And in This Cage...
I realize it's been a few weeks since my last post. I've actually done quite a bit of crafting in that time, so I'm excited to finally start sharing them here, starting with:
2 styles of cage bracelets!
I actually took a class at my local A.C. Moore to learn how to make these. The one on the right is the one I learned in class: a classic caged-bead bracelet, made with iridescent crystal beads.
I usually reverse engineer a lot of things, but I am really glad I took a class for this because it turns out that there is quite a bit of trial and error involved in the sizing; it's not just about the size of the bead and jump rings, but also about the wire gauge. It turned out that the jump rings I bought were too small and thick and it was really helpful to be able to test the sizing with the instructor's stock stash before exchanging.
This was so much fun that I had to start another one. That's the one you see on the left: a caged-pearl bracelet variation, in purple.
The purple jump rings only came in set sizes and they were too large for the project; the pearls kept falling out. I can get really stubborn while crafting, so instead of abandoning the project, I decided to try a variation and it worked. The tiny jump rings in the middle tightened the spaces enough to hold the pearls in their cages. This bracelet is actually going to be a birthday gift for my best friend... whether or not it's a surprise will depend on if she's seen this blog post yet! ;-)
Tip on caged bracelets: If you're using pearls or anything spherical, the jump rings that you buy should be just large enough that the pearl easily slips through the whole of a single jump ring but without too much empty space in between. That may sound a little counter-intuitive, but there needs to be enough space for the jump rings to be layered without creating so much space that the pearl slips through. If you're using beads, the jump ring either needs to be slightly smaller or have a thicker wire gauge. I discovered that the angles of the bead create extra space, so it needs to be tighter.
2 styles of cage bracelets!
I actually took a class at my local A.C. Moore to learn how to make these. The one on the right is the one I learned in class: a classic caged-bead bracelet, made with iridescent crystal beads.
I usually reverse engineer a lot of things, but I am really glad I took a class for this because it turns out that there is quite a bit of trial and error involved in the sizing; it's not just about the size of the bead and jump rings, but also about the wire gauge. It turned out that the jump rings I bought were too small and thick and it was really helpful to be able to test the sizing with the instructor's stock stash before exchanging.
This was so much fun that I had to start another one. That's the one you see on the left: a caged-pearl bracelet variation, in purple.
The purple jump rings only came in set sizes and they were too large for the project; the pearls kept falling out. I can get really stubborn while crafting, so instead of abandoning the project, I decided to try a variation and it worked. The tiny jump rings in the middle tightened the spaces enough to hold the pearls in their cages. This bracelet is actually going to be a birthday gift for my best friend... whether or not it's a surprise will depend on if she's seen this blog post yet! ;-)
Tip on caged bracelets: If you're using pearls or anything spherical, the jump rings that you buy should be just large enough that the pearl easily slips through the whole of a single jump ring but without too much empty space in between. That may sound a little counter-intuitive, but there needs to be enough space for the jump rings to be layered without creating so much space that the pearl slips through. If you're using beads, the jump ring either needs to be slightly smaller or have a thicker wire gauge. I discovered that the angles of the bead create extra space, so it needs to be tighter.
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