend from an earwire, then repeat to make a pair.

Designer Tip

Try a few practise runs with the beaded units before starting the project, until you’re comfortable with shaping the wire. And why not add a pendant to the centre of the necklace for extra impact.

To see more of Linda Jones’s work visit www.wirejewellery.co.uk . How did you find  this project? Are you going to try it? If you like it, take a look at our other jewellery making projects here!

Keum-Boo is an Ancient Korean technique that refers to applying 24ct gold foil to silver by using heat and pressure. This technique has become widely used on Silver Clay pieces because of the limited amount of preparation needed.

Pure gold and silver have a similar atomic structure therefore once the metal is heated to the temperature of 500-700°F; the movement of the atoms is increased. Once pressure is added, this causes an electron exchange at the surface and creates a permanent diffusion bond.

*Note that Keum-Boo gold foil is different to gold leaf; gold leaf is thinner and will be absorbed by the silver, not fused together. (0.1 micron compared to Keum-Boo, which is 25 times thicker – 2.5 microns)

Tools required

To cut the foil you will need sharp scissors, craft knife, paper punches (which are available in different shapes and sizes) and templates. Tweezers and damp brush are used to move the foil into place. Using an Agate stone burnisher is recommended for metal clay work, Keum-Boo and gold and silver applications.

Process

It is recommend that Keum-Boo is used on pure fine silver, which is why most jewellers will use it on PMC. If used on sterling silver, you will need to apply the depletion process beforehand: this involves a repeated heating and pickling process until a layer of pure metal is left behind.

Before applying Keum-Boo to PMC pieces, fire them in a kiln; this removes traces of oil and patina. When the temperature reaches about 500°F-700°F, use a burnisher to tack the foil in place and then go back and burnish each area. When using Keum-Boo, the foil needs to be in position on the metal before turning on the burner. You can use table top kilns, electric/ gas stoves and a jeweller’s torch; however use thicker foil when firing with a torch.

Tip: Some people find it easier to use a dampened paintbrush to pick up the gold foil and apply it to the metal. You will need to keep a pin ready for poking the gold foil in case an air pocket forms.

It is also recommended that you save your scrap Keum-Boo foil; you can use this later to fill in areas that have torn in the foil or moved. For a matte finish, brush the piece with a stainless steel brush or a soft brash brush dipped in soapy water or a dampened pumice stone. For a high shine, use a barrel polisher in a mixed steel shot solution and soapy water.

Problems and advice

When working with Keum-Boo there are two main problems that might arise.

1. The gold does not bond: this might happen because the burner is not hot enough, the silver was not cleaned properly, or the gold foil didn’t make surface contact with the silver.
2. An item needs to be attached using solder: this is a problem because solder needs to be used on fully burnished pieces whilst Keum-Boo works best on pieces before they have been burnished. To solve this you can try either using a stainless steel burnisher to burnish areas for solder, solder these areas and then apply Keum-Boo; or you can apply a thicker layer of gold foil, then burnish, tumble and solder as normal. The thicker foil layer is necessary as some of the gold is likely to diffuse during the soldering process.

Keum Boo is a technique accessible to all levels of craftspeople, jewellers and metal clay artists. If you’d like to read a book about this technique before getting started why not try “Keum Boo On Silver: Techniques for applying 24k Gold to Silver” by Celie Fago, which will take you through every step of the process, from preparation, to application, to finishing?

This is a guest project designed by Tansy Wilson. Tansy is a professional jeweller and runs her business from beautiful rural Somerset. She also teaches a jewellery evening class at her local college. Tansy has a BA in 3-D Design and has been in the design industry for 20 years.

“In this design I have used Cookson’s coloured glass mix of beads in turquoise to make this fabulous statement necklace. This will be your ultimate must have piece of jewellery for the summer and can be worn with just your swimsuit or dressed up for the evening. I just love the beautiful blues of these glass beads and feel they totally sum up the colours of summer!”

You will need:

STEP 1

Cut six 20cm lengths of turquoise round leather cord. Holding just three of the lengths together, place them inside a 4mm silver end cap and using flat nose pliers, squash the end cap’s walls down tightly to secure all the ends firmly in place. Add a drop of super glue for extra security.

STEP 2

Start plaiting the three leather cords nice and evenly and when you reach 12cm in length, take another 4mm end cap and trap these ends in place, cutting away any excess cord. Again add a drop of glue for extra security. Make sure your end caps have the eye loops facing out at both ends. Repeat step 1 and 2 for the other three lengths of cord.

