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Available in a wide variety of formulas, epoxy resins are used in jewelry making as adhesives, as coatings, and for casting. This reference article outlines the safety requirements for mixing and working with epoxy resins and introduces how to use adhesive and coating epoxy resins to include images and found objects in your work. The three featured projects demonstrate how to capture images in open and closed bezels as well as how to make a three-dimensional collage by layering resin in a deep reservoir.....
(2007) Complete Story
Before photography, lockets were decorated with miniature, handpainted portraits -- a luxury few could afford. The advent of affordable photographic miniatures propelled the locket to the forefront of jewelry fashion during the sentimental Victorian era. Between 1890 and 1920, ornately crafted lockets were suspended from bracelets, necklaces, brooches, belts, and chatelaines. Ladies of fashion were not seen without one, and men wore them on their watch chains. During World War I, many soldiers wore lockets into battle as a reminder of loved ones at home. Lockets have since fallen out of fashion, and distinctive lockets are hard to find. With this project, you no longer have to rely on a fashion trend to have a high-quality locket -- you can create your own. You will learn how to make the traditional hinged locket and an easier slide locket.... (null) Complete Story
Throughout the history of jewelry making, metalsmiths have strived to perfect not only their artistry, but their materials as well. In this ongoing quest, innovative metallurgists have produced new white metals in an attempt to combine all the virtues of existing metals while eliminating all the disadvantages. Their goal was to create a metal that resisted tarnish and firescale, that was both malleable and durable, that had a pure white color, and that didnt cost a fortune.
The majority of these experimental alloys have been based on traditional alloy recipes with the addition of a few other elements. Most alloys gained some resistance to firescale and tarnish only to sacrifice the necessary malleability, or they added costs by requiring the metalsmith to buy new tools and buffs to prevent contamination.... (2006) Complete Story
