Recently, a friend of mine gave me a pile of broken pieces he had no use for. He said 'Here, make something out of this.' Challenge accepted! Here I will show you step by step how I took those broken pieces and made something completely different.
So I started out with a pair of Coro earrings missing stones and had damaged faux pearls. A large rhinestone brooch that had the clasp broken off and the two layered pieces were loose. A huge gold tone god awful necklace with broken chains, an elastic rhinestone necklace with no clasp and a pair of gold tone hoop earrings.
I started by cutting off the backs of the earrings.
I then removed all of the stones and gave it a good brushing to remove all the residual glue. I always use a soft brush so I don't scratch the metal.
I removed the stones from the brooch and brushed that as well.
I popped them into the ultrasonic to shake loose all the extra junk.
To fix the loose back on the brooch I used a punch to spread the metal then gave it a quick shot of solder to hold it firm.
I harvested the rhinestones from the elastic necklace to replace the damaged faux pearls. (Ignore my hands, they get really gross when I work!)
I don't see a hand modeling contract in my future |
I cleaned all the stones very gently with rubbing alcohol and a soft brush to remove any glue residue and to help them sit in the setting more securely.
Shameless Target plug |
Now all the pieces are clean and ready to be set.
I have no idea what this thing is. I found it in my husbands model making stuff. I think it's a tiny foam paint applicator. I stuck a blob of beeswax on to the end so I can pick up the stones easily and place them in the setting without gluing my fingers together. (This happens quite often for me!)
I shall call you 'Weird Made Up Sticky Stone Setter' |
I let the stones sit overnight to make sure the glue hardened and the stones were secure. Now we are ready for assembly!
I attached the filigree findings that were on the brooch to join the earrings and a section of the the hoop earrings to attach the chain.
I added the final filigree finding to attach a tassel that I removed from the old necklace.
Voilà! A brand new piece someone will love once again!
I hope you enjoyed my little peek of how I turn those old broken pieces into ones that can be worn again. Maybe you will be inspired to try it yourself. If you have questions about any techniques give me a shout, I would love to share with you! Let me know what you think and if you have any pieces you have created using old jewelry post them, I love to see other people's creativity!
Help save our environment and preserve the past. Turn those broken items into something special and save the earth at the same time!
Cheers!