Simple Leather Bracelet Tutorial

A little while ago my fellow AJE team mate Caroline sent me some gorgeous Greek cast metal closures and charms with a lovely verdigris patina. They just screamed out leather bracelet and I thought I share this simple summery design with you today...

Materials

Mykonos cast hook and eye clasp set

Mykonos Charm (optional)

7" 6mm leather cord (or length to fit wrist)

2 x 14" pieces copper wire 18SWG/16AWG
1 large hole bead
Flat/round nose pliers
Wire cutters
LOS
Clear Epoxy adhesive
6mm mandrel/knitting pin/leather scrap

Step 1
Take one piece of wire and wrap around your mandrel 10 times making sure it's not too tight so that you can remove the wrapped piece from the mandrel and get it onto the leather.

Step 2
Using round nose pliers take the end of the wire and begin turning a coil in the wire. Transfer to flat nose pliers and continue coiling until you have 3 rings.

Step 3
Continue wrapping the wire around the mandrel until the coil is level with it. Press the coil flat against the wrapped wire as shown. Trim the tail end of the wire on the underside with the coil on top.

Step 4
Repeat steps 1 to 3 to create a second piece that mirrors the first.

Step 5
File or sand out any tool marks and use LOS to oxidise both pieces together with a jump ring if you're using a charm. polish back with wire wool, tumble or polish.

Step 6
Thread the bead onto the leather and thread a copper element on either side. Make sure the focal element is centred then gently press the ends of the wires on the underside into the leather to stop any movement, taking care not to mar the leather on top.

Step 7
Use epoxy adhesive to glue the closure fittings onto the leather taking care to line the hook and eye up. Leave to dry.

Step 8 - Optional

Use the jump ring to attach a charm to the eye section of the clasp.

And that's all there is to it...

I actually decided that this particular charm was a little too large and I left it off so this is my finished bracelet...

I've been wearing this since I finished it and it's very comfortable. I really like it as it is but if you want to add a charm there are smaller versions available like these cute little shells.

Supplier list

Mykonos components - The Artisan Bead Compan

6mm leather cord - Cords and Wires

Lampwork Bead - Studio Juls     

Copper wire - Wires.co.uk  

Happy creating!

Shank Button Earrings - a Quick How To

If there's one thing that frustrates me about designing jewellery it's having an idea in my head and struggling to make it work with elements that aren't specifically designed for the purpose but, I am pretty determined and it's not often I give up on something.

I bought a lot of gorgeous Green Girl Studio pieces when I visited Bead Fest in the summer including these two sugar skulls which I thought would make cute earrings. They are in fact shank buttons and because they are top heavy and concave at the back I was having troubling fixing them in a way that stopped them tipping forward. I tried jump rings, wire wrapping and looked at attaching them to a back plate but the effect wasn't really what I wanted.

But then after playing around for a while and as often happens I came up with a simple solution involving a length of 18swg annealed steel wire - tough to work with but perfect for what I had in mind. With some bending and determination I managed to get the wire through the shank twice to create a loop and using two pairs of pliers pulled the wire around a pair of bail making pliers to create a neater smaller loop. I then pulled the two ends of the wire down round the shank, twisted it a couple of times and then trimmed the wire.

I used round nose pliers to to turn simple loops in towards the shank. I then made some droppers by threading flower and pewter beads onto some hard wire head pins and turning a simple loop at the top. The open loops were attached to the loops at the back of the button and closed. The wire structure is pressed snugly against the button back and stops any unwanted movement or tipping (the droppers create movement on the earring but if you prefer them rigid you could just extend the steel wire, add beads to that and finish with turned loops)

Add a couple of ear wires and voila - a cute pair of earrings.

So frustrating as it was at the start ultimately I ended up with a technique that may open up lots of possibilities for other components...what's not to love.

UK readers may like to know that Green Girl studios are now available in the UK from The Artisan Bead Company a new online shop set up by our very own Caroline.

Lesley
The Gossiping Goddess