STEP 3

Attach one 5mm jumpring to the loop of the end cap at the top of one of the sections and close. Then add another jumpring to the loop of the end cap on the other plaited section. Before closing this jumpring, add a bolt ring clasp and then close.

STEP 4

Take 20cm of silver chain, I have used Cookson’s flat round and polished oval link (10mm.) This means I have eleven large flat round links in the length. Attach one end of the chain to the loop at the bottom of the other end cap on the plaited cords by using a 5mm jumpring. Finally attach the other end of the chain to the other section with another 5mm jumpring so you now have a completed necklace shape.

STEP 5

You now need to attach the glass beads to the chain and to do that you need to make headpins. The size of the holes in your beads, determines the thickness of wire used to make your head pins. These beads have quite large holes so I have used 0.8mm round Sterling silver wire. Hold a length of the sterling silver wire vertical under a steady flame from a gas torch so that just the tip of the wire is being heated. As it glows to cherry red it will suddenly melt onto itself creating a small ball of molten silver. As soon as this happens remove from the heat, cut to approx. 8cm and leave to cool.

STEP 6

Repeat step 5 until you have made enough head pins to match the number of beads you are using. You may need to polish the end of your head pins to remove any fire-stain or discolouration. Place a headpin through a glass bead and make an eye loop as close to the top of the bead as possible. Spiral the remaining length of wire round the eye loop at the top of the bead to secure the loop and make a decorative feature.

STEP 7

Repeat step 6 making a spiralled eye loop at the top of all your beads except for one smaller bead. This smaller bead will attach to your central feature bead. To do this you need to make an eye pin. Make an eye loop at the very end of 6cm of 0.8mm wire. Thread the smaller bead onto this length and then make another spiral eye loop at the top of this bead. Link this small bead onto your feature bead by the bottom eye loop and close.

STEP 8

Attach your two feature beads onto the very central flat round link of your chain by using a 5mm jumpring.

STEP 9

Move on to the next flat round link and add another 5mm jumpring linking this to the spiralled eye loop at the top of another glass bead. Repeat this process until all the glass beads are secured to the round links. Finally taking the small silver stamped flower shapes, add these to the polished oval links in between all the glass beads by also linking them to the chain using 5mm jumprings.

STEP 10

You have completed the project. This is the finished Beautiful Blues necklace. You can get everything you need to design it by clicking here. Have fun making your own!You could also try…

Bracelet

When you buy a mix of beads and have chosen ones for the necklace you may have several left over. These can be used to make a matching bracelet. Plait another three lengths of leather cord together adding end caps at either end. A good size guide for a wrist length is between 7” and 8”. Then make more head pins as in step 5. Thread a head pin through a glass bead and onto one of the leather cords then spiral the wire round on itself, securing the bead into place. Continue adding beads and if you have any flower shapes left over add these as well using 5mm jumprings.

Designer Tip

Glass beads can be heavy when a lot are being used in one design. Sort out your beads so you can match similar sized ones to each other. Then when you are adding them to your chain they will balance evenly when being worn.

This project has also been featured in Making Jewellery Magazine.

You can see Tansy’s other project – Monochrome Magic - here. Have you tried it? What projects have you been doing lately to inspire others?

Soldering is the process that most jewellers use to join pieces of metal together to form a permanent, invisible bond. Once mastered, it is one of the most satisfying jewellery techniques that you can learn. Soldering allows you to create professional, beautifully finished pieces of jewellery suitable for sale or simply for your own enjoyment.

Many people are nervous of soldering at first and choose to ‘cold fix’ their jewellery using pliers and wire. However, with a little practice and just a simple selection of inexpensive tools, soldering can become a very portable and versatile technique which can be incorporated into any workspace regardless of size.

For beginners and more advanced jewellers alike, here is a list of what should be found in your basic soldering tool kit:

1. Soldering Torch: There are torches available to suit all skill levels and to suit all types of work. For most beginners, a hand held butane torch will provide enough heat to complete most small scale jewellery jobs. For larger scale work and for silversmiths, a bigger flame will be needed for example, the Sievert Torch Kit.

