Jewellery Making Supplies Blog

It’s never been so easy to make same-sized, perfectly shaped beads using your FIMO Bead Roller! All you need to do to get consistent, uniform FIMO beads is to slide the base and top of the bead roller back and forth. The measuring ring helps you to measure out the quantity required for one bead.

For making 3 different bead shapes:

This is how it’s done: 

1. Using the measuring ring, measure out the exact amount of FIMO required.

2. Push the FIMO out of the ring using, e.g., the end of a pencil.

3. Shape a small ball out of the measured-out amount and place it in the desired channel. Slide the base and top back and forth along the guiding rails.

4. Carefully make a hole through the bead, e.g. using a needle.

ATTENTION: Make sure that the hole is the right size for your chain.

5. Harden the FIMO in an oven at 110°C for approx. 30 minutes. Your FIMO beads are now ready for stringing!

Tip: Lacquering the beads adds a nice touch.

Cleaning:

When using different FIMO colours in succession, clean the shape with a damp cloth, otherwise it is possible for traces of colour to be transferred onto the following colours. After cleaning, always dry with a tea towel. Cleaning using soapy water is recommended after use. Do not use any strong chemicals or abrasive materials. Protect needles against the damp. Dry the needle using a tea towel and clean them with fine sandpaper if necessary.

Cut-off length:

Measure out the necessary amount of FIMO. To do this, first of all make the FIMO into a roll with the respectively stated diameter. After this, cut this off in the recommended length.

This article is written by Joanne Varney who holds a BA (Hons) in Jewellery and Silversmithing and is part of the Cooksongold team.

As with every large product group, there is usually a percentage which remains unchanged from year to year and forms the main stay of the range. This is known as the core range. Findings and stones are no exception to this and you will find many items remain unchanged from catalogue to catalogue. They become classics that you come to rely on as a jewellery maker, and know you will go back to time and again.

However, it is always fun to try something new and a good way to do this is to tap into some of the jewellery trends of the moment. If you know what to buy, your new purchases will become less of a gamble with customers, many of whom will already be aware of what is ‘on trend’.

 You don’t have to become a diehard fashionista to achieve this, instead simply arm yourself with a few relatively basic pieces of information based around themes, forms and colour. There are many complex factors that dictate global trends from economic to environmental issues and to understand them fully is not necessary for our purposes.

 Instead concentrate on the more tangible pieces of information for example: The Guild of Jewellery Designers has a review of Trends Autumn/Winter 2011 available to view on their website (http://bit.ly/oqu1PH) . In it they describe five themes they are tipping and within those themes are indications of larger scale pieces, layering/stacking and a move away from precious metals due to costs.

This could be interpreted in a number of ways, here is just one:

• Pendants can be hung on leather cord, coloured silks or rubber. Offer a choice with each sale or better still, sell each item with a selection of options e.g. Silver chain, neutral leather cord and vibrant coloured silk. This will allow your customer to layer, but also partake in a degree of customisation which has been a massive trend for many years now. Many of the major chain stores offer sets or groups of jewellery for sale now which has been extremely successful as they represent great value for money.  Even as designer/jewellers we all need to be aware that now more than ever people want value for money.
• Scale can be tricky to overcome without incurring significant cost. One way to achieve this is to use ‘found’ or recycled objects collected from charity shops or flea markets. Another is to use crystals or beads to create bold statement pieces. Swarovski produce a fabulous range of stunning pendants and beads in a myriad of colours, many of which are quite large. They too are a great reference point for trend information as they produce what they call ‘Gem Visions’ trend predictions each year (http://bit.ly/qUrtHF). This is a great resource for colour information.  Published in June of this year ‘Gem Visions 2012’ amongst other things is highlighting neutral tones, black and white and earth tones of orange and red to be big next year.  Get your ranges ‘on trend’ by incorporating some Fire Opal, Topaz or Light Siam Beads or why not try one of the Designer Edition ‘Devoted to You’ Astral Pink Heart pendants which ticks a multitude of trend boxes!

