Trendspotting: Tiny pearls! I mean really tiny!

April 26, 2011

As the pearl buyer at Rings & Things, I’ve been told for the last 2-3 years that pearls smaller than 6mm are getting harder to find. So imagine how excited I was to see these sweet 2mm pearls!?

Tiny 2mm freshwater potato pearl beads

I bought several colors in 2mm. Our #20-632-011 is the white version. These are so sweet! A tiny potato pearl.

Plus I found a 3mm potato in white, #20-633-011:

3mm cultured freshwater pearl beads

and a 2-2.5mm rice shape in white, #20-612-011:

2mm cultured freshwater rice pearls

I’m not sure if I can always get them, but for now… I’m just trying to think of something to make with them. What would you design with tiny pearls?

–Karin Davis, gemstone buyer

Two ways to color metal using Image Transfer Solution

April 22, 2011

Alice in Wonderland image transfer bracelet

Hi Bloglandia! Last weekend I did a demo in our Spokane showroom on how to use Sherri Haab’s Image Transfer Solution (ITS) and thought now would be a good time to share these techniques for colorizing metal with everyone.

Image transfer is just that – transferring an image from the paper it is printed on to a different surface (in this case, metal jewelry components). Image transfers have a vintage, ethereal feel, and I love how the different colors of metals shine through. Unlike many of the other solvents and processes used for image transfer, Image Transfer Solution (ITS) is non-toxic. Yay! Plus, it has another purpose not even mentioned on the bottle: it is an excellent way to seal colors onto metal (more on that in a bit).

Transferring Images – ITS Method #1

One caveat: The images you use must be printed on a laser (toner based) printer. Ink jet pictures will not work. The pictures can be black or white or color. Photos and text should be reversed before you print, since transfers will be mirror images.

To be honest, I did not like ITS the first couple of times I tried it. I kinda hated it. Following the directions on the bottle, I prepped my metal with steel wool and heat-set the images in a 325 degree oven – just like it said! – but things just kept going wrong. Either my images would wash right off the metal or the paper would be so very stuck to the metal that no amount of scrubbing would remove it. But I loved the concept, so I kept playing with it. Below is my own method for using ITS. Maybe the package directions will work like a charm for you. If not, I hope my tips and tricks help:

Scuff up your metal (aluminum, brass, copper and silver all work great) with a medium grit sanding pad or sand paper. Steel wool leaves the surface too smooth, in my opinion.
Wash metal with rubbing alcohol to remove dirt, dust and oil – even if it looks clean!
Using a clean, dry paintbrush, evenly coat the prepped metal with just a couple of drops of ITS.

Press image face-down onto metal and press firmly into place to remove any air bubbles. ITS is like glue – you will not be able to reposition your paper at all, so be careful to place it where you want it! Let dry. Use an iron (high heat, no steam) to heat the metal for 1 or 2 minutes. Don’t worry, the paper won’t burn. Let metal cool.
Place the metal into water and using a gentle circular motion, begin rubbing the paper off, leaving the image behind. Don’t get to aggressive or you could lift off parts of the image. Patience pays off here.
After most of the paper is removed, use a sheet of polishing paper and more water to remove the finer paper fibers.
After all of the paper is removed, seal the image with a dab of Renaissance Wax and a soft cloth. It really improves the luster.

My photograph looks like a vintage postcard after being transferred onto aluminum. The Swarovski beads are the same colors as the prayer flags hanging on the mountain tea house.

Complete your jewelry piece! The image is permanently attached. You can even punch holes or dap the metal and it won’t come off!

Sealing Colors – ITS Method #2

Image Transfer Solution can also be used to permanently seal inks onto metal! Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks are tons of fun to mix and blend onto non-porous surfaces, like metal, but since they are ink, they can be rubbed or washed off. That is, unless you seal them with ITS. When you heat-set ITS, it binds the color to the metal. It will not wash off or bleed onto your customer’s skin.

