Copper and Turquoise bracelet

As promised here is the first of the jewellery pieces I made as part of my commitment as a member of the Alphastamps Design Team.

I usually only make my jewellery in the evenings after putting in a full day working on my quilts but when it's for Alphastamps I consider it as work and I allow myself to do it during the day. Don't ask about the reasoning behind this as I would find it very hard to explain, even to myself, but that's how it is!

I was really stunned to see all the goodies that came my way via Alphastamps (from Nunn Design) as it was so to my own taste. All the jewellery components were in copper and the beads came in green, blue and turquoise.

Turquoise is really the complimentary colour to copper (if you look on it as orange) and they grabbed my attention first. And this is the bracelet I came up with.

Here is how I made it:

Bezel 2 size 14 blue Swarovski rivolis, using your preferred method. I used the method given by Laura McCabe in her book Creating Crystal Jewellery with Swarovski. I used copper coloured size 11 cylinder beads (AK740), blue size 15 seed beads and copper size 15 Czech Charlottes. As a final step I added metallic blue/green size 11 seed beads to the middle ring of cylinder beads. To two of these seed beads (opposite each other) add a ring of 5 size 15 blue seed beads.

Starting at the centre of the bracelet with the copper fern connector (Nunn Design via Alphastamps), use a 2.5” length of copper wire, make a wrapped look through the hole at one side of the branch ornament, string a size 4 mm turquoise pearl onto the wire and make another wrapped look, this time going through the seed bead ring of one of the bezelled rivolis.

Using a 3” length of copper wire, make a wrapped loop going through the seed bead ring on the opposite side of the bezelled rivolli, string a copper bead cap, a size 6 mm turquoise pearl, another bead cap and finish with a wrapped loop.

Using a 2.5” length of copper wire, make a wrapped loop going through the end loop of the 6mm pearl mentioned above, string on a size 4 mm turquoise pearl and make another wrapped loop, this time going through the loop of the copper fastening.

Make the other side of the bracelet in the same way, finishing by attaching to the fastening ring.

Using the small heart pendant (Nunn Design via Alphastamps), make a collage by cutting out the heart shaped nymph image from the Bathing Beauties collage sheet, put it into the heart pendant, and overlay it with the rose transparency (from Alphastamps Parrots sheet), also cut to the same heart shape. Add 3D Crystal Lacquer, following the manufacturer’s instructions and let dry.

Once dry, thread the heart pendant on a 2” length of fine copper chain (Nunn Design), thread both ends of the chain trhough a copper jumpring and also thread on the fastening ring, close the jumpring.

I love bracelets with dangly bits, even though it's hugely impractical when I'm working and I love how this one hangs down so people can admire (I hope!!) the collaged pendant.