DIY Jewelry: Wire Wrapping Button Rings

Combine your jewelry making skills and learn how to wire wrap buttons. Design button rings, bracelets, and earrings by wrapping or coiling wire. Watch the Youtube video below for an easy step by step tutorial:

 

Click here for step by step tutorials: 

Tutorial #1 - Button Ring

Tutorial #2 - Button Necklace

Do It Yourself Jewelry: Currency Coin Necklace and Bracelet

Do you have too many coins lying around the house? Grab your jewelry wire, pliers, and several coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, or quarters). Design a coin necklace or bracelet with just a few supplies! Want to make it colorful? Use nail polish to paint the coin. Give it a pretty pink or reddish look. You can also use European or foreign currency coins for this project.

 

Step by step tutorials: 

Tutorial #1 - Coin Charm Bracelet

Tutorial #2 - Wire Wrapping Coin Pendants 

Tutorial #3 - DIY Coin Charm Bracelet

 

Ickynicks Jewelry is an online handmade shop for men and women. Ickynicks designs gold hoop earrings, sterling silver and stainless steel hoop earrings. We provide links to tips and tricks for jewelry making.

Luxurious Jewelry Brand Names or DIY Bracelets

Tired of designing the same beaded bracelet over and over? Why not create bracelets from luxurious jewelry brands like David Yurman, Chan Luu, Tiffany and Co, or Pandora? It’s amazing how expensive their jewelry sells for in the market. David Yurman bracelets can cost up to $1200. Buy it or make your own? To make your own, go to any retail store and find beads similar to these brand name jewelry products. It’s easier than you think. Check out the tutorial links below.

 

David Yurman Knockoff

Click here for step by step tutorials: 

Tutorial #1 - David Yurman Style Bracelet

Tutorial #2 - Chan Luu Bead Bracelet

Ickynicks Jewelry is an online handmade shop for men and women. Ickynicks designs gold hoop earrings, sterling silver and stainless steel hoop earrings. We provide links to tips and tricks for jewelry making.

Jewelry Finds at Goodwill Online

Do you make, or have you  considered making fashion jewelry, vintage jewelry, wire wrapping or beaded jewelry projects? 

1. Do you go to JoAnn's, Michael's or Hobby Lobby to purchase all of your supplies?
2. Is your average yearly cost of jewelry supplies over $300? 
3. Have you ever thought about shopping at pawn shops or thrift stores for charms, pendants, or beads?

Thrift stores are great resources for finding jewelry supplies, more than you may realize. Salvation Army, Goodwill and Volunteers of America often sell jewelry for a very reasonable and inexpensive price. Looking for a pair of matching beads, or a fun random bead assortment, or vintage charms and pendants? You can even find loose gemstones, rhinestones and pearls (if you look closely enough). Just take apart pieces of the necklace,or bracelet that you don't want and add to it. Shop Goodwill online for jewelry.

 

Jewelry finds at Goodwill online

Ickynicks Jewelry is an online handmade shop for men and women. Ickynicks designs gold hoop earrings, sterling silver and stainless steel hoop earrings. We provide links to tips and tricks for jewelry making.

DIY Bracelet: Chain Woven Cuff

Try something new. Learn how to design a bracelet using two different techniques: chevron and parallel style. Below is a tutorial on how to create a bracelet by weaving leather around wire.

 

Jewelry Supplies Needed for Project:

1. 1 yard of leather
2. 14 inches of chain
3. 1 clasp
4. Jumbo rings
5. Scissors
6. Pliers

Click here for detailed instructions on the step by step tutorial

 

DIY Jewelry: Button Necklaces, Rings, and Bracelets

Make jewelry from vintage buttons, brooches, or charms. Head to the thrift store to find old sewing buttons, or loose buttons in bags. Create a blue button necklace, stylish rings, or pink bracelets. Or add buttons as a pendant onto a necklace or leather bracelet. Get creative and find new ways of making fashion jewelry. Watch the Youtube video and follow the step by step tutorial on button jewelry making:

DIY Jewelry: Beaded Wire Cuff

 Try this fun step by step tutorial on how to create a bracelet using pink and black beads and thin wire. The video explains how to weave small and large beads through the string, then position the beads between the wire, and then intertwine your charm or pendant. This is a useful video tutorial for learning how to wrap thread around beads:
 

Click here for more instructional videos and jewelry tutorials

DIY Jewelry Supplies: Mixed Media

Do you know the basics of jewelry making? Are you interested in getting more creative? How about making bracelets out of buttons? Necklaces out of coins (pennies, dimes, quarters)? Rings from forks and spoons? Many jewelry designers prefer ‘traditional’ styles such as weaving beads or wire wrapping pendants. But why not think outside the box and get creative.

For your next jewelry project, grab objects that you wouldn’t often think of using. Most likely you can find these objects around your home or at the thrift store.  Here’s a list to get you started: buttons, coins, dice, puzzle pieces, board game pieces, dominoes, legos, keys, rocks, bottle caps, corkscrew, silverware, magnets, zippers, broken watches, broken CD's, records, camera parts, computer keyboard or typewriter keys. Then decide how you want to use these objects to create a necklace or bracelet.

Ickynicks Jewelry is an online handmade shop for men and women. Ickynicks designs gold hoop earrings, sterling silver and stainless steel hoop earrings. We provide links to tips and tricks for jewelry making.

DIY Jewelry: Beaded Bracelet Cuff

Beadaholique is a useful website for learning how to create new DIY jewelry. You can watch instructional videos, follow step by step tutorials, learn about new jewelry techniques, or shop for supplies on their website. Watch the video below to learn how to create a cuff using wire and tila beads:

Jewelry Supplies Needed for Project:

1. Glass Beads
2. Tila Square Beads
3. Wire Thread (7 ft used or project)
4. Pliers
5. Scissors

Click here for detailed instructions on the step by step tutorial 

Ickynicks Jewelry is an online handmade shop for men and women. We design gold hoop earrings, sterling silver and stainless steel fashion jewelry.We provide links to tips and tricks for jewelry making.

