Jewelry-Making Articles
Nature Walk Jewelry
by Leslie, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®
Many jewelry designers say they find inspiration in nature. Every season has its own beauty with unique palettes and textures. So why not get outside and be inspired? Take a walk! But, you may ask, how can I design and take a walk? Try creating nature walk jewelry. It's good for your heart--literally and figuratively.
Walking is good for you. According to the American Heart Association, walking can help reduce the risk of heart disease while helping manage conditions such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. On top of that, walking also has the potential to reduce the chances of osteoporosis and stroke. Not to mention, taking a walk tends to have a positive influence on overall mood by releasing endorphins. As far as the effects go for designing, walking exposes you to the beauty of the world around you and is often cited as a favorite way to get out of a rut or boost creativity.
Nature designs might have a little more to choose from depending on where you live. Don't fret, though, there's always something to find. Vacations are an ideal time to keep your eyes peeled for something new to incorporate in your jewelry, as well. Here are a few examples of organic objects so you--and your customers--can wear nature.
Be on the Lookout For:
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Flowers (please don’t pick from anyone’s yard without permission)
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Twigs
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Leaves
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Moss or other groundcover
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Clovers
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Pinecone pieces
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Pine needles
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Acorns
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Seeds (fruit seeds, too)
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Dandelion wishes
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Dead honeycomb/hive (aside from being dangerous to stick your hand in a live habitat, we need bees to pollinate so please only use obviously vacated specimens)
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Driftwood
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Shell fragments
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Mushroom caps
Note: Some objects may have to be dried and pressed before use.
Now that you’ve foraged for jewelry embellishments, how do you go about using them? Molds.
Resins
Clear resins and acrylics continue to be a fashion-world staple. Combine this trending look with the timeless appeal of Mother Nature by setting your nature walk findings into resins using Deep Flex™ or silicone molds. Simply place your found object in the mold and fill with resin, then pop out after curing. For dimensional pieces, pour and allow the resin to cure, and then add more objects and layers. Resin can also be dyed or mixed with glitter. The result is a preserved piece of nature in a bangle bracelet or focal component shapes such as go-go, heart, rectangle, teardrop, awareness ribbon and more to incorporate in your jewelry. To round out or expand retail offerings, there are a number of finished nature jewelry pieces in this style available, as well.
| Clays
Maybe you found only a portion of a leaf and you’d rather just use the intriguing vein pattern rather than the whole piece. Or, let’s say you came across some adorable acorns you want to keep and re-use for other projects, but still want to create with them now. Tammy Honaman, expert jewelry designer and instructor, does just this with redwood acorns by using metal clay. She has complete instructions in a how-to video so you can make an
''Acorn Bracelet''. Use the same steps you learn in the video to then convert anything in nature into jewelry components. This technique uses molds, but in a little different way than the resins. Instead of using an existing mold, create your own with Art Clay® World five-minute silicone or other molding compounds |
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You’ll be amazed by what you find just lying around, waiting to become a part of your custom creations. Look around whenever you go out, and not only will you discover jewelry components, you also may find yourself taking in more of your surroundings and enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature.
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