Custom stamped metal jewelry is all the rage right now, so I thought I would try my hand at it and found out just how easy it is to make yourself!
I started out with some darling ready-made 7 Gypsies charmss:
Since they come two to a package, that was perfect for my two daughters and two pendants I wanted to make! Next, I used some Vintaj Natural Brass jewelry circle blanks (34mm) on which to do my custom metal stamping.
The metal punch set "stamps" are in the blue and red boxes you see in the photo above (the red box is the number set). The letters and numbers are on the ends of steel "pegs" that you use to hammer/stamp into the metal jewelry blank. I found it very easy to stamp into the thin brass blank with just two gentle but firm taps of the hammer. You'll probably want to get an extra blank or two to practice on first, so you can get the feel of how much force it takes to get a good impression in the metal. You'll also need to steady your hand (just keep your pinky finger on your work surface while holding the peg and hammering), to prevent an unwanted shadow effect from the peg jumping around. You'll need to use a hard surface to work on, such as a steel bench block (or perhaps a brick?) that is used for jewelry making.
Please note: The alpha punch set size I used was 1/8" inch (3mm) tall, but the only size left in the store at this time is the slightly larger 1/4" 6mm size.
After stamping, your jewelry blank will naturally be a little warped from all of the impressions:
Just turn the blank over onto the back side and use a rubber mallet to flatten it back out:
Since these pendants are for my pre and young teen daughters, I thought they might like a shinier brass look, as opposed to the naturally worn/vintage brass patina of the blanks I used (which I prefer!). So I used Vintaj's Metal Reliefing Block to buff the brass to remove some of the patina and make a shinier finish. In the photo below, the right side has been buffed:
Here's the finished Alix/heart pendant:
Notice I positioned my daughter's names on the very bottom of the circles, so they could still be seen when the charms are covering them. I put Alix's pendant on a black lether necklace.
Here's Alyssa's finished star pendant, on an antique silver ball chain:
To get the spacing of your sentiment straight, you could use a straight edge/ruler to draw a pencil line but I had no trouble just eyeing it. However, I did print my message on paper, found the center of each phrase, and then started stamping from the center to the right and then to the left of center.
This was so much fun . . . I see a lot more custom stamped jewelry in my future! Many thanks for joining me here in the CLASSroom this year, I'll be back in 2013 with more projects for you!
Happy New Year ~ Sharon
{Supplies}
