The Design Gallery
Follow along with step-by-step beading projects and share your designs with beaders around the world—it’s quick & easy!
Chatter
on “Wild Jasper”:“I like it! great colors…” read »
- on “Spring flowers”:
“Cute!…” read »
on “Fairest of Them All Journal”:“Thank all of you ladies for your lovely comments.…” read »
on “All the luck!”:“Thank you very much all !!…” read »
on “Wild Jasper”:“This is so beautiful. That Jasper is gorgeous.…” read »
- on “Wild Jasper”:
“Soothing sea colors. I love this!…” read »
on “Little Green Man”:“Thanks for all your lovely comments!!…” read »
on “Fairest of Them All Journal”:“Lovely creativity! So fun and happy and joyful!…” read »
- on “Hardware Copper and Bones”:
“Very interesting components! Nice composition, too.…” read »
- on “Wild Jasper”:
“This is simple yet stunning and went straight to my Faves!…” read »
on “Coral Coasts Bracelet”:“Love the colors and the design using the new chain. This bracelet actually determined my…” read »
on “Fairest of Them All Journal”:“Great journal! This would be a place to display my wonderful 1967 Mardi Gras trophy bead-string.…” read »
- on “Repurposed Steel Pendant”:
“Lovely.. . for some reason it makes me think of an elegant succulent dish-garden I saw…” read »
on “Fused Glass & Lava Rock Mala Necklace”:“This is very pretty. I like the spring shades in the tassel. And the matching beads…” read »
- on “Wild Jasper”:
“I remember now...it's blue calsilica jasper and LB has some gorgeous strands!…” read »
- on “Wild Jasper”:
“I can't recall the name I have always known it by, but I agree that the…” read »
- on “Repurposed Steel Pendant”:
“Excellent repurposing! Very original and great colors!…” read »
- on “Fairest of Them All Journal”:
“Very pretty journal! I've seen several very pretty journal covers on YouTube by some artists…” read »
on “Coral Coasts Bracelet”:“I’m so glad you posted a new way to use that pretty bead chain as well…” read »
- on “Little Green Man”:
“The contest between the mask and the copper chain above is pretty.…” read »
- on “Little Green Man”:
“This is super. I did not know you could patina pewter. Did you patina…” read »
- on “Wild Jasper”:
“Great necklace!! I love the natural organic look.…” read »
on “Little Green Man”:“Very unusual and wonderful necklace! Gives an ancient feeling immediately, like being part of a tribe.…” read »
on “Little Green Man”:“Wow is right! The focal is exceptional and the colors are perfect with it.…” read »
- on “Speed”:
“A speedometer cable! What a novel idea. I'm all for unusual components and that cable…” read »
- on “Lazy weekend fun”:
“Great bracelets and what's not to love about Kingman turquoise! And those artichokes are just…” read »
- on “Coral Coasts Bracelet”:
“This is really beautiful! Love the colors. I've never worked with waxed linen. This makes me…” read »
- on “Raven Pearls”:
“Rich, rich color! I love pearls of every color and shape. Beautiful color combo…” read »
- on “Spring flowers”:
“Spring is here, (almost)! Enamel work is always so fantastic and your pieces are no…” read »
- on “Amethyst and Ametrine”:
“Amethyst and gold are always a great color combo. Ditto to all of the above…” read »
- on “Tumbled Citrine”:
“Love the rich golden color of the nuggets. Great color and design.…” read »
- on “Coral Coasts Bracelet”:
“I think this is a great bracelet...not real sure about the sliding square knot, but I…” read »
- on “Lazy weekend fun”:
“All are lovely! I especially like the blue bracelet and that focal bead!…” read »
- on “Little Green Man”:
“Tomasina....the mask is patina ed pewter. It's from a shop on Etsy called Inviciti. Thanks!…” read »
- on “Little Green Man”:
“Love your colors! Prehnite has always been a favorite of mine. Love the original…” read »
- on “Spring flowers”:
“These are fabulous! Thanks for posting! I made a silk scarf (painted,dyed) once many years ago,…” read »
on “Balanced in Blue”:“Beautiful design that looks so elegant and expensive! It also looks so time consuming and…” read »
- on “Little Green Man”:
“Please tell what the mask is made of, who made it, and where you found it,…” read »
- on “Amethyst and Ametrine”:
“Beautiful! The chunky stones look great with the more detailed gold components and the smooth tubes.…” read »
- on “Little Green Man”:
“Oh wow! This is just fantastic! You definately did the focal justice. I love each and…” read »
Hidden Treasures
About this design:
I just love these vintage looking lockets, and I'm in a real gunmetal phase right now, so when I started experimenting with Gilders Paste, I thought I'd see what it would do to gunmetal. This was one of my first projects with the Gilders Paste, and I'm really happy with the results. I liked the idea of old and crusty meets something amazing like the tiny seed pearls.
