Art Jewelry Boot Camp: Balled Headpin Blog Hop

Love My Art Jewelry is sponsoring jewelry technique "boot camps" with a new skill every six weeks.  The first boot camp focused on learning how to make balled end headpins and the challenge was to learn how to make them and use them to make original jewelry.

I have been making my own headpins for quite awhile so, I chose to view this as a design challenge.  I had been doodling a few "lacy" designs in my sketchbook for some time and this pushed me to try some of them using double-ended headpins.  I love to use wire that has had the ends torch-balled because it keeps the jewelry item from snagging clothing or skin--it's really a comfort factor.

The first piece of jewelry that I made was a copper choker.  I started making double-ended 18 gauge copper headpins in a variety of random sizes.  These headpins were then pickled to remove the firescale.  I then shaped them and soldered them so that jump rings could not slip out.  The soldered sections were then pickled once again and I then hammered them to work harden them so that they would hold their shape better.  I copper plated the silver solder seams and the sections were then tumble polished.  After laying out the sections in a visually pleasing arrangement, I joined the segments with 18 g 4 mm ID copper jump rings.  I had already made a soldered spiral clasp which I adorned with a sterling silver granulation made from a small piece of scrap wire.  The little ball was sweat soldered to the clasp.  After I added this clasp to the necklace, I treated the completed necklace with liver of sulphur and hand polished it.

 Balled Headpin Copper Choker Necklace

Edited to add:

I received a request for a photo of the necklace being worn.  I made it to fit my neck:

   Copper Choker As Worn By Me

The second idea that I had was for hammered frames to be used to create simple chandelier earrings.  I cut two equal lengths of 16 gauge sterling silver wire which I then used to create double-ended headpins.  After I pickled the headpins, I formed them and soldered them.  The frames were then pickled, hammered,  and tumble polished.  I hung these frames from my handmade ear wires and added bead dangles made with 20 g sterling silver headpins and 6/0 glass beads.  The assembled earrings were treated with liver of sulphur and hand polished.

 Balled Headpin Sterling Silver Chandelier Earrings

I hope that my designs encourage those of you who have yet to try making your own headpins, to give it a go.  It's a very good skill to possess and the resulting headpins are useful in far more than just making earrings and bead dangles.

Please visit the other participants:

• silverniknats
• Moon and Seven Stars
• Staci Louise Originals
• ArtisanBeadsPlus
• Mary Harding
• Lynda Carson
• MarshaNealStudio
• Nena's Art & Designs
• Gaia Copia Boho Chic Jewelry

Edited to add:

I just got my Metal Clay Artist Magazine February Newsletter in my email and found this beautiful necklace.  If you liked how I used double ended headpins to make a chain, you'll probably love how Catherine Witherell made her chain for her entry into the Metal Clay Artist Magazine Tales of the Heart competition.  

 Third place: $500.00 winner: Catherine Witherell, ‘My Heart’s Golden Secret Gives Me Hope’