Game Of Thrones

hummm.....Game of Thrones inspired chain maille jewelry.....for each main house.....Pictures to follow once the set is done. Lannister, Stark, Targaryen and Baratheon.

This evenings project

Wanted to do something special with these white glass beads. This is a rough draft, I want to get some memory wire so it keeps a very round shape like a classic string of pearls.

Technique - Fusing Silver

To start fusing there are some very important tools that you need before you start.

1. Pure, fine silver or gold wire. Only fine metals can fuse, Sterling silver has to much copper in it to fuse. 
2. A butane torch, you can find them at hardware stores or online. 
3. A pair of "hot" pliers, these can be normal pliers but you will be handling hot rings with them which will soften the metal the pliers are made. Over time your hot pliers will start to warp making them useless with hard wire, its best to just to designate a cheap pair for this task. 
4. A fire brick or charcoal brick. You need to fuse on one of these because it focuses the heat to the surface of the brick making fusing easier.
5. A quench bowl, preferably a small metal bowl with water in it. 
6. A rock tumbler with jewelry steel shot or/and a jewelry hammer and flat steel block. They also make cute little anvils that come in handy if your hammering. 

I would also recommend a ring mandrel or the round gauges I talked about in the tools post, If you don't have mandrels you can always use something like a pen or Sharpe to get the same affect. 

To make jump rings wrap the silver wire around the mandrel in the desired size.

Slide the spring off the mandrel and gently pull the rings apart.

Using your flush cutters with the flush side toward the soon to be jump ring cut off the tail leaving a flush cut on the coiled metal.

Then flip around the flush cutters and cut the next coil, doing your best to line up the flush cuts making a ring. After your ring comes off the coil you will have to flip the flush cutters again to re-flush the end of the coiled metal.

With your chain nose pliers grab one side of the ring, leaving the opening exposed.

Wile holding the ring with your pliers take another pair and over shoot the ends of the ring. You do this because then tension this creates will keep the ring closed. Slide the ends of the ring together with pliers and wiggle them slightly so the ends meet up perfectly.

Light your torch. The key to fusing is finding the hot spot on your flame, its just past the inner bright blue cone. This is the only part of the flame that can adequately heat the metal to the point of fusion.

Going in steady circles just outside of the ring, heating the ring until it looks slippery or wet. Make sure the molten metal fuses the ring shut, you may need to focus the flame on the joint to get the ring to fuse but its important to heat the whole ring.

Once the ring is fused use your hot pliers to dip the ring in your quench bowl, this will instantly cool the ring and you can now handle it with bare hands. Your ring may be inconsistent in color. That's OK once you tumble or hammer the rings they will be shiny again. Its important that you hammer or tumble your silver. Heating the metal makes it soft and very flexible, making for weak jewelry. When you tumble or hammer the silver it hardens the metal and makes the jewelry more durable.

And that's the basics of fusing, I would recommend looking at other fusing demos before starting. Its a good way to pick up on other tips and tricks. 

Wire wrapped pendants - First attempt at this technique!

Bloodstone and hematite pendant - Silver plated wire

Imitation stone and pearls, Silver plated wire and glass pearls by Crystazzi

The tutorial that I learned this technique from -  http://www.tumbleweedglass.com/cab.html
I would read over the entire tutorial before starting. They have a "slide show" at the top of the page that is very slow and cuts down the explanations...I think you would mostly need this as a refresher as it lacks some key points that are better explained just below the slide show.

Some recent projects

Mesh bead and Rosette bracelet, Silver plated

Two piece wrapped pendant with pearls, Silver Plated with glass pearls by Crystazzi

Two on two ring necklace, Silver plated

Three strand necklace with matching earrings, Silver plated with Swarovski crystals and glass pearls by Crystazzi

Hematite Rings & Pearls, Silver plated with glass pearls by Crystazzi

Free style wire pendant with pearl, Silver plated with glass pearl by Crystazzi

Tear drop pendant, Silver plated with Swarovski crystals and glass pearls by Crystazzi