2. Flux and brush: When metal is heated, a dirty oxide layer forms which, left untreated, will inhibit the flow of solder. To prevent this from happening, the pieces of metal to be joined must be cleaned. You do this firstly by degreasing using emery paper and secondly by applying flux. Flux seals the surface of the metal, creating an airtight layer, which in turn allows the solder to run.  (Note: Only apply flux where you want your solder to run). A range of fluxes are available to suit all requirements but if you are unsure, start with a borax dish and cone.

3. Solder: Although strictly a material not a tool, you cannot solder without it. Most jewellers use gold or silver solders which are sold in strips or panels in Hard, Medium, Easy or Extra Easy. This relates to the melting point. Hard has the highest melting point and is what you will use most of. Solder must be clean and cut into tiny pieces as required.

4. Shears: the variety of shears existent are used to cut your solder strip into small pieces or bending sheet metal and wire into shapes.

5. Heatproof Surface: Preparation is key when soldering and ensuring you have a safe, clean area to work is essential.  Most people like to create a designated soldering area using heat-resistant blocks which are usually made from charcoal, ceramic or asbestos substitute.

6. Reverse Action Tweezers: These tweezers are essential for holding and positioning work whilst soldering.

7. Precision and Plastic Tweezers: When flux is heated it bubbles and moves. Pieces of solder in turn jump and move out of position which can be immensely frustrating. Precision steel or titanium tweezers will allow you to accurately position solder and pieces of work ensuring successful soldering. Plastic or brass tweezers should be used to place and remove items from your pickle: anything containing steel will contaminate the pickle and produce copper plating all over your work.

8. Steel plate: A small steel plate or block is used after soldering is complete, to gently cool work down before cleaning.

9. Pickle: is a solution made from sulphuric acid, which is used warm or cold to remove the build up of oxide produced during soldering.  Pickle should be kept in a ceramic, glass or acid proof plastic container – NEVER STEEL!

10. Brass brush or pumice powder: After cleaning, jewellery will need to be rinsed and scrubbed to remove any traces of dirt. A small brass brush or toothbrush dipped in pumice powder will reveal a clean bright surface ready for polishing.

You will notice that many of these essential tools are for the preparation and cleaning processes, not the actual soldering itself, but all are of equal importance.  If you approach each stage in a measured and methodical way, you will be ensured some good results. And if, for some reason things don’t work first time, don’t be disheartened, clean your work thoroughly and start again.  Remember practice makes it perfect, so why not start today?! You will be enjoying the results in no time!

What other products do you use? Do you have any soldering advice for fellow jewellers?

This is a guest project designed by Jane Kharade. Jane designs beautifully coloured pieces with the aid of clay, crystals and silver.

“Create unique accessories for your own wedding or a friend’s special occasion, with easy to use rubber moulds and precious metal clay.”

Mould pretty charms from silver clay to form Jane Kharade’s wedding gift jewellery.

Use a flexible rubber mould and precious metal clay to create these stunning keepsake gifts for a wedding, all of which can be worn after the special day has long gone. The mould features a selection of pretty elements, that can be used to create charms suitable for a number of occasions. Find out how to design a pretty pendant and stunning charm bracelet for the bridesmaids, embellished with glittering Swarovski crystals, plus striking cuff links for the best man.

You will need:

• Bicones, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, 6mm, light peach x 11
• Crystals, round, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, 6mm, Indian pink crystals x 11
• Chain: snake, sterling silver; plain curb, loose, silver
• Jump rings, silver: 5mm, light ; 7mm, heavy
• Head pins, 3 bead end, silver, 50mm
• Clasp, lobster clasp, 13mm
• Clay, precious metal, PMC 3 x 25g
• Cuff links, silver
• Mould, flexible rubber, Occasions
• Badger Balm
• Needle
• Pliers: round-nosed; flat-nosed
• Cutters, wire
• Mat, Teflon
• Blow torch, hand-held
• Soldering block
• Brush, wire
• Files, needle
• Burnisher, metal

STEP 1

Lightly coat a teacup, teapot, flower, shoe, bonnet, and dress moulds with a thin layer of Badger Balm, using your finger. This will stop the clay from sticking to the mould and damaging the pattern of the charm as it is being removed. You will need to make up six flowers and one shoe, dress, bonnet, teacup and teapot charm for this project. Form each one individually by pinching a piece of precious metal clay from the block, then wrapping the rest back up to stop it from drying out.

