Rings & Things Jewelry Blog

Created by: Summer MelaasDesigner TipsUse nylon-jaw pliers or a burnishing tool to gently smooth the prongs and bezels down onto the stones. For step-by-step instructions, see our …

Learn how to polish, color and add charms to an inexpensive brass bangle bracelet and turn it into a finished salable piece of jewelry. No stamping necessary!  Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRue   Designer TipsPolish bracelet with ultrafine sanding sponge. (Or drop into a tumbler with steel shot and ShineBrite for a couple hours.)Wipe thoroughly with a soft dry cloth to remove any dust, moisture or oils.Apply Stamp Enamel to words. Allow to dry for 30 seconds.Wipe off excess with a soft clo …

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRueDesigner TipsCast silver star beads and Bali-style flower beads make wonderful riveted accents. If a bead's hole isn't quite large enough, center the bead on the 1/16" cutting end of the Crafted Findings riveting system, and re-cut the hole. Do not pull the bead off the cutter - this can damage the cutter. Simply unscrew until the bead comes off naturally. The purple leather bracelet pictured is no longer available - but 50 other colors / sizes are! (See links below. …

The pictured design is a 9" bracelet, a good size for most men. These colors are inspired by Pantone's colors of the year for 2021, and pair nicely with the After Glow bracelet and earrings.Created by: Janet BoyingtonDesigner TipsLay out beads on a stringing board to check your length and pattern.Cut approximately 12" of stringing cable (3" more than the finished length of the bead section).Add a crimp tube, add clasp, and go back through crimp tube, making a small loop. Crimp securely, leaving …

Created by: Rita Hutchinson Designer Tips This design uses 16 crystal bicones (2-3 of each color linked below).Knotting can be done by hand or with a cord knotter. The key to good knotting is to make sure the knot is as close to the beads as possible, so the beads don't move.Adjust the finished bracelet length by varying the pattern or using an adjustable length clasp. The finished length of this bracelet is 8.5".For other pearl color options, see our full selection of Swarovski Pearls …

Learn how to colorize a textured brass cuff bracelet. Created by: Rita HutchinsonDesigner TipsCheck bracelet for fit, and adjust by hand as needed.Clean brass cuff with alcohol for best patina adherence.Squeeze out small amounts of desired patina colors and brush onto cuff bracelet in appealing pattern. Let dry.Highlight raised areas of bracelet by removing excess patina with reliefing block.Apply matte glaze to entire bracelet and let dry thoroughly.The non-stick craft sheet makes clean-up easy …

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRueDesigner TipsStamp favorite quotes on inexpensive easy-to-use strips of precut copper, then rivet them to sturdy brass cuff bracelets. If you make a mistake when stamping on the copper strip, it's a much less expensive mistake than a mis-stamp on a specialty blank or bracelet.Stamp a phrase on the the 24-gauge copper bracelet strip. With metal shears, cut to length (keep approximately 6mm or 1/4" extra at each end for riveting) and gently round the corners. And textu …

Created by: Valorie Nygaard-Pouzar   Designer Tips  Measure the distance from the centermost point of the ball chain (this size is .25") and mark the increments on the back of the leather bracelet.Use an awl to pierce holes in the leather in the places you marked. If you have a sewing machine, you can pierce the leather bracelet using an unthreaded sewing machine.Stitch the ball chain onto the bracelet using Griffin silk cord (which has a built-in brass needle). Make one, or make …

  Created by: Mollie Valente   Designer TipsFor a step-by-step tutorial with images for this project, see the blog post: How to Make an Expandable Wire Bangle Bracelet.Use heavy-duty cutters to cut a piece of memory wire that is one-and-a-half loops in length (approximately 10"). Measure the widest part of your hand to make sure you cut a long enough piece.Use memory-wire bending pliers to form an outward facing loop on one end. Grasp the loop with flat-nose pliers and make a 90- degre …

Created by: Janet BoyingtonDesigner TipsIf you're new to metal stamping, first take a look at the step-by-step instructions in our free Metal Stamping 101 PDF.Plan pattern -- some designers prefer to stamp the middle letter first, and then work outward to the edges to make sure their words and phrases are centered.14-ga brass is a little harder than some other stamping blanks, so use a 2lb brass hammer and stamp firmly. Janet used the 3mm (approx. 1/8") Uppercase Siena stamp set and it worked gr …