[shopify product=http://metalopiajewelry.com/products/dainty-bird-necklace-by-nici-laskin]
Tag Archives: bird
turtle doves
turtle dove ring set
I made this ring set out of sterling silver , my hubby is not sure if guys would like a ring in the shape of a bird , but I like them maybe you guys like them too the stone I used is a swiss blue topaz
out of this 🙂
I used 18 gauge sterling silver
drew the birds directly on the sheet
cut them out with a jewelry saw
the saw I use is a 6 inch saw ( distance between blade and the back part ) and 1/0 saw blades – my eyes are getting a bit weak so I have to feel now with my thumb to make sure the teeth are in the right direction
sawed out birds with extra length so that you can make a ring shank
added texture
formed the rings so that the ends meet
the fun part is soldering
I love fire and my small welder ( its a hydroflux welder I got 2 years ago for my birthday – safer than a torch ) normally the flame is green but my flux solution is in need of replacing
soldered rings
the blackness comes from oxidation
after bathing the rings in a cleaning solution
the solution is called Pickle and will get rid of the blackness turning the metal white
now the rings are getting formed
ring mandrel and a nylon hammer will make sure you get a perfect round shape
I wanted to add a stone to the smaller ring
I am lazy so I used a bought bezel cup to hold the stone and soldered that to the ring
almost finished they just need to be polished
I use a so called flex shaft ( dremel with a hose ) which is basically the same thing your dentist has for the drills
cleaned rings
added some black max ( patina )
polished again
added the stone
i saw that the ring with the stone did not have the patina for the eye so I had to do that
ring for her
ring for him
hope you liked it 🙂
nici laskin
guitar pick
Not a tutorial but still pretty neat 🙂
Its a sterling silver guitar pick with a Phoenix 🙂
a leather wrap bracelet
I made a code of arms wrap bracelet for this tutorial
cut out your shield as the base and whatever you desire on it
I used 20 gauge sterling silver
make sure your shape fits well on your shield without overlapping
Cutting out that bird was not easy by the way ,Its really tiny and detailed
solder both together
dome your shield in a dabbing block
of if you do not have one you can keep it flat
clean the back of the shield with sand paper
cut some short strips of flat wire
bend with a needle nose plier into a U shape
make sure it fits well
solder the u’s to the back
clean in your Pickel solution
you can always look through my albums and other tutorials for more info
this is after the cleaning bath
start polishing
add patina
poish only the bird so it stands out from the shield
feed a leather cord or any other cord through the u shapes
I use slip knots to make the bracelet adjustable
wrap around your arm and enjoy
the winged ring
“the winged one ” I made a sterling ring today
with brass wings
I like to combine metals and sterling and gold is one of my favorites ,however gold is mighty expensive so I usually make a sterling and brass prototype before working with gold
I think this is more suitable for a male so – dad will get it
draw some narrow wings on a piece of paper
stick/glue the ings to your metl sheet
I am using 20 gauge brass ( 0.8mm thick )
draw your ring shank onto sterling silver
this is 18 gauge ( 1 mm thick )
cut out your wings and your ring shank via jewelry saw and 1/0 saw blades
make sure the ring shank and the wings fit
solder your wings onto the ring shank
I use extra easy silver solder , after soldering quench in water and clean in Pickel solution
add your texture for the wings
cut the ring shank to length
bend until the ends meet flush and solder again
clean in the Pickel solution until the sterling turns from black to white
form the ring on a ring mandrel with a nylon hammer
polish inside
polish outside
add patina to bring out the texture
polish again
Copper Bird Bracelet
This is actually a very simple thing to make . You start out with a wide copper strip ,I used 1 1/2 inch by 16 inch17 gauge copper for this cuff bracelet . Draw your bird onto the bracelet strip or on a piece of paper . Pierce the inside of the wings and the inside of the birds body and cut out the bird. When you are done with cutting out file the edges nice and smooth . Form your bracelet on a mandrel either oval or round until you are satisfied with the shape . Start polishing with either a polisher or use steel wool or sand paper .