Vintaj fussy peacock pendant colorized with alcohol inks for a faux enamel look.

You can color your metal with alcohol inks and then, after they’ve dried, paint a thin layer of ITS over the top. Another option is to mix the ITS directly with your inks (just a few drops of each) and paint that mix onto your metal. Either way, once the ITS has dried, you need to heat-set it to make the bond permanent. Just follow the directions on the Image Transfer Solution package for using an oven to heat-set (the iron won’t work for this application).

Looks like patina – but this blue bee was colored with alcohol inks.

There you have it! Two tried and true methods for permanently coloring your metal pieces for jewelry and other applications. Although this post focused on metal, Image Transfer Solution can be used on polymer clay, etched glass and other surfaces too! Since it really only takes a couple of drops per image, you’ll have plenty to experiment with! ~ Cindy

PS: here are some handy links to some other how-to‘s in the Rings & Things blog!

Tuesday Tunes

April 19, 2011

I didn’t want you to miss the Tuesday Tunes I’ve been putting up on Facebook!

Click the titles & the pics, you get the ♫ music video ♪ and you can browse & buy exclusive Crystal Jams Swarovski mixes…
Click the Share buttons, you earn karma 🙂

BAD BAD LEROY BROWN

RASPBERRY BERET

WALKING ON SUNSHINE

WASTED YOUTH

JAILHOUSE ROCK

KUNG-FU FIGHTING:

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE:

YELLOW SUBMARINE:

KARMA CHAMELEON:

RUBY SOHO:

CINNAMON GIRL:

NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN:

PURPLE HAZE:

I KNEW THE BRIDE:

ROCK LOBSTER:

How to Wire-Wrap a Briolette

April 14, 2011

I love briolettes! I love them in all shapes, sizes, colors and materials. So what is a briolette? A briolette is a pear or teardrop-shaped bead that is faceted and tip-drilled. Some briolettes are flat and some are round, kind of like a ball that comes to a point on one end. When they are flat, the hole can either be front to back or side to side. No matter the type, briolettes are super versatile and great for making all kinds of beautiful jewelry. Continue Reading…

New Artistic Wire color variety packs

April 12, 2011

Coiled Artistic Wire bracelet with dichroic glass

Kameron used a Coiling Gizmo to make beads out of 22-gauge Artistic Wire for this bracelet

Whether you already love making jewelry with colored wire or you’d like to start, these
new sampler packs from Artistic Wire are the perfect way to add color – maybe even LOTS of color – to your designs.

Buy the Dozen sampler packs of Artistic Wire

Each Buy the Dozen package contains – you guessed it – a dozen 5-yard spools of the same gauge wire, each in a different color. These packs are a great value. Even at the affordable price of $5.40 per spool (for 24-gauge silver plated), buying 12 colors would cost almost $65, vs. just $19 for the sampler.

The silver-plated Artistic Wire is slightly more expensive than standard Artistic Wire, but that little bit of silver really does make the colors significantly lighter and brighter. They also happen to coordinate quite nicely with the Pantone Color Fashion forecast for spring 2011.

Kameron’s Pink Sprocket earrings are based on a design featured in Totally Twisted.

Since all Artistic Wire is pure copper underneath, it is super easy to work with. Which gauge to use is partly a matter of personal preference, but in general 20 gauge is good for making links and ear wires, while finer gauges (22, 24 and 26) are nice for making decorative coils. 28 gauge is sometimes used for wire crochet.

We also have dozens of jewelry-making books, but a current staff favorite for working with colored wire is Totally Twisted by Kerry Bogert.

Let us know what you think of our new wire variety packs. Are there other products you’d like to see packaged in assortments like these?

How to dap and dome metal jewelry

April 8, 2011

Cymbals of Happiness bracelet by Sondra:
stamped, textured and domed copper and brass disks make a tinkling charm bracelet.

It took me awhile to accept “dapping” as a real word. Even now that I am obsessed with dapping every flat piece of metal that crosses my path, I still find the term awkward. Spell check, ignoring the facts as usual, still doesn’t believe.