As you can see, being trend aware within jewellery and components doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply taking some time to do some internet research can have extremely beneficial results. Your customers will be impressed if you can reference your jewellery to a particular trend of the moment and it also means that your range will be regularly refreshed which keeps things interesting.

You will need:

FIMO Effect White Glitter

FIMO Effect Red Glitter

FIMO Effect Blue Glitter

Blade Set 

Acrylic Rollers

Ruler

Cocktail stick or large needle

Jump Rings

Clasps

Chain

Small Pliers

Baking Tray

Step 1

Knead 4 portions of blue FIMO to soften and roll 5mm deep. Cut a rectangle 3.5cm x 5cm. Roll 2 portions of white FIMO until 2mm deep and cut strips 1cm wide for the vertical and horizontal cross pieces. Cut strips 6mm wide to make the diagonals. Trim the ends at an angle so the strips fit neatly together. Gently roll over your cross to flatten it. Trim any white FIMO from around the edges. 

Step 2

Roll 3 portions of red FIMO until 2mm deep. Cut strips 5mm wide and place over the vertical and horizontal cross pieces. Cut strips 3mm wide, trim the ends at an angle and place over the diagonals. Gently roll over your cross to flatten it. Trim any red FIMO from around the edges.

Step 3

Gently bend your flag. Make a hole in the corner with a cocktail stick and place onto a baking tray. Oven-bake for 30 mins at 110°C / 230°F and allow to cool. Attach a jump ring through the hole in your flag and add a clasp or clip chain.

 This is a tutorial on how to use the moulding compound; at the end you will string as desired to obtain a finished piece of jewellery! Perfect to wear whilst you are on holiday this summer!

You will need:

• Fossil
• Moulding Compound
• PMC Clay
• Hand Torch
• Stainless steel brush
• Agate burnisher or Tumbler

STEP 1

Take equal parts of the Moulding Compound and work the 2 parts together until the Moulding Compound is a uniform colour.

STEP 2

Press your Fossil into the compound and leave it to set.

STEP 3

Once the Compound has set, press your PMC into the mould making sure it is pressed into all the edges. Carefully pop the clay out of the mould, if you re not happy with the result you can work the clay till reformed and press in again. Avoid doing this too much as the clay will start to dry and crack.

STEP 4

Once your PMC piece is dry, sand and refine your edges and back.

STEP 5

Drill a hole for your Jump ring using a hand drill or make a bail from any remaining clay.

STEP 6

The Fossil can be torch or Kiln fired. Torch fire for a minimum of 2 minutes, time this from after the binder has burnt off and the piece starts to glow orange.

STEP 7

Once fired use a stainless steel brush, agate burnisher or tumbler to make your fossil shine. String as desired.

This is a project designed in association with the PMC Studio in Coventry. For similar projects go here! As always if you have any thoughts or suggestions, let us know in the box below.

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.

You will need:

• 1 x fully annealed soft sterling silver sheet 1.2mm
• 2 x silver scrolls 110
• 2 x silver 5mm pegs and flat disc earring posts

STEP 1

The first crucial step in any design project is to plan your idea on paper first to ensure you have the right shapes and sizes of required material. This step avoids mistakes which can be costly if you cut straight into your silver sheet. I have used a 50mm x 50mm piece of 1.2mm thick sheet enabling me to plan 4 pieces the same size. All measure approximately 34mm x 16mm.

STEP 2

Mark these measurements onto your silver still keeping the protective film on. Use a piercing saw to cut out these 4 pieces. Remember to keep the blade at 90° to the sheet to allow the blade to cut smoothly and for you to keep control of the saw.

STEP 3

You should now have four pieces of silver sheet all the same size. Remove the protective film from one side only of two of these pieces. Using a ball nose or texturing hammer,  place one of these pieces onto a hard flat surface, protective film side down and hammer across the exposed side of sheet to reveal an evenly textured pattern. Repeat this for the other piece.

