Get into gear with a romantic Steampunk necklace featuring a charming bird and bee, watch face and key.
YOU’LL NEED
Materials
Flea Market Finds:
Vintage flat key, 2″ long, 1
Ladies’ watch face, ½”, 1
Beads:
1 Teal Swarovski crystal faceted round bead, 6mm
2 Teal Swarovski crystal bicones, 4mm
3 Swarovski flat back rhinestones, 3mm: 2 crystal, 1 brown
1 Spoked gear charm, brass, 5/8″
1 Vintaj Violet Sprig Fastenables charm
1 Vintaj Busy Bee charm
1 Silver bird charm
6 Copper ball beads, 3mm
Findings & Notions:
1 Vintaj Pinwheel Bead Cap
2 Vintaj Nail Head Rivets, ¼”
2 Round copper blanks, ¾”
1 Silver filigree bead cap, ¼”
2 Copper daisy spacers, 5mm
1 Antique copper hook and eye clasp, 22mm
14″ Light turquoise silk ribbon, 1/8″ wide
Tools & Supplies
Brass texture plate, floral
Beadalon Bead Stringing Glue
24-gauge copper wire
18″ Copper cable chain
Jeweler’s bench block and hammer
Helicopter metal hole punch, 1.6mm hole
Round-nose pliers
Chain-nose pliers
Wire cutters
Fine Sharpie
Ruler
WHAT TO DO
1. Texture the copper blanks by hammering them on top of the texture plate. (If you don’t want to mar your texture plate, try using a metal punch stamp instead.)
2. Use the helicopter punch to make a hole in the center of the copper blank. Slide a rivet through the pinwheel bead cap, the gear, and the copper blank. Turn the stack over and trim the end of the rivet to 3mm. Hammer the end flat. Glue a crystal rhinestone to the nail head. Once assembled, punch a hole in the top of the blank.
3. Hammer the bead cap flat. Layer the bee charm and the flattened bead cap on the second copper blank. Make a mark on the copper blank through the hole of the bee charm. Punch a hole in the blank. Slide a rivet through the bee charm, the bead cap, and the copper blank. Rivet as before. Glue a crystal rhinestone to the nail head. Punch a hole in the top of the blank.
4. Glue the watch face to the key, then glue a brown rhinestone to the center of the watch face.
5. Hang the key from the center of the chain using a wrapped-loop component. To do this, cut a 3″ piece of wire and twist a loop about 1″ from the end using round-nose pliers. Slide the key into the loop, then wrap the end of the wire twice around the stem and trim. Slide a teal rondelle onto the stem and make another loop. Slide the loop onto the chain link. Finish with two wire wraps and trim the ends.
6. Skip a link of chain to the right of the key and hang the gear-riveted blank using a wrapped-loop component featuring a ball bead, a daisy spacer, and a ball bead. Skip another link of chain and attach the bird charm with a wrapped-loop component featuring a teal bicone.
7. Skip a link of chain to the left of the key and hang the Violet Sprig charm with a wrapped-loop component featuring a ball bead, a daisy spacer, and a ball bead. Skip a link and attach the bee-riveted blank with a wrapped-loop component featuring a teal bicone.
8. Attach each end of the clasp to the chain with wrapped-loop components featuring the remaining ball beads. Cut six 2″ lengths of ribbon. Tie the ribbon pieces in simple knots on either side of each component on the chain. Trim the ends of the ribbons.
Texture Tip: Another way to add texture to a copper plate is to hammer it with a metal punch stamp. They come in all kinds of designs, from stars and hearts to lotus blossoms and leafy branches.
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