Buy the supplies:
The products in this design are listed below.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
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Step 1: You're going to want to prep all of your pieces. I added color to two Stampt gears for the inside of the locket as well as the locket itself, you may want to layer gears inside the locket, so decide how many you want and scratch the surfaces up with some fine to medium grit sand paper or a foam sanding block. The block is my favorite, as you can really get into crevices and corners with it. Scratch the surface as little or as much as you like. The more texture you give it, the better the paste will color the metal. For the outside of the locket, I was very gentle with it. You can easily remove all of the coating. I just highlighted some of the raised part on the filigree by gently brushing them with the foam block, but the back I textured more heavily. |
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Step 2: There are many ways to apply Gilders Paste. For the chunky look I attained on the gears, I put it on really thick with a stiff-bristled cheap paint brush - then brushed some off and left it in places I wanted it. I let it dry for about 12 hours and then rubbed it with a soft cloth to even out the texture and give it the finished look. For the locket, I started with the Rich Gold Gilders Paste and a soft cloth and gently highlighted both the front and back of the piece. If you use a small amount on a cloth, you can intensify the color with layers or by going over it again. Since I knew I wanted the gunmetal to still show through - I was conservative on this step. |
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Step 3: Before the locket was cured, I went over the Rich Gold with a very small amount of Coral Red. The good thing about using the soft cloth is you can polish as you go and see just what the final look will be. You should still let the piece cure for 12 hours, as the paste can rub off - but you can achieve the look you want almost instantly! |
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Step 4: Arrange the gears and seed pearls in a way that appeals to your eye. These little guys can get away from you, I found a head pin or toothpick helpful when arranging everything. |
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Step 5: Prepare your Lima Studios resin by carefully mixing equal parts of the resin and hardener. Using a clean stir stick, pour small amounts of the resin into the locket well. Be VERY CAREFUL not to get any resin in the mechanism that releases the locket. I may or may not have learned this tip by experience. . . At this point you will want to move any stray pearls back into their place, make sure the gears are just where you want them, and pop any obvious bubbles with your pin or toothpick. |
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Step 6: After 24 hours your treasure should be ready to string. I thought this one came out so nicely, I didn't want to take away from it with beads. I have it strung on our 1" old ivory velvet ribbon with no ends so I can just tie it in a bow behind my neck or change it out for a gunmetal chain if I choose to. |
Buy Products from this Design
You are viewing all 2 items.
| 1 oz (30ml) | $8.90 |
| Piece | $0.30 |
You are viewing all 2 items.
On Jun 05, 2011 at 12:50 pm #
Orchid Betty says:Love the effect you gave to the gunmetal, it transformed it into a risher look!
On Jun 05, 2011 at 7:54 pm #
trinkets says:A beautiful job Rebecca!
I love the seed pearls with the gears, so different ~
On Jun 08, 2011 at 9:18 pm #
F Selinger says:FranMade is handmade. Custom designed jewelry just for you. The tropical you. The bling-bling you. The casual, yet elegant you.
On Jun 08, 2011 at 9:20 pm #
F Selinger says:Oops. I thought I was posting in my profile. Sorry to blast retail at you.
Yes, I’m new here. The work you put into this piece was well worth it.
On Jun 15, 2011 at 9:56 pm #
Reet says:Cool! Thanks for step-by -step instruction.
On Mar 09, 2012 at 10:33 pm #
Butterfly girl says:beauty is defnatly in the eye of the beholder an me to i really love this i am new at the jewlrey makeing scene I have a incurabel deseae Behcets an cant do alot of my crafts i used to so trying to find something that might be easier on my hands an the step by step instruction absoltly help thank you keep up the beauyiful work.
On Mar 15, 2012 at 11:13 pm #
S Rubino says:This piece totally inspires me. I have been wanting to try something new and your step by step instructions make me think I can really create something unique. Thank you!
On Dec 06, 2012 at 10:50 am #
Altered Artist says:This is totally a beautiful piece and I love that you share the products that go into it. I was wondering where I might purchase the actual locket.
On Jan 10, 2013 at 2:15 am #
doggiedoodoo says:I am a BIG fan of contrasts, old/new, shiny/patina, pearl/metal, I never would have thought of filling a locket with resin and “treasures” cuz I’m also a big fan of family photos LOL BUT what an idea for a bezel pendant hanging within a frame.
On May 15, 2013 at 8:56 pm #
SilverCords aka Judy says:Stunning piece! Classic and simple!
On Sep 19, 2013 at 8:48 pm #
Mustard Seed Beads says:Beautiful…..thanks for sharing.
On Apr 21, 2015 at 2:07 pm #
Carlareid4 says:Gorgeous!:)
On Jul 01, 2016 at 11:46 am #
C Wathen says:Likw your designs and having the directions are nice.