STEP 4

When both pieces are textured, using double sided sticky tape, stick one textured piece to a non textured piece ensuring that you leave the non textured piece on the top, so you can easily draw onto the protective film. Also ensure that the two pieces are aligned as closely as possible.

STEP 5

Again using the piercing saw, cut your shapes out. You will now be cutting through two sheets of metal at exactly the same time. Try and use as fine a piercing saw blade as possible at this stage. This is because the thickness of the blade will not remove too much silver when cutting, meaning that your opposite pieces will fit together as closely as possible.

STEP 6

When you have finished piercing out your shapes, pull the stuck pieces apart and remove all the protective film. You will now have positive and negative shapes that are textured and smooth. Place the best fitting opposite pieces together so you have a contrasting texture next to a smooth one.

STEP 7

When happy with your combination, place onto a piece of emery paper and rub all of the backs only of the shapes to remove any grease and then place face down onto a soldering block. Paint flux and place tiny squares (paillons) of hard silver solder along the joins of all the pieces. Soldering on the back means that solder will not run onto the textured fronts of your pieces. Heat slowly so the flux doesn’t bubble and continue heating so the solder melts and runs along the joins. Place in a mild pickle and wash.

STEP 8

When your pieces are clean, remove any blobs of solder from the back with a file and emery paper so it becomes a nice smooth flat surface again. Now you can draw a final shape onto each earring. Again plan this on paper before hand so you don’t make any mistakes when marking onto the silver.

STEP 9

File your earrings into their final shape. If you are removing a lot of material, it is advisable to cut excess away using the piercing saw. When you are happy with the final shape, polish both sides of each earring, ensuring you do not remove too much of the texture.

STEP 10

When all clean and polished, I have bent each earring over a former to add some shape. You will probably be able to bend your shape by hand but if not use a plastic ended hammer so you do not mark the surface of the earrings. Finally solder an earring post onto the back of each earring using easy solder. This enables you to solder the post on without melting any of the previously soldered joins. Pickle and rinse and polish up with a silver cloth.

Nothing says ‘Glamour’ like a pair of drop earring.  Unlike their safer, more sensible counterpart, the stud, long drops are made to be noticed! If the fashion press are to be believed, drop earrings, specifically the ‘chandelier’ style, go in and out of fashion on a regular basis. What can be more elegant than a pair of linear drop earrings? They go with most outfits and flatter all women as they add length to the neck. Note: by linear I mean a single vertical drop, usually straight, but sometimes curved. You will also find that by displaying pairs of drop earrings within your range, you add height and interest which will entice your customer. You always need more flamboyant items to capture people’s attention. This will help you start the conversation around the jewellery which, more often than not, will then convert into a sale.

As with a stud, to get a drop earring fully functional and comfortable there are a few crucial points that need to be considered.

1. First and foremost the weight: many people are put off by large drop earrings because they think they will be uncomfortable. However it’s all a question of balance. Try to consider your choice of materials. Use thinner gauges of metal, hollow beads and tube instead of wire; and don’t always assume you have to use a hook fitting. It can often be far more appropriate to use a stud fitting which will ultimately provide more support for the ear, provided you use an adequate scroll (see Focus on earrings Part 1). A Bead and Ring pin (French Fitting) is a great option: a classic ball stud with a simple open loop underneath allowing you to simply add your earring design. Just remember to consider the position of your loop or jump ring to ensure the design is front facing.

2. If you are using crystals in your designs try using a Crystal Stud Fitting. It’s always more aesthetically pleasing if you can carry the  design element through into your earring fittings, it creates a far nicer end result and sets a handmade item apart from a mass produced one.

