Designer Crafts Connection: Etched Jewelry

Hi Crafty Friends!

It's the first Monday of February and time for another round of the Designer Crafts Connection!  This month we're working with our favorite product, tool, craft or technique.

One of my favorite crafts is making jewelry.  And, a new technique that I've tried lately is etching.  I've been wanting to etch some glass beads and make jewelry with them, so it seemed the perfect time to combine the two.

Here's what I created with beads I etched with etchall® dip 'n etch:

Snow and Ice Bracelet by Terry Ricioli

For this bracelet, I bought two sizes of crystal beads.  I etched half of them and found they made a nice contrast with the un-etched beads.  The etched beads looked like snow to me and the crystal ones like ice.  

Here's the process.  String your beads loosely.  I used the plastic string that they were strung on and tied a loose knot in between the beads so they would be exposed on all sides while etching.  Tie the string to a skewer.

Pour some etchall® dip 'n etch into a plastic container or use the container itself and dangle the beads in the liquid.  With beads, you'll need to check frequently to see how the etching is working.  Different sizes and qualities of glass will yield different results.  

Remove the beads when they are etched and rinse well with water.  I also washed mine in some soapy water to remove the etching medium.  Here's how they look after the etching.  Etchall® dip 'n etch was so easy to use, and there was no odor at all.

Now, you can use them in your jewelry designs.  I made a wrapped loop dangle after adding silver bead caps to each end.  I added a clasp to a 7-inch length of chain and arranged the dangles next to them to get an idea of how many I needed.

Then, I connected the dangles to the chain with jump rings.  I used a total of 21 dangles on the bracelet.  

Here's the finished bracelet:

Snow and Ice Bracelet by Terry Ricioli

I love the look of the frosted glass beads in this bracelet and I'm looking forward to trying etchall® dip 'n etch in future jewelry designs.  If you would like to try this product, the Etchall Ambassador on the side of my blog will direct you to the website (and, I'll get a small percentage of the sale.) 

 Happy Crafting!

Terry