In jewelry making, dapping simply means taking a flat piece of metal and curving it into a dome with special dies and punches, called a dapping set. The dapping block (or die if you prefer) has a series of concave impressions that correspond in size with the dapping punches.

Rings & Things #69-199 dapping set by Eurotool, and a variety of flat and dapped metal pieces.

Simply place your metal piece in the block and use a hammer (preferably brass) to repeatedly tap the punch into the metal. I say tap because your goal is to gently bend the metal into a smooth, even curve. If you just whack as hard as you can, the metal won’t shape up evenly.

The entire piece of metal needs to fit inside the impression, not sit on top like in this picture.

Here the metal pieces are inside the impressions, ready to be dapped.

Another tip: don’t hammer straight down on your metal. Hold the dapping punch at and angle, and tap tap tap with your hammer, turning your metal after every few taps to ensure that it is shaping up nicely.

For best results, keep rotating the die and the metal.

As you dap (tap, dome, whatever!), the height of the metal piece increases, while the width decreases. So after you’ve dapped as much as you can in one impression, you can move the metal into the next smallest hole and dap it with the next smallest punch to get a deeper dome.

Doming adds a professional quality to your work. Even just a slight curve instantly makes a metal disk reflect more light.

Just a few taps is all it takes!

Brass, copper, aluminum and sterling silver are all excellent soft metals to dap (most of my images are of raw brass blanks). Even copper coins can all be dapped, although coins are thick and will require you to apply a bit more muscle. If you want to stamp, texture, punch holes, or otherwise adorn your metal (and you will!) do all that before you dap for beautiful results:

Use stamps to monogram brass disks for easy, elegant earrings.

Dapped pieces can be layered too, like on my copper and brass ring. (See bottom of this blog for tips about making this ring.)

One word of warning – you might need to upgrade your photography equipment to get good pictures of your dapped jewelry! I think the only way to get a clear picture of Mollie’s “God Save the Queen” necklace would be to use a professional light box. The domed Canadian penny is amazingly reflective. Since my photo-editing software lacks a “rhinestone-reflection remover tool,” this is as good of a shot as I could get. Believe me, the necklace is stunning in person!

A domed penny, brass filigree and snippet of rhinestone chain, all soldered onto a brass disk, forms the centerpiece.

I know you are quicker on the uptake than my computer: add dapping to your jewelry-making vocabulary today! ~ Cindy

—————– postscript: —————–

We’ve gotten a bunch of questions about Cindy’s copper and brass “True” ring above, but she has moved away, so I’ll do my best to answer. The ring uses only 3 parts:

a round bezel ring (#51-205-02-1) as the base
a textured and dapped copper ring/washer blank (#44-780-25 or -26)
a dapped brass disk blank

Texture the copper washer using this technique, or simply give it a nice hammered texture with a chasing or ballpein hammer. Stamp “true” on the disk following these metal stamping instructions or this metal stamping article. Then dap (dome) the washer and the brass disk, and glue them into the bezel ring with your favorite adhesive. Cindy used E-6000. ~Polly

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Your Designs Rock: design contest update

April 5, 2011

Interested in upcoming contests? Visit us on Facebook!

Update on Rings & Things’ design contest

While the hard work is over for the contestants of our 2011 jewelry and design contest, the work for us has just begun!

Our panel of 6 judges is busy scoring this year’s entries, based on 3 criteria:

originality (creative concept)
craftsmanship (skill)
aesthetic appeal

Once the numbers are in, top scorers in all 3 criteria will be contacted and asked to send in their physical entries for the final judging round. (Note: we do not give out scores, so please do not contact us asking for numbers!)

We expect to contact finalists via email between April 8 and April 12. So entrants, watch your inboxes!

For those of you anxiously waiting to see if you’re moving on to the finals, rest assured that our judges know what you’re going through!

