When I go to estate sales I gravitate to the jewelry table and specifically the pins. Something about the shimmer and shine makes me want to pick them up and think about the women who once wore rhinestones and furs. Did they wear these beautiful jewels to tea, church, dinner parties, work?
In an effort to wear pins today and not look like I live in the 1950's, I turn them into pendants. Some pins lend themselves to hanging more than others. Last week I made this necklace with a some beaded chain, the pin, a few jump rings and a clasp along with jewelry pliers and some reading glasses since I need a little magnification assistance.
I think the finished length ended up about 22 inches. I have worn my new necklace alone and layered it with longer and shorter necklaces. When i visited my sister in San Francisco she said she wanted one like it, so I need to either give it to her or disappoint her since it's one of a kind.
Here are a few pictures of other pendants I have put together in the last few months. When rigging things up, I check to see how the pin is hanging; it needs to lie flat against the body instead of side to side. By adding an extra jump ring the problem is usually solved. The other issue that occurs is the pin tipping too far forward. Experiment with different size jump rings to balance things. I usually have lots of sizes on hand including extra, extra large ones.
All it takes is a little imagination. If things don't turn out quite right, I simply change whatever is not working. Next up is a bracelet made from some jet beads from two broken necklaces that I picked up for a song. Please visit Pearl's Cottage again to see what's going on next time.
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