The Beadful Life @ BeadFX: InspirationFX: Dangerously Beautiful

Sunday, March 09, 2014

InspirationFX: Dangerously Beautiful

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

Dangerously Beautiful
by: Dwyn Tomlinson
Watch out - this bracelet is so beautiful, you might lose your mind. Or, at the very least, be accosted by total strangers who want to take a closer look.

I also think it would make a fabulous choker - just make it a little longer and use a lobster claw and a short piece of chain instead for a clasp. But given that I am long past the age or weight at which you wear a choker, I leave that to the younger, slenderer crowd.

I have to admit - I was directly inspired by the displays at the Wire Lace booth in Tucson - who gave me their blessing to steal the idea. They had a completely different style of center decoration, but if you have been wondering what to do with the Wire Luxe - this is a delightful way to use it!

I made this over a couple of days, as I needed curing time between stages.

First - glue the stones into the findings and set them aside to cure.
Trim the wire luxe to the length you want, and make sure the ends are straight and tidy. (I used 7.5 inches.)
Make two loops of wire to embed into the clay for attaching the clasp. I like to make them like a hangar with a loop instead of a hook, so there is a larger section that goes inside the clay, so there is no chance of it pulling out.
Next, mix up a batch of epoxy clay. Have a plastic bag handy for a working surface - something you can peel the clay off if it sticks. You are going to need 5 balls of clay - so mix up a goodly bit. (About the size of a walnut. Maybe a walnut and a half.) Pry the top off your MetalFX mica powder before you start - so that you aren't trying to do it while sticking to everything.
Don a pair of latex (or nitrile) gloves. Mix the clay - equal parts A and B, and mix together by rolling into a snake, folding, squishing, rolling, stretching, folding, etc. Make sure that the two colours are evenly blended and there are no streaks.
Divide the clay into 5 balls. Reglove - so that you do not get sticky finger prints on anything. Place a ball of clay behind the metal bezel finding, and press the finding onto the centre of the wire luxe. Add the two on additional settings on either side.
Split your remaining balls into two, and flatten. Press the end of the wire luxe onto one flattened piece clay, add the wire loop, and top with the other flattened circle of clay. Smooth, shape, and make sure the edges meet and seal up.
Do the same for the other end.
Douse in the MetalFX powder, and leave the whole thing to cure. Before it cures completely (after about an hour or so), make sure you can peel the clay off the working surface so that it is not permanently attached to your kitchen table.
When cured (24 hours), mix up another batch of clay, a little smaller this time, and make three more balls. The clay beneath the bezel finding will stick to the wire luxe and squish into it, but it seemed like it would be possible to pull them off, so the additional clay makes the wire luxe into a sandwich. Flatten the 3 balls onto the back of the bracelet to cover the backs of the findings (see photo) and douse with MetalFX powder if you wish. Let cure.
When cured, 24 hours again, add your clasp with jumprings, and you are good to go!