DIY Network

Hardware Spring Jewelry Spring into a hip new look. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-506

Go glam with these cool coils.

From the tiny springs under the letters on your computer keyboard to the massive ones that keep your car running smoothly, springs help make modern life work. With a little inspiration from Michele Beschen, they can do the same for your jewelry wardrobe.

The B. Original host shows how to take regular hardware springs – the kind that toil away inside a million different machines every day – and transform them into hip jewelry. Once you get started, you may start your own "spring collection" of couture jewelry.

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Hardware Spring Jewelry

Materials:

variety of springs
eye pins
jump rings
soldering iron
soldering flux
acid-core solder
needle-nose pliers
assorted beads

Figure A

Spring Rings

• Wider springs with loose coils make great rings. Embellish with a large bead or a few smaller ones.

• To add beads to a spring, thread an eye pin through the holes in the beads. An eye pin is a straight pin with a loop on one end; they are available in the jewelry findings area of a hobby shop.

• With the eye pin threaded through the beads, curl the other end of the eye pin to create a loop on both sides of the beads.

• Use a jump ring or split ring to attach the loop on the bead to the spring (figure A).

• Solder the eye pin to the spring to keep it from sliding along the spring. To solder, brush a little flux onto the spring and the bead loop. Use a hot soldering iron to apply a tiny bit of acid-core solder to hold the bead loop in place on the spring.

• Check out the scrapbooking aisle at the craft or hobby shop for great little elements to use in jewelry. Numbered tags other small items make interesting additions to the springs.

Figure B

Spring Pendants

• Use shorter springs for pendants.

• Select two beads that are slightly larger than the opening in each end of the spring.

• Thread an eye pin through one bead, then through the spring then through the second bead. Curl the end of the pin to create a loop that will secure the beads to the spring.

• Add more beads to build a more elaborate piece (figure B), or link them together to create a bracelet or necklace. Or, add earring hooks to wear them as earrings (figure C).
  

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

• Larger springs with closed loops on the end make great pendants (figure D). Add some beads or other elements to the loop to dress them up.

Working With Fine-Gauge Springs

• Thread an eye pin through a bead cap and string a number of small beads along the length of the pin.

• Secure the other end of the pin with another bead cap.

• Compress the spring slightly to add some curve.

• Create a loop in the pin to hold it all together.

Figure E

Other Spring Jewelry Ideas

• Experiment with stacking some springs up and soldering them together (figure E).

• You may want to sand them lightly to remove any coating before applying a lot of solder.

• After soldering the springs together, add some beads or other elements to create larger pieces.