The Charms of Mixed-Media Jewelry

When I was a little girl, my aunts started a gold charm bracelet for me. For several years, on each birthday and Christmas, a tiny package arrived with a new charm. I still have it-wore it on my wedding day as my something blue, because some of the charms have blue stones.

What luck! You can make this charming necklace or any number of variations with our Charmed & Lucky Mixed-Media Jewelry Kit.

There's a ballerina with a sapphire- and ruby-studded tutu (marking my one year of ballet at age 5), a comb and scissors from when I had my hair cut short (the same year), a garnet heart, a skate, and so on. In addition to the stones, some of the charms have enameling and etching on them. Beautiful, intricate work you just don't see today.

My favorite charm is a birthday cake, frosted with creamy white enamel. The top of the cake opens, and-inexplicably-there is a candle inside. I always got a kick out of that.

While the popularity of charm bracelets come and go, charms themselves always seem to appeal. I think we like how each charm represents a chapter in the story of our lives.

I know lots of artists make their own mixed-media jewelry, including charms. For the lucky month of March (St. Patrick's Day and my birthday), we've put together a kit full of goodies you can use to make a memorable piece of mixed-media jewelry.

Cloth Paper Scissors Editorial Director Jenn Mason played with the components of this Charmed & Lucky Mixed-Media Jewelry Kit and came up with the Lucky U necklace pictured here.

"Working on this necklace was a lot fun and a little bit stressful. At every turn I had a different idea I would want to try," says Jenn.

gold and enamel charm bracelet mixed media jewelry techniques
My charm bracelet, with the enameled birthday cake. Lucky me!

The directions for the finished Lucky U necklace will walk you through the making of this finished piece, but Jenn considered many ways of using the ICED Enamels, Stencil Girl custom stencil, heart blanks, and jewelry findings in this kit.

Here is a list:

  • Cover one heart entirely with the Iced Enamels 
  • Cover half of the heart with the Iced Enamels
  • Instead of melting the Iced Enamels, try floating them in the Ice Resin
  • Use Iced Enamels on one heart and sheet music on the other
  • Use acrylic paint to stencil one heart
  • Cover one heart entirely with Iced Enamels and then stencil over it with acrylic
  • Use sheer and velvet lace for the necklace
  • Use chain instead of ribbon for the necklace
  • Make a cuff instead of a necklace
  • Use the little hearts to make matching earrings
  • Add found objects and your own mixed-media jewelry techniques

The kit, which includes the jewelry-making supplies plus an instructional DVD and an eBook will allow you to create your own lucky charms.

This Charmed & Lucky Mixed-Media Jewelry Kit is available for a limited time. Once they're gone, you're out of luck!

P.S. What's your lucky charm? Leave your answer below.

Categories

Art to Wear, Blog, Mixed-Media Jewelry

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