Jewellery Making Supplies Blog

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 .

This is a guest project designed by Carol Merkl. Carol runs the Coventry PMC Studio Accredited Training Centre where she offers a wide range of courses including PMC Certification. The article is part of our jewellery making projects collection and it is a step-by-step guide on how to make floral earrings using silver clay.

What you need:

• PMC3 6.3g silver
• Rose and calyx cutter
• Teflon or work mat
• Spacer and roller set
• Badger balm
• Rubber texture mat
• Plastic measuring spoon
• Paintbrush and cup of water
• Sandpaper
• Hand drill
• Earring wires
• Rubber block
• Stainless steel brush
• Burnisher or tumbler polisher
• Torch and block to fire or Kiln

Step 1 – Texture

Rub some badger balm on your hands, roller and on the rubber texture mat. Remove the clay from the pack and place on a piece of Teflon or work mat. Place a spacer either side of the clay and use the roller to roll the clay. Press the rubber texture mat into the clay.

Step 2 – Shape

Use the calyx cutter to cut a flower shape. (Put any left-over clay back into the pack to keep it fresh.) Smooth the edges using a damp paintbrush. Rub some badger balm on the inside of a plastic measuring spoon and use a damp paintbrush to position the flower in the centre of the measuring spoon. Leave to dry. Repeat step 2 to make the second flower.

Step 3 – Hole

Gently sand the edges of the flower using the sandpaper. Place the flowers on the rubber block and use a hand drill to drill a hole in the centre. Make the hole about 10 per cent larger to allow for the shrinkage of the clay during firing.

Fire the earrings using a butane gas torch (they should glow a pale, orange colour for at least 2 minutes) or fire in a kiln at 600C for 10 minutes.

Tip: you may wish to use some kiln pillow to support the flowers during firing. Once fired, quench in a cup of water and dry.

Step 4 – Polish and finish

Place on a rubber block and polish using a stainless steel brush. Continue using a burnisher or place in a tumbler to achieve a high shine finish. To complete your earrings use a pair of pliers to attach the earring wires.

For details about Carol Merkl please visit www.1offstudio.com.

Did you like this article? Find it useful? If you want  to see any particular projects featured please leave a comment below.

The festive season is almost upon us and with less than a month to Christmas Cooksongold is running a FIVE DAY FESTIVE FREEPOST* event.  Freepost starts today and ends on Tuesday 30th
at midnight!  Simply spend £50* or more and select ‘freepost’ in the delivery options menu.

Why not stock up now for the busy Christmas Season, grab that unusual present or even treat yourself ! Cooksongolds got the very best gift ideas, stocking fillers, and kits to make any jewellery makers heart beat that bit faster !

Why not take full advantage of the freepost and double-up on the savings with 10% OFF our ever-popular Soldering Kit, 10% off all Durston Rolling Mills, 10% off our Art Clay Starter Kit andÂ
15% off creative FIMO kits !

Don’t forget freepost is MULTI-USE, so go ahead and claim freepost as many times as you’d like!

It's freepost this weekend at Cooksongold.com

Get it while stock lasts!! When you spend £50 or more online at Cooksongold you get our Bear at the Bench for FREE! When you place your order, just enter “FREEBEAR” into the e-voucher code field to claim yours!! The 10″ cute bear loves soldering, hammering, polishing, can give good hugs and relax with you during weekends!! He is ideal as a Christmas present for your friends, family or even as a Christmas gift for your customers. He can also stay and help out in your own workshop! To learn more about taking him home for FREE click here!  Alternatively, you can also purchase our Bear at the Bench for ONLY £4.99 (Was £9.99) by clicking here!

Did you know that our little companion now also has a Facebook page? People are following him in his adventures and having fun with his give-aways! Last time he was playing “hide and seek” on the Cooksongold website. Find out what he will do next: Become a fan to be one of the jewellers to enjoy his experiences!

P.S. We also have a Facebook page: like Cooksongold for even more fun and competitions, hints and tips on jewellery tools, jewellery making techniques, share your artwork and see others jewellers’ designs and so many more!!

Order online this weekend at Cooksongold.com and you’ll receive our Halloween Freepost and enjoy Spooktacular Offers!!  FREEPOST start today and is available until Monday the 1st November at midnight to ALL UK customers who order for over £50 (excluding VAT). To check our despatch times click here.

Don’t forget FREEPOST is now even easier, simply spend £50 or more and select ‘freepost’ in the delivery options menu, and the P&P cost will be eliminated as you hit checkout.

