How to Make Sapphire & Emerald Tiaras
Whether you're already in the jewelry business and want to design and make tiaras with sapphires and emeralds as an extension to your existing line or you just want to understand how tiaras are made, approach the challenge with confidence and creative curiosity in addition to a solder gun. Set about the business of making your tiaras with authentic, synthetic or faux emeralds and sapphires to produce glittering masterpieces destined for the heads of equally gorgeous women. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Photos of tiaras
- Pencil
- Sketchpad
- Gemstones
- Work area
- Precious metal
- Soldering equipment
- Alloy (solder)
- Protective gear
- Jewelry combs
Instructions
-
-
1
Find photos and drawings of tiaras in books and on Internet sites to choose shapes and designs that suit your taste and match the image you have in mind. Alternatively, browse tiaras on the pages of jewelry, bridal and style magazines to identify crowns that suit your fancy. Then commit those shapes and lines to a sketchpad.
-
2
Source sapphires and emeralds. Ascertain the number of stones your tiara designs require and decide on the grade of the gems you'll use by matching your budget with criteria for gem excellence--color, cut, clarity and weight. Communicate with stone sources carrying Burmese sapphires and emeralds for top-grade jewels or Brazilian stone wholesalers for affordable stones, or opt for synthetics, all of which are available from domestic and international firms.
-
-
3
Prepare your work area. Clean it thoroughly as dirt, oil or other grime are enemies of the soldering process and can actually undermine the strength of the joints you'll create. Post your sketch or picture of the tiara design you've chosen above your worktable for reference. Gather your materials: base metals (gold, silver, copper), loose gems, soldering equipment and bonding alloy (solder). Wear protective gear for safety while soldering.
-
4
Practice soldering with nonprecious metal to get comfortable with the medium if you have little experience working with the equipment or material. Try different amounts of alloy and heat settings to learn how to balance both so soldered joints on your tiara fuse correctly and show no signs of oxidization or warp.
-
5
Craft the tiara's base by bending, joining and fusing precious metal into the shape of a crown. Make adjustments to angles while the solder is still warm and pliable. Place gem prongs at strategic junctures on the tiara so you'll be able to bend them around the sapphires and emeralds to secure them in place.
-
6
Set gems in place with a bit of solder. Wrap the edges of the prongs around each to secure the emeralds and sapphires. Attach small jewelry combs to the tiara to hold the crown in place while it's being worn. Clean the sapphire and emerald tiara at the end of the crafting process and box it up so it stays pristine until it's worn.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit tiara image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
