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Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry with Amethyst Beads and Sterling Silver Flowers
Make this gorgeous amethyst necklace. It’s a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. She´ll love the violet color of the amethyst combined with the satin shine of the silver flwers. Its delicate, elegant and great to show it off during the summer.It’s fun and quite easy to make.
Materials:
Sawing the silver flowersNote: The photographs of Step 1 and 2 correspond to the silver flower project, but the method is exactly the same for this one, the only difference is the flower pattern used.Select a flower pattern from Dover Japanese Crests Book (they have great patterns and are all copy-right free), or any other of your choosing, insert it in a Word document and print it, check the size of the image printed to suit your needs.
To transfer the design onto the metal, simply cut it out and put a fine (really thin) layer of glue on the sheet metal and stick the flower pattern on it. Press well so that it adheres evenly (especially the borders). Let it dry thoroughly (1 hour at least).
Use the whole length of the blade for better and faster results. Lubricate as many times as needed with beeswax. Move the metal along the pattern as shown in the pictures but not the saw frame. When you have cut all the flowers, start filing each one according to the pattern that is stuck to it. Use a barrette file to file the edges of the flower and use a three-square file to file in between every petal. Contour and shape each one until the flowers are well shaped and symmetrical. After filing all of them, soak them in alcohol to get rid of the glued paper. You can also brush them with an old toothbrush and bit of toothpaste to give them a quick shine, then rinse and dry before the next step.
Now that the paper pattern is discarded you can have a better look at the shape of each flower. File more until all the petals are the same shape, check any sharp edges or corners. The outer rim of each petal should be filed evenly so anyone can see the “gauge” of it. Think of it like shaping the geometry of the flower, sculpting with your files the structure of each petal. Dapping the silver flowersNow its time for sanding your flowers well before dapping them to a nice concave shape.Start with lower grit sandpaper (400) to smooth out the filing and to get in between the petals right to the corner. Just as the outer rim of each petal is filed and sanded evenly, do the same with the inner rims in between petals. The filing and sanding at this stage may take a bit of time and practice, but it’s best to make a big effort here before continuing than filing and sanding afterwards. Why? It’s easier to file and sand a flat sheet metal flower than a concave flower, which is the next step.
Anneal each flower to a cherry glow, put them on pickle bath, rinse and dry. Shape each petal to a slight curve using a small dapping punch and brass hammer on a wooden log. Start at the center of the flower and work your way down each petal while gently dapping it. Try to let the dapping punch slide on the petal while you direct it towards you while hitting it with your hammer. This way the petals will start “curling” upwards, getting a “real-like” shape. Do this for every flower. Then, place your dapping block up-right with the biggest concave depression of it upwards. Put one of your flowers inside in such a way that its sits in the center. Hold your biggest dapping punch with your left hand and the brass hammer with your right hand and gently hit the flower several times until it acquires a concave shape.
Anneal and repeat with successively smaller concave depressions (and corresponding smaller dapping punches) until you’re happy with the shape. Anneal often to make sure that the metal is not being stressed and to avoid any petals breaking off. It’s also faster as annealed metal is completely plastic. You should now have three concave flowers, looking like flower buds. Soldering the tubingYou’ll now solder tubing on the rear side of the flowers as the mechanism to attach the flowers to the necklace.Measure three 10mm tube segments and cut them using, if you wish, the tube cutter. Just adjust the tube cutter to the precise 10mm segment, place the tube in it and put the saw blade in the groove, hold the tube firmly with the thumb keeper and steadily cut the tube. It may jerk a bit so you should lubricate the saw blade before and firmly but steadily cut the tube in short, rhythmic and swift strokes. File and sand the ends of the tube nice and smooth. Put a couple of solder squares in the tube´s seam, add flux and carefully solder the tube seam moving your torch constantly.
When you see the solder flowing, move your torch lengthwise (parallel) on the tube to spread the solder evenly. File any excess solder remaining on the seam and sand the ends of the tube. Before soldering the tubing segment on each flower, file the back of one of the petals (exactly where the tube will sit) about half-way up the length of the petal. Why half-way and not in the center of the flower? We want the flowers to “hang” a little from the necklace, its part of the design, but if you wish you can center the tubes. On your soldering charcoal, put a flower face down and place a tube segment on top of the petal on the filed part, so that the two filed surfaces coincide. You can use an old bit of firing brick or soldering tweezers to hold the tube in place.
Place a couple of square pieces of solder (pallion) between each piece of metal, making sure the metals touch making a tight fit, add flux and solder them together. After soldering put them on your pickle bath, rinse and dry. Repeat for the other two flowers. To make the little round balls of the center of each flower, simply cut 3 segments of a length of about 1/4” of wire. Soak them completely in flux and separately put the torch on each of them until they form a round ball. The little metal wire will start to “crawl” itself to a round little ball. Do exactly the same with bits of solder, to make probes of solder (picks) for soldering the previous silver balls. I think it’s the easiest way to solder them onto the flowers; it can be a tricky place to go about soldering. So, you now have three round balls of silver and three soldering probes, ready to be stuck on each flower. Using your soldering tweezers, scrape a concavity in your charcoal so that one of your flowers can rest snuggly in it (like a nest). Place the flower face up, pressing it down to make sure the tube behind won’t move. Place the silver ball right at the center of the flower. Grab a probe with your soldering tweezers, dip it in flux and place it beside your silver ball.
Ignite the torch and carefully solder the silver ball into place (to avoid the probe moving from beside the silver ball, don’t place the torch immediately on the flower. First heat its surrounding area until you see and hear the flux starting to fizzle and make a bubbly white powder; then you can solder easily). While doing it keep moving the torch so you won’t melt a petal!Repeat for each flower. You now have your three flowers built. Put them in pickle, rinse them very well and dry. Tip: If the little balls move off-center while soldering, heat them again, and when solder is flowing move them with your soldering tweezers. You´ll have to heat the flower and move the silver ball at the same time, but you can center it this way.
Sanding and polishingNow it’s time for final filing and sanding. Take your time; this is your last go at filing and sanding your flowers to perfection before sending them to the tumbling machine to give them a great satin finish.
If you did the sanding in step 3 thoroughly, then this will be fast and easy. Just file away any excess solder and sand all the flowers perfectly. Get rid of any minor scratches, cavities or any imperfection. If you have your own tumbling machine with steel shot, great. If not, go to your nearest jewelry supplier or jewelry shop and get your flowers tumbled in a rotary tumble for a couple of hours to give them a beautiful shine. Tumbling jewelry gives it a satin, sort of “sandy” finish, great for contemporary jewelry. Stringing your flower necklaceWith your flowers now ready, you’re prepared to bead together your mother’s necklace. This is the easiest part.
Get your nymo thread, attach one end of the clasp with a secure surgeon’s knot and start beading the amethyst beads to achieve the necklace of the photo. String about 1/3 of your amethyst beads, put one of the silver flowers, string three amethyst beads and repeat with the remaining beads and silver flowers (three amethyst beads in between each flower).
Finish stringing the last segment of your necklace (check that you have the same amount of beads at each end of the necklace, so that it’s symmetrical) and attach the other end of your clasp with another surgeon’s knot. Check that the length is convenient for you’re your mother’s neck, not yours!) and that it is securely knotted together. You’re done! Put it in a nice leather box and amaze her! Happy Mother’s Day to all!
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