Creating Your Own Jewelry Using Brass Sheet

Brass has a number of practical uses because of its luster, low friction and durability. It is used to make musical instruments, locks, doorknobs, ammunition, valves, plumbing appliances, and zippers. Because of its color and durability, it is also popularly used in home items such as beds and lamps.

However, brass is not just limited for the purpose of manufacturing industrial and household items. It is also an important material in the jewelry business. Jewelers use brass sheet for its gold color and satin finish. The malleability of brass, too, makes it practical in jewelry-making, as it is easy to cut, file and shape.

Using a brass sheet, jewelers are able to make cuff bracelets, pendants and wide necklace pieces. It is also easy to glue stones and other materials for decoration on brass. That is not to mention that jewelers prefer using brass because it is affordable. You, too, can enjoy wearing your self-made jewelry by following several simple steps.

Before using a brass sheet to make a bracelet, draw your design on paper and cut it out after. Then wrap the paper around your wrist to check if it is the right size. The gap between the two ends marks the thickness of your wrist. Circle the edges. Make sure the brass that you get is thick enough, making it hard to bend. Using your design from the paper, trace it on the brass with a felt marker. Drill holes in insets where they need to be cut out, making sure that the holes are larger than the depth of your saw blade.

Insert the brass sheet into a small vise, clamping it in place. Using a jeweler saw, cut around the outline of the tracing. Insert the saw blade into the drilled hole to cut out the insets and then remove the bracelet from the vise once all cuts have been finished. File the edges using a jeweler file and sandpaper.

Make sure there are no edges that might cut a person wearing the bracelet. Shape the brass by bending it with shaping tools, such a rubber or hammer. Smooth out the surface and glue stones, beads or any other kinds of decorations on the brass using epoxy glue. Use acrylic paints, which you can also get from brass sheet suppliers, to color your nearly done jewelry. Spray finish. Enjoy your fine, self-made brass bracelet!