Using Copper Washers for Jewelry

Using copper washers for jewelry is a great way for beginners to learn basic metal and wire jewelry making skills, help you learn how to do hand stamping, how to use patina, and lots more.

Copper washers are easy to find at your local hardware store, and as far as jewelry making supplies go, they are extremely affordable.

Hand stamping:

If you want to learn how to do hand-stamping, using copper washers from the hardware store is a great way to get started.

Unless your stamps are really tiny, you'll only get partial impressions on your washers - but that's okay! In my artistic opinion, this gives you a beautiful abstract or rustic pattern on your jewelry.

It's harder to make a "mistake" when you're creating an abstract stamped pattern this way, and after a little bit of antiquing, patina, and polishing, you have a beautiful copper jewelry component that you can use to make earrings, bracelets, pendants, and even rings.

Using copper washers for hand stamping helps you learn how much pressure to apply and how to get a good impression for your stamps.

You can also play with designs and patterns without too much fear of "messing up".

Texturing:

Another skill I perfected on my copper washer jewelry was texturing with a chasing hammer. I used to laugh when I heard other jewelry makers say that one could never have too many hammers.

Now that I've been texturing copper washers (and other forms of metal) with my chasing hammers, yeah, I'm not laughing anymore.

It holds the washer firmly in place and protects your fingers at the same time!

Wire wrapping:

When I first started selling my handmade copper jewelry, my best-sellers were pretty simple to make a textured copper washer with a beautiful gemstone bead attached with copper wire.

These are still some of my best-sellers and they are easy and fun to make! But even more importantly, making literally hundreds of these pendants and earrings before a show helped me learn how to handle copper wire in all different gauges and hardness.

Eventually, I learned how to wire wrap small cabochons to the textured copper washers, and by the time I was ready to learn how to wire wrap cabochons into pendants with just copper wire, I was more then prepared.

So if you're looking for a new way to add some rustic charm to your jewelry designs, go for a stroll at your favorite hardware store and pick up a box of inexpensive copper washers! Let your creativity go wild!