Rosette bracelet, Copper

Supplies - Wire

It took me awhile to find the wire that I use for most of my jewelry, I wanted something that would be good for both jump rings and wire wrapping. I found that the Beadalon brand German style wire fit the bill. Its nickle free, silver plated and comes in 4 shapes; Round, square, half round and twisted. The only downside is the largest gauge that they make is 20 gauge. I'm still looking for something similar in at least a 14 gauge.
Beadalon also makes a line of wire called artist wire, they recommend this for jump rings and chain maille and it comes in larger gauges. Its a few dollars more for the same amount of wire but I feel its far to flexible for jump rings and in order to make it non tarnish they put what seems to be a plastic shell on the wire....you have to be ULTRA careful with the wire or you can start to peel off the shell and it looks like your wire is moulting so I've stopped using this wire.
For fusing you have to use pure metals, so fine silver and gold. I order my fine silver wire online from a company called G & S inc. http://www.gsgold.com/ They have the best prices that I have found so far and great customer service.

Tools of the Trade - Flush Cutters

By far the most important tool you need is a good pair of flush cutters. These three go from bad (far left) to OK (far right). If your going to be going chain maille or fusing you need a good pair of flush cutters. These are important because they will cut the wire perfectly flush so the ends meet up perfectly on your jump rings. When fusing if your rings don't meet right you ether wont get fusion or it will be a really weak bond. That's why spending forty plus dollars on your flush cutters is perfectly OK. When looking for flush cutters one side should be ground down so the cutting edge on each side is perfectly flush to the other, If they are not flush you will get a bad cut. Also if you do spend less than twenty dollars on a pair and they look perfectly flush when you buy be aware that they wont stay flush for long which is the problem with all three pairs that I have.

Tools of the Trade - Odd little bits

The tool on the top is my fusing torch, its a different style then the standard torch but I prefer it. Below that is what I call the wire rounder, (not really sure what its name is) this rounds the end of wires, I use it on ear wires (I make my own) so that its easier and more pleasant to put your earrings on. Below that is two tools with blue handles, I use them for jump ring gauges. Below that is a bead reamer, its texture makes it easy to pick up beads and string them.

Tools of the Trade - Pliers

I have 4 pairs of jewelry grade pliers. Far left is round nose pliers, they are good for making loops and spirals. Center left is a pair of chain nose pliers, this pair dose not taper to a smaller point like the desired style but these work just fine. The center right pair is a flat nose pliers, I don't really like these so I use them as my "hot" pliers for fusing (I'll explain about that later). The last pair is what you should look for when purchasing chain nose pliers, it tapers to a finer point and they are amazing. There are other styles of pliers that I plan to get but I want another pair of the good chain nose pliers I have first. Here's some tips on what to look for if your going to buy pliers for jewelry making.
You should purchase pliers at a craft store or online from a company who makes jewelry (wire) pliers. Hardware store tend to carry ones that have ridges lining the inside mouth of the pliers, this will leave dents and scratches on your wire.

1. When purchasing pliers for jewelry making the first thing you should check is that the inside mouth of the pliers is flat and blemish free.
2. You should also check that they fit comfortably in your hand...I use my pliers for hours at a time and you can get really sore hands from cheap pliers.
   
3. Make sure they are durable...you want them to have a bolt joint and they should bounce back when you squeeze them.
4. Don't pay to much for pliers, all the ones above I got for twenty dollars or less.

Where it started.

The very first forms of jewelry were worn some 90,000 years ago. They were mostly bead necklaces constructed from shells to make charms hanging off hair or crude rope. Luckily this craft has gained some refinement.

I first started making jewelry in elementary school at an after school program and from there it never really stopped. As my mother always says " I knew she was different when at the age of 7 I found her taking apart our old land line phone, she put it back together and it still worked". I've always had this craving to create and understand the world around me. I paint, draw and went to school for design but nothing has really stuck like making jewelry. Some of my first real "fine" jewelry was small glass seed beads strung together to make tiny flowers, butterflies and other more abstract shapes. More recently I've been playing with chain maille and fine silver fusing. This blog will follow that adventure with some how to thrown in.