DIY Jewelry: Love Leather Bracelet

Leather bracelets are fun to make because they’re easy once you learn the basics. Here’s a quick and fun project for beginner jewelry lovers. Learn how to make a leather bracelet with a ‘love’ bead.

You will need the following supplies:  

• Scissors
• Tape
• Jewelry Glue
• Pliers
• Tube Beads with words
• Lobster Clasp
• Multiple strands of small cord (1.5mm-2)
• 10mm end caps (glue on)

Click here for full detailed instructions on the step-by-step tutorial

 

Ickynicks Jewelry is an online handmade shop for men and women. We design gold hoop earrings, sterling silver and stainless steel hoop earrings. We provide links to tips and tricks for jewelry making.

DIY Jewelry Making: Leather Bracelets

Learn how to make jewelry from leather. Antelope Beads is a great website for easy DIY leather jewelry tutorials and projects. Step-by-step videos accompany each jewelry project and it’s free of charge on the website. Projects are sorted by level of difficulty from beginner to advanced level. You can choose to purchase the supplies from their website, or simply watch the tutorials on YouTube. Watch a video on how to make leather bracelets:       

Ickynicks Jewelry is an online handmade shop for men and women. Ickynicks designs gold hoop earrings, sterling silver and stainless steel hoop earrings. We provide links to tips and tricks for jewelry making.

Jewelry Lessons and Tutorials: Jewelrylessons.com

JewelryLessons.com is a great resource for crafters who are interested in advancing their skills in jewelry making.  An entire section on the website is devoted to DIY tutorials and patterns. You can search for specific tutorials based on the level of difficulty, type of jewelry you want to design, rating level, or jewelry techniques below:

• Wire wrapping
• Hand hammering (silversmith)
• Bead weaving with thread or wire 
• Polymer or metal clay
• Polishing or finishing stones, charms, or rings 
• Surface embellishment with pendants, bracelets, or rings
• Using string and fiber
• Metalsmith
• Men's Jewelry

DIY Jewelry Making: Wire Wrapping Rings

One of the most difficult things to do with jewelry is learning how to wrap wire. Before you begin, you want to ask yourself, 'what do I want to make?' Are you interested in wrapping wire to make rings, pendants, charms, earrings, or bracelets? This will help narrow it down. Once you decide, then you can begin to gather supplies and tools. If you decide to make rings, it's easier if you wrap the wire around small objects that you can find in your home. This includes liter bottle caps, wine corks, toilet paper rolls, or any type of small round objects.

What Do I Need? Basic Jewelry Supplies and Tools for Wire Wrapping:

1. Round wire (sizes 16, 18 or 20-gauge)
2. Beads (optional) sized between 6-10mm
3. Round or Chain Nose Pliers
4. Wire Cutters
5. Round small objects or 'ring mandrel' - any object that you can wrap the wire around to make it into a ring.

 

Tutorials on Wire Wrapping Rings:

• Wire Wrap Beaded Rings
• Stone Rings
• Knitted Bow Ring
• 13 DIY Jewelry Crafts
• Instructables: Wire Wrapping Tutorial
• Buying Tools and Supplies for Wire Wrapping

Alien Jewelry: Earrings, Pendants, Charms

Jewelry, Aliens, and UFO's. Never thought those words could be connected? Well we found a niche online made up of a small group of jewelry artisans who seem to love designing these beings. These artisans handcraft alien eyes, bodies, and UFO spaceships out of wire or polymer clay. There seems to be a market for it, especially on Etsy.com

Often when we think of 'alien' we picture green 'dudes,' however these artists present their jewelry as gray beings, or gold and brown. Do we really know the true skin color of alien beings? Or is there more than one? If humans have multiple skin colors, what do aliens have? 

Here's a list of Handmade Alien Earrings, Necklaces, Charms, Pendants:

1. Necklace: UFO Silver Pendant

2. Pendant: Alien Face Pendant for Necklace

3. Charms: Alien Body in Sterling Silver

4. Earrings: Blue and Silver UFO

 

6. Earrings: Black and Gold Alien Body Earrings 

5. Pendant and Charm: Silver Alien Head and Black Eyes 

 

 

 Do you know any Alien Artisan Designers? 

Is Jewelry Gendered?

Is Jewelry 'gender specific'? What Type of Men Wear Jewelry? For What Purpose? 

Men and women both wore jewelry in prehistoric times for symbolic reasons. Men, especially rulers and wealthy folk, wore jewelry to emphasize control, money, power, and honor. Handcrafted pieces were constructed differently for each gender and crafted from multiple fabrics, metals, and ornaments (charms, pendants). 

Wearing certain pieces of jewelry reflected an individual's social rank and class status. In this case, warriors and rulers wore head dresses, special garments, and jewelry to emphasize 'male honor.' 

 

Currently, there are many native societies around the world where both men and women wear jewelry to reflect their traditional rituals (puberty, passage into adulthood).  Warriors within the Naga culture of India wear large necklaces to symbolize honor in killing, or 'headhunting'. Necklaces are constructed of animal skulls, fur, brass rings, and feathers. Other native cultures in Indonesia and the Philippines dress themselves with rings and large 'red hornbill' earrings.

In this modern era, is hyper-masculinity causing men to rethink about wearing large hoops, earrings, and bracelets?

Further Reading:

"Jewelry and Gender," Thesis Paper by Rebecca Ross Russell