All posts tagged jewelry

If you’re a follower of fashion and jewelry trends, you may have noticed that Steampunk jewelry is growing in popularity. Crafted from brass findings, hardware, and a variety of vintage parts, Steampunk necklace and bracelet projects are even cropping up at craft stores. Although there are fantastic collections of Steampunk jewelry you can buy on Etsy, it’s also the perfect item to make yourself. In fact, hand-picking elements and crafting jewelry to reflect your individual style is really what Steampunk is all about.

At first glance, handmade Steampunk jewelry with its Victorian-era intracacies may seem intimidating, but it’s quite easy to do. All you need are a variety of metal objects, E-6000 and a few jewelry-making tools. To get you started, we’ve included a tutorial for making a Victorian charm bracelet that we’ve adapted from a project at Michael’s, which could also be used to make a necklace or earrings. Since there’s no one way to make Steampunk jewelry, you can experiment to find out what works best for you, depending on the items you choose to put together.

What you’ll need:

• E-6000
• Black wire (22 gauge)
• Wire cutters
• Jewelry parts including jump rings and cuff links
• Needle nose pliers
• A ruler
• A small paintbrush
• Steampunk items, including: watch parts or dials, vintage keys, Victorian charms or objects, vintage metal hardware, and metal filagrees.

Steps:

1. Start with a chain link bracelet or make your own.
2. To create metal charms, adhere small metal objects on top of larger metal objects by applying a small bead of E-6000 to bond the two together. E-6000 forms a strong bond and will dry clear. Press together firmly until bonded.
3. For best results, allow metal charms to dry for 24-72 hours before moving on to next step.
4. Insert approximately 3 inches of wire at the top of a charm and twist in the middle. Wind ends of wire around a small paintbrush, pressing ends tightly with pliers. Pull off of paintbrush.
5. Attach charm to chain link bracelet with a jump ring.
6. Repeat step five to attach charms to chain links, spacing evenly apart (use ruler).

Whether you decide to attach five charms or thirty, your jewelry will still be a one-of-a-kind creation. For more ideas to make Steampunk necklaces, earrings, and more, check out the following sources of inspiration:

How to Make a Steampunk Ring

How to Make Steampunk Earrings

Jean Campbell’s Steampunk Style Jewelry (book)

Photo credit: bdollproject on Flickr