Our judges are not only active in the arts-&-crafts community, but are required to have submitted their artwork to competitive juries in the past. They know all about the sweat and mental effort each of our contestants has contributed during the past months!

For those of you who do not make the final round, keep in mind that along the way you’ve gained experience promoting yourself and your artwork—and that’s always useful experience to have!

We love seeing everyone’s creativity and hard work each year, whether it comes from Olathe, Kansas; Maple Ridge, British Columbia; Nizhny Novgorod, Russia or anywhere else your talent might reside.

Congratulations again to our 2011 Early-Bird Drawing winner Sarah Breivis of Juju by Sarah (San Francisco, CA). Click here to see the beautiful goodie bag Sarah received for getting in her entry by February 7.

PS, our New-Entrant Drawing is yet to come! All contestants who entered Your Designs Rock for the first time in 2011 have had their names put into the hat for another chance to win a hand-picked goodie bag. Watch for our New Entrant Drawing winner, along with all contest winners, the first week of June.

Till then, happy designing and keep creating with confidence!

The spring supplement! It's here! It's here!

April 4, 2011

The spring supplement to our giant catalog is already here!

Mixed media is the theme…

…with hundreds of new items you can use as “canvases” and as decorations.

Highlights include:

black-lip shell pendants, wood tile beads, Vintaj Arte Metal blanks, cute new watches, Swarovski “Crystal Jams” mixes, new colors of hand-dyed silk ribbons…

How can you get these 51 pages, 44 free designs, and 1 typo?*

If you’ve ordered from Rings & Things lately, you’ll get one mailed for free SOON!

Also, they’re free with orders!

Otherwise, order our catalog & get the supplement for free with it.

*There’s an extra apostrophe, I’m not saying where 🙂

How to use heat to patina brass charms and filigrees

March 31, 2011

One before and two after applying heat patina. Check out the rainbows on the middle bee!

Ah, brass. Beautiful brass. I love everything about using brass in my handmade jewelry … except its raw brassiness. Brass is affordable, easy to work with, and available in all kinds of fun charms and filigrees. And while giving raw brass an antique patina with an oxidizing solution such as Win-Ox really is not difficult, my favorite method of coloring brass is the torch! It tones down that brash brassiness to a beautiful warm glow that is infinitely more appealing to my eye.

Torching the bee charm only took a few seconds.

Applying heat to give the metal a patina is so easy – and clean! No chemicals, no rinsing, no waiting! Sometimes you can even get shimmery rainbows to appear by holding the heat on for a few extra seconds. (The same process works to heat patina raw copper.)

Raw brass filigree, before and after meeting the torch flame.

You all know to set up a heat-proof work area before firing up your torch. This can be as simple as a cookie sheet. Tie back your hair, wear safety glasses and just plain BE SAFE. Do your homework before you start. A great book that explains all the necessities for working with a torch is Soldering Made Simple by Joe Silvera.

Butane is widely available at hardware stores.

Don’t feel fired up to experiment? You can buy Vintaj natural brass jewelry components, most of which have already undergone a chemical-free process to give them their rich color.
Plated brass filigrees are also available. But I encourage you to try heat patina. It is the safest way to let your inner pyromaniac out to play!

Velvet ribbon adds a luxurious feel to this brass bracelet.

Here is a gorgeous brass jewelry example by Mollie to inspire you! She soldered a raw brass bee to a Vintaj connector to make this bracelet and used both heat and Win-Ox to patina the pieces. ~ Cindy

Want to keep that perfect heat/torch patina that you’ve achieved? Nikolas #2105 Clear Silver Lacquer is the product we’ve most often heard recommended by teachers and jewelers, to protect heat patinas and other colors on silver, copper, brass, and bronze. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging, to seal and protect your jewelry. When properly applied to metal surfaces, it forms a coating that protects from oxidation, perspiration, sulfur, and abrasion.

Please note, that this item does require special hazardous shipping, so be sure to select UPS GROUND as your shipping choice during order checkout.