Rings & Things Jewelry Blog

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRue Designer TipsWhen scouring yard sales and 2nd-hand stores for old watches, try to pick up a wide variety of brands and eras, for the best variety of gears. Or look for bulk watch gears on etsy, ebay or amazon. To get the widest variety of gears, consider both small tins and bulk bags from a few sources.Wear safety glasses when cutting, drilling or punching.Lay out pattern; carefully set aside, away from your hammering surface.Decide the size rivets yo …

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRueDesigner TipsUse a permanent marker to draw a few clouds in the sky, and tufts of grass on the ground. (After etching, I thought my tufts of grass looked more like a cityscape, so you may want to use an extra-fine-point Sharpie® for some of the grass.) The lines that look like rain were not drawn; they are simply a result of the ferric chloride etching process.Carefully and thoroughly mask the edges and back of the bracelet with masking tape, duct tape or Sharpie, to …

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRueDesigner TipsSet link on leather bracelet, and use a sharp pencil, or fine-point non-smudging marker, to make a dot at each spot to punch.Rotate leather hole punch to smallest setting, and carefully punch holes.Click into the rivet's details below, and follow the steps for setting the rivets.Optional: Use bracelet-bending pliers to shape the link into a smooth wrist-shaped arc.For more information about riveting, download and print the free technique sheets below.Sug …

Created by: Polly Nobbs LaRue Designer TipsClean the door blanks with fine-grit sandpaper and a polishing cloth, or in a tumbler for 2-3 hours.Find a pleasing portion of the Christmas tin, that fits in the window of the door blank. Draw around outside of door blank with fine-point permanent marker. Cut tin with shears at inside edge of line.Stamp stars randomly on the front door panel, and add texture as desired with the rounded end of a ballpeen hammer. Stamp or hammer a design or pattern on th …

This project uses Swarovski crystals. Created by: Tiffany WhiteDesigner TipsMark all six of your triangle blanks with a permanent marker dot in one of the points and straight down on the opposite side.Use the hole-punching side of the riveting tool to make a hole in the triangle blanks where you placed your dots.Use the riveting tool to rivet the triangles together with the brass rivets.Antique the brass pieces with Novacan black.Using the sanding sponge remove some of the patina from the brass …

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRueDesigner TipsAdjust bracelet to target wrist size/shape, because once the 2nd layer is riveted on, you will have limited adjustability.Texture or stamp the bracelet and/or mustache blank if desired. I simply scrubbed both with steel wool to eliminate minor scratches, and give a nice sheen.Use bracelet bending pliers and/or your fingers to bend mustache to match the curve of the bracelet. To prevent snagging when worn, fit it as close as you can, especially the tips.I …