Design Idea - Edwardian Frame Bracelet

I thought it might be fun to now and then make a piece that uses some of the components I have for sale in my Extra shop. My hope is that it will give everyone some ideas to mull around and possibly provide a little inspiration for a future project.

With that in mind I made this Edwardian Frame Bracelet using one of my porcelain frame components. I think these frames have been a little bit of a head-scratcher for many. They are super pretty and really neat to look at but what the heck do you do with them?? Well, here is an idea!

For my bracelet I started by taking my frame, which was unglazed, and stained it with some permanent alcohol ink. I wanted a very grungy, antique look but with a little color so I tinted it with a deep purple color.

I then took a 16 gauge piece of copper wire, hammered it flat and gave it a slight inward curve. I adhered the wire to the frame using some heavy-duty epoxy. Don't be afraid of gluing! There are some excellent epoxies on the market today that form a bond that is unmovable so don't be afraid to alter things and embellish using an adhesive. I like Epoxy 330 which can be found at Rings & Things.

The next step was to thread some beautiful ribbon through the frame and finish up the ends. The end caps were made by cutting two small squares from a sheet of copper, hammering a texture and attaching a wire loop through the center of each one. I then gave the pieces a patina with liver of sulfer and burnished them to really bring out the texture. The pieces were then folded in half and two holes were drilled straight through both sides. To attach to the bracelet I gathered up the ends of the ribbon and applied a little Fray Check to the ends which also acts as a glue. While still wet I inserted the ribbon into the copper end and crimped the ends tightly. I secured the connection further by threading copper headpins through the holes on each side and wrapping the wire tightly around the ball of of the pin. A clasp, chain and a pretty freshwater pearl complete the bracelet. There you have it! :)

I just stocked the shop with some new frames. And don't forget! I have FREE SHIPPING on all orders in BOTH of my Etsy shops until Friday, midnight! (yes, I am excited)