How to Make a Shadowbox Pendant

Place art items important to you inside your shadowbox.

A shadowbox pendant is a great way to display small things of great significance. Shells or small beads make a beautiful and interesting piece of jewelry. Customize your shadowbox by creating a small collage of items that mean something to you. Use two small panes of glass and solder them together with copper tape. Make your shadowbox a pendant by adding a piece of wire to the back through which to run a chain.

Things You'll Need

• 1 inch square card stock
• Small beads or shells
• Clear drying glue
• 4 1/8 inch square beads
• 2 1 inch square glass panes
• Glass glue
• 3/8 inch copper tape
• Bone folder
• Soldering iron
• Flux
• Solder
• 1/2 inch wire

Instructions

1. Cut a 1/8 inch square out of each of the four corners of a 1 inch card stock square.

2. Glue small shells and beads to the card stock in an attractive pattern with clear drying glue. Let dry completely.

3. Place one pane of glass on the work surface. Use glass glue to affix one 1/8 inch square bead to each corner. Place the beaded card stock over the beads and down onto the glass. Glue to the glass near the beaded corners with glass glue. Put a dot of glass glue on top of each of the four corner beads and place the second pane of glass on top. Let dry completely.

4. Peel the backing off of 1 1/2 inches of copper tape. Center one edge of the glass on the copper tape, leaving 1/4 inch at the end for overlap. Continue to peel off the backing in small strips, then rotate the glass square until copper tape surrounds the square. Cut the tape, allowing about 1/4 inch of overlap.

5. Use a bone folder and your fingers to firmly flatten the tape around the edges of the glass square. Tuck in the corners so they lay as flat as possible.

6. Hold the pendant with tweezers or a clothespin. Flux and solder each edge of the copper tape. Be as neat as possible.

7. Make a small, U-shaped piece of wire and attach it to the top center of the pendant. Put a chain through the U when you are ready to wear it.