To create a completely “handmade” earring, you can make both the design and the fitting yourself.  Hook fittings are extremely easy to make:

• Select your wire, usually 0.8mm as standard;
• Anneal to ensure flexibility: it is best  to carry this out in a darkened room. Annealing is the gentle heating of metal to alter the cell structure, creating more flexibility. Silver should be very gently heated using a torch. Keep the torch moving constantly until the metal becomes a dull, cherry red. Maintain this colour for approximatively 30 seconds. DO NOT OVERHEAT.  Gently cool on a metal plate;
• You can either heat the end of the wire to create a ball, or simply flatten with a file to create a good solder surface;
• Using round nosed pliers at the tip, gently bend the wire back on itself to create a tight loop;
• Using the same pliers at their widest point, bend the wire back the opposite way to create the main sweep of the fitting;
• Simply cut the wire to the required length, round off to a smooth end and straighten and twist to create a nice finish using flat pliers. Note, twisting helps to compact the cell structure of the metal which effectively gently hardens the fitting. Where the annealing process relaxes the metal structure allowing more movement, twisting, bending and flattening compacts that structure allowing less movement;
• Once attached to your design, solder the small loop closed to create a safe strong fitting.

If you don’t fancy making your own fittings or you don’t have the time, you can always buy one from the trade that will complement your style. You can always try simple fittings such as Hook Wire with Bead and Loop or Extra Large Safety Wire. Both of these styles are well finished and have a designer look about them.

3. One final tip: an essential element to jewellery making is wear ability. Never forget that however beautiful your jewellery is, its purpose is to be worn. Metal can be extremely sharp and if a sharp object is swinging around in your ear, you will soon have the tell tale scratches to highlight any bad workmanship. To ensure this never happens, whenever you finish a piece,  just take a few moments to hold the item in your hands. Close your eyes and run your fingers over the jewellery to check for any rough or sharp edges. You’ll be surprised at what might be revealed. You may feel a bit silly, but it may prevent any embarrassing returns from your customers!

Earrings, (essentially for pierced ears) make up the second biggest product area on the high street, narrowly beaten only by stone set rings. It is a vital area to be in, if you are considering selling your jewellery commercially as they sell extremely easily. They make great presents as there is no sizing to consider, but they are also a fantastic self purchase for women, most of whom wear earrings every day. Get your pricing right and you will find that earrings quickly start to constitute the ‘bread and butter’ of your range, generating regular revenue that will allow you to indulge in making more elaborate pieces.

Generally speaking, studs far out sell drop earrings. They are a practical, everyday option that are easy to wear as long as the scale is kept small. Virtually any design can be quickly transformed into a stud earring, but whilst the aesthetics are limitless, there are a few practical points to remember to ensure your earrings are fully functional and wearable:

1. Firstly the weight of the earring needs to be considered. You want the design to sit flat against the lobe of the ear so the scroll that you use needs to be of sufficient size and strength to support it. (Cookson  offer a wide range of scrolls from extra light to extra large suitable for most styles of stud). Try to ensure the size of your design is balanced by the size of the scroll.
2. It is also worth considering using plastic backs as an alternative or additional option for your customer.  Plastic backs with base metal offer great support for a heavy earring. You can find them here and here.  They are also a more cost-effective solution if you are find price to be an issue. Customers with any allergies can also use these backs as they contain surgical grade metal. Alternatively, if you are concerned about putting a base metal finding on a silver earring, you can find a silver version here. But note that if you are designing jewellery for children, plastic backs are a must from a health and safety point of view. You might find these plastic ear backs more suitable.
3. The positioning of the earring pin or post on a design is a key consideration. If the design is small enough I would always ensure the post is kept central which in turn keeps the earring in the right place on the ear. Your clients will not want to be worrying about repositioning jewellery throughout the day.  A larger design might require a post positioned more towards the top, allowing the piece to hang down slightly. On average, posts tend to be 0.8mm – 1mm diameter and come in a range of lengths. You might find the shorter lengths easier to solder. It is crucial you check what size hole your scrolls have before soldering on your posts as they are not all the same and although there is a certain degree of flexibility, you need a good grip on the post otherwise your earrings will fall out! It is worth pointing out that sometimes the larger pins (1mm) can be uncomfortable for some people to wear, so you might want to stick to the 0.8mm standard. Headed pins provide a greater surface area for a good join, but don’t look as clean as the plain version. (A good test of a solder join is to twist the soldered post firmly 180 degrees with a pair of flat pliers. This will quickly reveal a ‘dry joint’ if your solder has not run properly but will also semi harden the post after it’s been heated making it a little stronger).

