I wonder if anyone could help....

[benjamgreen]

Hello arty crafty people!

I hope i don't offend anybody by jumping straight in and asking for assistance, but these forums seemed like a good place to seek help with my query so here i am.

I currently frame tropical butterfly specimens ( i work in a very large butterfly farm so have access to butterflies that have died naturally ) and would love to start making some butterfly jewellery. It's quite rare to find specimens that have died in perfect condition, and i'd love to do something with the wings of the specimens not good enough for framing.

I have done a few searches and have discovered that people already produce exactly the kind of thing that i have in mind, but my framing experience tells me that they will be almost always be using wings from butterflies that have been killed, and so i'd love to try and produce a similar thing using a more ethical approach.

I have attempted to attach a few pics of the sort of thing i'm aiming at. Basically a pendant of some sort that would allow me to showcase part of a butterfly wing, perhaps sandwiched between two pieces of thin clear glass and set into some sort of silver framework.

I wonder if anyone could tell be whether they think this is something that i could attempt without any jewellery making experinece! I initially assumed that i would be able to buy such a pendant and then just fix the wings in place, but as yet i have been unable to find a supplier. Perhaps i should buy one and then take it to some suppliers and see if it can be produced for me? I'm really not sure which path to take, but would very much like to start producing this kind of thing, and so would be very grateful for any tips or pointers from anyone who would care to help!

Many thanks for any posts,

Ben.

[Petal]

Hi Ben,
You might find someone on The Frit Happens forum that might be able to help, as they work with glass much more than the guys on this forum do. Just type in Frit Happens and it should come up. Perhaps they could be 'encased' within some other medium, rather than glass?

Sorry I cannot be more useful, but good luck.

[MuranoSilver]

I think the easiest for a beginner would be to encase the butterfly wing in clear resin
(perhaps with pre made bezels?)
You'd need to seal the butterfly wing first and I think someone mentioned hairspray as doing the job
hope it works for you
Nicola xx
P.S> to the forum!

[Petal]

Thanks Nic, it was resin I was thinking of, but couldn't remember the name of it !

[Gemma]

Hello Ben and
You can buy clear glass cabochons. Maybe you could encase the wing in two cabs or something then use bezel wire? I'd say get stuck in with experimenting...before you know it you'll be hooked and wont be saying you have no experience!

[MuranoSilver]

If you want a quality finish then lots of places do Pre-prepared sterling silver bezel cups and resin
(cooksongold included) there would be a little learning involved i.e resin mixing.
A quick non-technical alternative would be these they're called Memory Frames

Nic xx

[mizgeorge]

The ranger memory glass isn't actually very nice and the sizes are very limited.

I'd go for watch crystals, which are beautifully clear, and easily set in a bezel mount. They come in a huge range of sizes and finishes, both glass and acrylic.

Resin would be another option, but the finish won't be as perfect as glass.

[Di Sandland]

Cousins do a wide range of very good watch glasses.

[benjamgreen]

wow - what a fantastic response!

thanks so much to everyone who took time to help - i've now got loads of leads to follow up and lots of experimenting to do - i do love this kind of arts and crafts work so i may indeed get hooked!

Thankyou all again - what a friendly place!

[benjamgreen]

I've decided to go for the beginner's option first. I have some bezel cups on the way and am just looking at the huge variety of resins that are available. Would anyone suggest a particular product, or should i just go for one that sounds like it'll do the job?

I also liked the suggestions to use the clear cabochons, and watch crystals, but reckon i'll attempt that a little further down the line - when i have some skills perhaps!