STEP 2

Roll the clay into a ball and press it into your chosen mould, then push a needle into the charm to create a large hole for attaching a jump ring. Bend the mould slightly and carefully release the charm out; if the clay doesn’t have a good impression, simply ball it up and re-mould. Lay the charms on a Teflon mat to dry out overnight; once they feel like plaster, use needle files to remove any rough edges and create a smooth finish.

STEP 3

Fire the charms on a soldering block with a blow torch until they glow orange, then maintain this glow for a minimum of two minutes. Alternatively, fire in a PMC kiln on the PMC3 fast programme or 700°C for 10 minutes. Quench in cold water, then brush the charms with a wire brush, front and back, and use a metal burnisher to polish the high points. Thread each charm onto a 5mm jump ring. Hang them from a 18cm curb chain at regular intervals so that the charms are balanced throughout the bracelet.

STEP 4

Thread 10 pink crystals and 10 peach crystals onto head pins. Use round-nosed pliers to form a neat loop. Wrap the end of the head pin around itself three times and trim the excess. Thread one pink and one peach crystal onto 5mm jump rings then hang them between each charm. Attach a lobster clasp to the bracelet with a 5mm jump ring to one end, and a 7mm jump ring to the other.

STEP 5

You have completed the project. This is the finished Special Occasion bracelet. You can get everything you need to design it by clicking here. Have fun making your own!

You could also try…

Pendant

Step 1: Lightly coat a teacup and a flower mould with a thin layer of Badger Balm. Pinch a piece of precious metal clay from the block, divide it in two and push each piece into the teacup and flower moulds. Make holes in the charms with a needle for the jump rings, then carefully ease them out of the mould.Leave the charms to dry out overnight, then remove any rough edges with needle files. Fire the charms with a hand-held blow torch, quench and brush with a wire brush, then use a metal burnisher to create a mirror finish on the high points.

Step 2: Add a 5mm jump ring to each of the charms. Thread one pink and one peach crystal onto individual head pins. Using round-nosed pliers, form a neat loop and wrap the end of each head pin around itself three times with the aid of flat-nosed pliers, then trim off the excess. Open up a 7mm jump ring with pliers and thread the two crystals onto the jump ring, add the teacup charm and close tightly, then slip it onto a snake chain. Add the flower next to this.

Cufflinks

Step 1: Coat the top hat mould with a light film of Badger Balm. Pinch a piece of precious metal clay from the block, roll into a ball and push it into the top hat mould. Carefully ease the charm out, lay on a Teflon mat and repeat to make a second charm. Once they have dried out overnight, remove any rough edges with needle files.

Step 2: Fire the charms on a soldering block, quench and brush with a wire brush, then use a metal burnisher to polish to a mirror shine. Mix up epoxy resin according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stick the top hats to cuff link findings and leave the resin to cure overnight.

Designer Tip

Take care when filing the charms after they have dried, as they can be fragile in this pre-fired state.

OFFICIAL NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH

After the great deal of work we have put into this, we are excited to announce that Monday, the 9th of May, was the official launch of our brand NEW WEBSITE! We hope the new site will help you shop online easier and quicker than ever before! With a fresh design, Cooksongold.com wishes to improve and add to every jeweller’s online shopping experience!

WHAT HAVE WE CHANGED?

The updated layout means we have added new features to help everyone from the professional jeweller, retailer or goldsmith, right through to the jewellery student and those looking to try a new hobby. The redesigned hub brings you an improved checkout, search facility and on-site navigation. We have also added a Wish List for those items you know you will go back to buying later, and a Brand Shop – to check out additions and latest products from your favourite brands.

Stay informed and inspired!
We love to see our great community developing! Our News Centre, Projects Area and updated YouTube Channel are here to do just that! Our News Centre is now the best place to keep up to date with the latest tre

nds, gold prices and what’s happening on the high street. What’s more, on the Forum, Facebook or Twitter, you will find like-minded people and get advice from fellow jewellers and our experts.

LAUNCH SALE SHOP

To celebrate the launch we’re running our biggest ever web exclusive sale with up to 50% OFF 1,300 products throughout the month of May! Check out our dedicated Launch Sale Shop for great offers including Up to 30% OFF Top 10 Consumables, 20% OFF Swarovski and 10% OFF PMC! Make sure you return throughout May for even more great offers!

Now go and visit www.cooksongold.com to snap up some fantastic products at amazing prices. As always, we will continue with our unerring delivery service, with any order placed before 3pm guaranteed to be despatched the same day. We hope to hear from you soon!

