Jewelry Art

Who is it For

These simple, yet decorative do it yourself pieces of artwork will make a stunning presentation in anyone's home. They're the perfect gift for the woman who enjoys vintage jewelry, antiques or "shabby chic" decor. Your DIY jewelry art is an excellent gift choice for birthdays, holidays, Mother's Day, Sister's Day, Friendship Day, and especially as a housewarming gift to cover up her empty walls. You will be so pleased with your finished product that you may want to give several coordinating pieces at time, or make more for additional friends and family!

What to Do

Begin by collecting an assortment of old brooches - whether they are from your grandmother's shoebox of fashion jewelry, or little treasures found at flea markets or garage sales. Also keep an eye out for old picture frames or shadow boxes, because you will need these as well. If you can't find the perfect frame or shadow box, you can pick one up inexpensively at your local craft store which will also carry most of the supplies you will need as well - including the jewelry pliers, scrapbook paper, sand paper and welding glue.

Tips

Before you begin this do it yourself project, make sure the brooch you are working with holds little or no value! You won't want to destroy a fine piece of jewelry that could potentially be worth some money.

Slimmer jewelry pliers with a fine tip will work best. Check, too, to see if the edges of the pliers are sharp. If they are, take a file and file the edges down. This will save you a lot of headaches later, because you won't have to polish out tool marks on your do-it-yourself jewelry art.^[1]

Supplies

Directions

A selection of cameos or other interesting brooches
A selection of frames or shadow boxes
Solid color scrapbook paper, scissors and spray adhesive (optional)
Jewelry pliers
Medium-grit sand paper
Welding glue

Use the jewelry pliers to gently remove the pin backing from the brooch. Loosen it by gently moving the backing back and forth while gripping it near where it is attached with the pliers. Once loosened, it should easily pull free.
Sand the back of the brooch with medium grit sandpaper to smooth out any rough spots left from the pin back.^[2]
If you choose to cover the inside of your frame or shadow box with solid-color scrapbook paper, measure and cut the paper to fit.
Spray the back of the scrapbook paper with spray adhesive and gently attach to the inside of the frame/shadow box.
Once the scrap paper has sufficiently dried in place, apply welding glue to the back of the brooch and gently press onto the back of your picture frame or shadow box.
Allow to dry.

Related Guides

References

[1] ttp://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/jewelry-pliers.html

[2] ttp://www.ehow.com/how_5036206_make-brooch-necklace.html

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