You can of course make your own pins by using wire of the correct gauge. Simply smooth and round the end of the wire, file a groove approximatively 4mm from the end to locate the scroll and then cut to length. The end will need flattening to ensure a good join.

Although many of the points in here may seem obvious to people who have been making earrings for some time,  for the beginner these are basics that could easily be overlooked. Remembering a few basic guidelines will ensure your reputation with customers and have them coming back for more!

STAMP AND CUT: An effective but simple project for Precious Metal Clay in association with PMC. Design this pendant in only 7 steps!

You will need:

• Badger Balm
• Spacer Roller Set
• Texture mat
• Circle cutters
• Oval cutters
• PMC3 Clay
• Work mat
• Teflon sheet
• Sandpaper
• Butane Torch
• Stainless Steel Brush
•  Burnisher
• Antiquing solution (optional)
• Stringing material – Cord or Leather thong

STEP 1

Roll out some Precious Metal Clay on a piece of Teflon sheet using a Spacer Roller set. Remember to lightly apply Badger Balm to your tools to prevent your clay sticking.

STEP 2

Use a texture mat to add texture to both sides of your Clay.

STEP 3

Cut out 2 circles that are the same size. Cut a large oval in the centre of 1 circle. Cut a small circle near the top of the second circle.

STEP 4

Leave the pieces to dry thoroughly and then use sandpaper to refine the edges.

STEP 5

Torch fire each piece. Torch fire for a minimum of 2 minutes, time this from after the binder has burnt off and the piece starts to glow orange.

STEP 6

Polish using a Stainless steel brush and Burnisher.

STEP 7

To bring out the depth in the piece use an antiquing solution such as Liver of Sulphur or Platinol. Use the agate burnisher when the solution is dry to bring up the highlights on the piece. Loop a piece of cord around the top of both circles and your pendant is ready to wear.

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

You will need:

• Rubber Stamp Mat – Fleur De Lis
• 7 x Silver jump rings   7mm heavy
• 2 x Silver jump rings   5mm heavy
• Silver curb chain 7”
• Silver 14.5mm plain Ring and Bar
• PMC3 – 25gm

Tools

• Scalpel 3 handle 10A blades
• 2 x Roller spacers
• Teflon mat
• Needle Files
• Hand held blow torch
• Soldering block
• Oxidising solution (Liver of Sulphur)
• Tweezers
• Pliers: round nosed, flat
• Emery paper fine, extra fine
• Wire brush/ metal burnisher

STEP 1

Carefully cut out four shapes from medium weight card. Use a 10A scalpel blade and a cutting mat then trim the card down on each one.

STEP 2

Roll out the PMC3 clay to approximately 1.5mm on a Teflon mat. Use a plastic roller, and two spacers to roll the clay to an even thickness. Lightly dust the Fleur De Lys rubber stamp with talcum powder and carefully but firmly press the PMC onto the stamp.
STEP 3

Carefully peel the PMC from the rubber stamp and lay it on the Teflon mat. Gently place the card template on top of the PMC and cut out the clay with a scalpel. Work quickly and cut out seven shapes in total, you may wish do make a couple of spares; choose the better ones for the bracelet and the spares can be made into pendants.

STEP 4

Use a 7mm Ø paintbrush protector and cut out a circle from the centre of each shape. Roll the clay into a ball and wrap it up immediately as it can be re-used.

STEP 5

Use a sharp instrument to make a hole in each charm for hanging.

STEP 6

Use a needle file to file all the rough edges on the charms, do this while the PMC is in its ‘dried out plaster’ state. The task will be time consuming once the PMC has been fired and is metal.