This is a guest design by Tansy Wilson. Tansy is a professional jeweller and runs her business from beautiful rural Somerset. She also teaches a jewellery evening class at her local college. Tansy has a BA in 3-D Design and has been in the design industry for 20 years.

“In this design I have used some Swarovski crystals to make these fabulous beaded balls in different sizes, they have then been threaded onto lengths of illusion wire to create this magical floating crystal ball necklet.”

What you need:

• 1 x roll of nylon coated wire medium 0.46mm
• 2 x silver end caps for cable wire 1.00mm
• 1 x 3mm heavy weight jumpring
• 5 x 5mm heavy weight jumprings
• 2 x silver hook wires with bead and loop
• 1 x 6mm silver bolt ring
• 1 x roll of nylon monofilament 0.3mm
• 1x packet of 6mm Jet Swarovski xilion beads
• 2 x packets of 6mm Crystal AB Swarovski xilion beads
• 2 x packets of 6mm Black Diamond Swarovski xilion beads
• 5 x packets of 4mm Jet Swarovski xilion beads
• 4 x packets of 4mm Crystal AB Swarovski xilion beads
• 2 x packets of 4mm Black Diamond Swarovski xilion beads

STEP 1

Thread 4 x 6mm Swarovski bicone crystals onto a 25cm length of 0.3mm nylon filament, centering them all in the middle of the length of nylon. Taking the right hand end of the nylon, thread it back through the hole of the far left crystal.

STEP 2

Thread 2 x 6mm crystal on the left hand length of nylon and 1 x 6mm crystal on the right hand length of nylon.

STEP 3

Take the right hand length of nylon and thread that back through the hole of the last crystal bead threaded on the left hand side.

STEP 4

Take the right hand length of nylon and thread that back through the hole of the last crystal bead threaded on the left hand side.

STEP 5

Again pull both ends of the nylon so that the crystals pull together to form two small circles at the centre of the length.

STEP 6

Add two more beads on the left and one on the right, so now when you pull the two nylon ends you will have three small circles of crystal beads in the centre of the length. Now add one more bead on each side.

STEP 7

You now need to thread the left hand end of nylon through the top bead of the first circle that you created. Also thread the right hand end of nylon through this same bead but going in the opposite direction.

STEP 8

When you pull these two nylon ends together the crystals will curl up into a perfect small geometric beaded ball.

STEP 9

Now you have your beaded ball but the ends of nylon are coming out of the same bead in different directions. So take one end of nylon (it doesn’t matter which) and pass it through all the beads in that circle until it comes round to meet the other end. Tie the two ends in a double knot and add a small drop of glue for extra security. Then pass the ends through any bead next to the know and cut off excess nylon as close to that bead as possible, this means you are not cutting the nylon close to the knot where it could eventually come undone. Repeat steps to create 11 x 4mm and 5 x 6mm balls.

STEP 10

Cut three lengths of nylon coated wire, 1 x 15.5″, 1 x 16″ and 1 x 16.6″. Arrange your different sized beaded balls in 3 rows so they nicely mix together in varying colours and size. Aim to have 4 or 5 beaded balls on each row. When happy with the layout, take the shortest length of wire and thread your beaded ball on so that the wire passes through the very centre of the bead, add a dab of glue to keep them in place. Continue to thread the other balls onto the remaining wires.

STEP 11

Place the three wires together and roughen the very tips either end with a piece of emery paper. This just textures the nylon coating of the wire to give good adhesion for the glue.

STEP 12

Using a drop of glue, place the three ends of wire into a cable wire silver end cap. You may need to add a few more drops of glue to secure further. Leave to dry fully, as advised on the glue packaging. Finally add a 3mm jumpring and blot ring to one end and a 5mm jumpring to the other end to finish the necklet.

STEP 13

You have completed the project. This is the finished Monochrome Magic necklet. You can get everything you need to design it by clicking here! Have fun making your own!

Designer Tip

If you want to make a really big statement why not make crystal balls using larger beads? This would look amazing! For larger crystal ball beads use memory wire to thread the balls onto instead of the nylon coated wire as it is stronger or check out the thicker size of nylon coated wire as it can take quite a heavy weight too.

This project has also been featured in Making Jewellery Magazine, a GMC publication where Tansy frequently contributes with projects .