Spring Jewelry Projects: Find Your Jewelry Design Inspiration in Springtime
Happy Spring! Yes, it is indeed springtime. At least, according to the calendar it is. But depending on where you live, you might be hard-pressed to find it. In fact, on the first day of spring in Pennsylvania, I built a snowman/snow angel in my backyard. Sure, it was fun, but hardly spring-like.
ABOVE: Photo: Getty Images.
So yes, I’m definitely ready for spring! Birds, flowers, budding trees, warm weather, even rain . . . bring it all on. And since spring hasn’t quite appeared outside my window yet, I’m forced to make it myself. And fortunately, spring serves as fantastic inspiration for spring jewelry designs and colors and themes.
Spring Jewelry: How to Make a Picture Cabochon
My favorite way to use various themes in my spring jewelry designs is to create my own picture cabochons. It’s a simple technique that you can easily make your own, for spring or anytime. You just need plain domed clear glass cabs, clear Mod Podge (or your favorite sealant), a brush, a pen, scissors, and sturdy paper. If you have a talent for drawing or painting, you can make your own appropriately sized images. Unfortunately, even though I come from a family of extremely talented fine artists, that particular talent skipped me. So I find royalty-free images suitable for spring jewelry online, save them, reduce them to the size of the cab I’m making, and print them out.
After you have your image, seal the paper with a very thin layer of sealant and let it dry completely. Then place your glass cab on the portion of the image you want to use and draw a circle around the outside of the cab. Cut out the image just inside your circle. (The image should be just a hair smaller than your glass.)
Apply a thin layer of sealant to both the image you cut out and the flat side of the cab. (Make sure to use a very limited amount of sealant. You want the image to stick, but you don’t want air bubbles or extra sealant messing up the final cab.) Rub the paper image gently to squeeze out any extraneous sealant, and press down carefully. Make sure that the image is centered in the glass.
Let the cab dry completely. Trim off any paper that might be hanging over the edge of your cab. Add a final layer of sealant to the back of your cab to finish it off. Let it dry. With a warm, damp, clean cloth, carefully remove any sealant from the front of your cab.
And there you have it! Your own picture cab to set any way you want.
Spring Jewelry: Glass Cabochon Picture Pendants
I like to set my picture cabs in cold-connected “envelope” pendants. And I may have gone a bit nuts on the spring jewelry theme.
Birds. Really, who doesn’t like birds? And there’s no better sign of spring than the return of the little fliers. I particularly love hummingbirds and chickadees–which inspired two of my favorite pendants (above and below).
And another sign that spring has sprung is, naturally, the flowers budding in the garden. I made this pendant of a woman holding a lily that I especially like. Not only does it have a cool floral theme, it uses one of my favorite spring colors–a lovely coral/orange.
Speaking of colors, you’ll also find the loveliest colors in springtime. I’m very fond of pastel colors that remind me of Easter eggs. (Happy Easter, by the way.) My favorite color is green, and a nice pastel shade of green is especially spring-like. And while I really don’t like bugs, I do admit to a fondness for dragonflies. In fact, you’ll find dragonflies in many of my jewelry designs. So I used an image of a dragonfly with pastel greens and blues to make this pendant for my sister. (It’s a family thing. We all like dragonflies.)
Spring Jewelry Making for Everyone
No matter which jewelry-making technique you prefer or which pieces you like to make, this is the one the best times of year to find inspiration all around you. And if you want to explore new techniques to really make your inspiration come to life, check out the jewelry-making video downloads, currently available for only $10! You’ll definitely find something to make your spring jewelry creations . . . after the snowmen melt.
Spring ahead!
–Karla
Managing Editor, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist
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