If your order doesn’t reach £50 yet, find some of our scarily good suggestions here! We are offering 5% OFF Selected PMC& Art Clay, and tool prices that won’t scare your budget: Bench Peg& Anvil Was £9.95 NOW ONLY £8.96, our Workbench Hammer and Block Set Was £76, NOW ONLY £60.80, or our ever best selling Hand Torch for ONLY £17!

PS. We might have vampires and haunted houses but don’t be afraid to check out cooksongold.com: our cute Bear At The Bench is there too! You can check out his fun-filled adventure updates and competitions here!

If you never want to miss out on Freepost updates or our other competitions and offers, click here and you will receive alerts directly to your inbox!

So what did you think: Do you have any ideas on how we could improve our Freepost offer? We’d love to hear from you even if you just want to tell us how you’ll be spending this Halloween!

It is that great period again: FREE POST is here!! Within the UK*, for any order over £50* which you place in the next 10 days you will benefit from our Free Post!! When we say it’s easy, we mean you won’t even need any codes or vouchers: just select “freepost” as the delivery  method at checkout and enjoy the experience!!

In case this is not reason enough to order, we hope to entice you with some of our great offers:

• Gemstone Extravaganza: 10% off selected stones. We have over 400 gems in a beautiful multitude of sizes and shapes – you’re sure to get your eyes on something!
• 25% OFF Top 20 Essentials: some of you are going back to school and some of you will only look to renew your tools, kits & accessories collection, in any case the bigger this is, the better! We have great prices on our Hand Torch, the Student Starter Kit, Starter Soldering Unit and Solder Block, PMC, Silver Chains and more!
• Our NEW Reflections Collection:  our great NEW Silver alloy, which we think it might even inspire you for your new piece! In case you need help with it, our team is there to guide you so just try something new!
• Moreover, there are new products in our Art Clay and Creative Metals at Cooksongold and always a great variety of over 11,000 jewellery making products. Just one stop and your jewellery will get the best treatment!! You’ll get fabulous prices and FREE POST!! Free Post ends on the 3rd of October at midnight, but don’t forget you can claim it more than once: make the most of it!! Click here to check out some of the products we thought you’ like!

We’d love to hear what you thought or what you bought so don’t forget to leave a comment!

This week treat yourself with some of the most exquisite GEMSTONES from Cooksongold! A good reason to buy: we have them NOW on sale!! You get 10% OFF and the possibility to choose from over 420 beautiful gems available!! You’re going to love our variety: we have around 30 stones and they come in more than 15 sizes!

Gemstones are fun for both beginners and more experienced jewellers!  However, if this is your first encounter with gems here are a few facts and tips you might find useful before you start.

• When just starting to work with stones, it is recommended to use large stones (cabochons) since it will be easier to make settings for them.
• Beginners find it easier and more fun to work with the following stones:

1. Amber – is a low-priced stone that is known for its fragility. It can be cut or carved with steel blades or abrasives but you might find it difficult to drill into. In this case, practice on larger chunks before you go on to your design.  When you are satisfy with your design put it in hot water to remove the glue from the amber but beware that excessive heat causes amber to crack. Did you know amber has been around from Palaeolithic times (9500BC) and it is also used in perfumes?
2. Amethyst – can be found in various shades of purple. Did you know this stone was included in the most valuable stones up until the 18th century (along with rubies, sapphires or emerald)?  Nowadays it is one of the most easily obtained stones, making it widely popular with jewellery makers and lovers. This stone increases its price with the intensity of its colour (some of the deep amethysts can sometimes appear almost black) and it also fades when exposed to heat.
3. Garnet – include multiple shades of red but it can be also found in variations such as green or yellow brown. The rarest variety is the Blue Garnet found in the 90s in Madagascar. It is slightly more expensive than the other gems but also slightly more resistant.
4. Opal - is visually a very attractive stone but it contains an increased amount of water therefore it is easy to chip or scratch. Fire opal is the only variety that can be faceted since most of them are very transparent.
5. Quartz – is an extremely economical stone in terms of pricing. The most popular categories of Quartz are Citrine and Smoky Quartz. These stones are easily cracked and, similar to amber, they will change colour or fade when exposed to increased amounts of heat or sunlight.

We have them all at Cooksongold in great variety … and many more too! So hurry up and grab this great deal before it ends on Tuesday, the 28th of September at Midnight!!

And since you dropped by why not subscribe to our blog? Just hit the subscribe button at the bottom of this page and you’ll never miss another great deal again!! We will also make sure to offer you some great hints and tips and keep you up-to-date with the latest news!