Congratulations to our latest Student of the Week- Sheila Gudis. These beautiful dangling earrings depend on one key element-jumprings to bring everything together. In all my years of teaching, I don’t think any one topic induces such fear and loathing in students as jumprings. I thought maybe I would offer a few tips to make things easier in tackling this jewelry necessity.
First a simple human truth- what we fear we avoid. Students avoid making them at all costs so they will try to use the lousy two they have already made. The key to making jumprings is to make LOTS of them and then choose the best ones. We usually have students wrap annealed wire around steel rods tightly and then saw. The trick to wrapping tightly is to clamp the end of the wire and the steel rod in a bolted table vise so you can pull tightly and maintain tension. Not to mention if you have only two it is almost a certainty you will drop and lose one. The jewelry gods are tricksters. Once you make sure your jump rings are threaded through and butted back together tightly, use the smallest amount of solder possible. If you cut what you think the proper amount of solder is probably you should cut it into fourths and use one fourth. Solder lumps are a real pain to clean up and never look quite right. One last tip for dangling earrings. After you solder the jumprings closed, squeeze them into an oval shape. Oval jumprings still let your elements move but keep them oriented to the front, where you want to see your earrings. Round jumprings let your earrings move too much from side to side so that your hard work is harder to see from the front. Sheila followed all of these guidelines to make beautiful dangling earrings. Well Done!
jeanettecaines
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I’m looking for a student to make some prototype jewelery . For a reality t.v. Show . Prime time.
One
Of my dearest friends is a student at your school, and recommended it to me,.please feel yo contact me via email . Or text (805)390-2975
Much appreciated ! Thankyou Nancy Nester
wow those earrings are elegant and how its put together in such a way it so hard to describle with words. this school must be very exciting to be in and enjoy it too