STEP 7

Fire the charms on a soldering block with a hand held blow torch. Make sure they glow steadily pale orange all over. Begin timing for 2.5 minutes – enough for pieces under 10g. This stage is known as ‘sintering’. Don’t worry if the charms become curved during firing. Simply leave them curved as I have or turn them over with tweezers and re-fire.

STEP 8

Oxidise the charms in a solution of Liver of Sulphur; use it in a well ventilated room as the fumes can be dangerous.

STEP 9

Polish the charms with emery paper, as the PMC is soft fine and extra fine will be sufficient to create a polished surface. Finish off by burnishing them with a metal burnisher.

STEP 10

Use pliers and add a 5mm jump ring to either end of a silver curb bracelet. Thread on the ring and bar and attach a 7mm jump ring to each charm and hang them from the bracelet. Make sure all of the jump rings are tightly closed. You have finished your Chunky Charm bracelet!

Designer Tip

Peel a little part of the clay away from the stamp and check that a good impression has been made in the clay. If the impression is weak simply apply more pressure to the clay with the fingers.

Make sure the holes made the charms for hanging will be big enough. As the charm shrinks during firing so will the holes.

Hope you enjoy the project and let us know what inspires you this summer!

This is a review written by Joanne Varney who holds a BA (Hons) in Jewellery and Silversmithing and is part of the Cooksongold team.

I first came across this book when I enrolled on my Jewellery and Silversmithing course many years ago. It was one of the texts recommended by the course tutors as a good introduction and guide to, what was then a totally new subject to me. I can remember opening the book and staring for ages at the image of the jewellers bench covered in tools, thinking to myself, how am I ever going to know what to do with all those tools!

As I began to read through the book, I soon found that my initial worries began to disappear. The book can loosely be divided into 3 parts.

1st Part

As with many jewellery books, the author begins with an outline of a basic tool kit and then goes on to explain how each tool is used and for what purpose. In what makes up the first section of the book she lists 7 “Basic Techniques”, which are all demonstrated via mini projects, illustrated with numerous photos:

1. Cutting
2. Drilling
3. Filing
4. Soldering
5. Bending
6. Hammering
7. Finishing

Although some of these photos are a little dated, the projects are easy to follow and very achievable for a beginner, which keeps you motivated.  As a student it was invaluable to have these basic techniques to refer back to again and again. Once mastered, these techniques provide the cornerstones of most jewellery design regardless of the materials you are using.

2nd Part

In the next chapter, jewellery design is explained. The author firstly explains the need for design and then goes on to describe the different stages involved with taking an idea from concept to fruition.  This is excellently written and really emphasises how vital good planning is when making jewellery. A helpful section is the one covering design presentation and illustration, which you can always refer to for ideas. The painting techniques shown on pages 58 and 59 are a brilliant guide for creating simple but effective representations of metal and stones suitable to show your customers – easy to understand and not over complicated!

3rd Part

The remaining sections of the book cover what are described as  “Special Techniques” and  “Advanced Techniques”, which become more relevant as you progress and begin to specialise in one of the many different areas of jewellery making. When viewed as a whole these chapters can seem a little daunting, but you will soon start to pick out projects which can be added to your basic arsenal of techniques; for example, Making a Rub-Over Collet with a Twist Wire Decoration and Cuttlefish Casting. I found both of these techniques easy to follow and convenient since they require a limited amount of tools.

Glossary

A useful glossary of terms is included at the back of the book along with information on hallmarking, diamond weights, and costing. There is also a stone chart detailing colour, cut and hardness, plus information on different metal properties  towards the front of the book, which basically tells you all you need to know before embarking on a trip to the bullion dealers or stone merchants.

I feel the ‘Jewellery Making Manual’  offers a rigorous but accessible introduction to jewellery making. It covers a wide range of topics, but in a clear and concise way making it easy to absorb. I would recommend it to anyone contemplating jewellery either as a hobby or a career and would hope that you get as much out of it as I have.