Jewelry Making Templates

by Judy Larson

Jewelry making templates are available in a plethora of designs/shapes/styles. Some templates are traced around the shaper while others are traced inside the shape. It can be difficult to hold a shape in place with one hand while tracing the full perimeter with the other. In that case, using a template that is traced around the inside edge to obtain the desired shape is the answer.

It is easy to make a template if a specific shape is desired. A cleaned and dried thick piece of plastic from a processed meat package makes a great template base. One side of the plastic sheet used here is smooth and the other side is slightly pebbled, which makes the template slide a bit less during use. Bonus: These templates work well with metal clay, too.

Instructions

Choose a good, sharp cutting tool. The cutting blade tip must be VERY sharp. It is easy to always have a sharp tip cutting blade on hand when using the orange handle style seen here.

Judy Larson's Jewelry Making Templates - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, , templates

Place the plastic sheet on a smooth ceramic tile. Use an ultra fine point Sharpie marker to draw the desired template shape on the plastic sheet. Straight lines can more easily be cut by cutting along the edge of a ruler placed on the line to be cut. Because it is too easy to cut beyond a corner, do not use the blade to cut corners. Here, all four sides are cut, but the corners are left attached. Hint: Several light passes with the cutting blade will work better than one heavy cut.

Slide the tips of a pair of scissors that can cut to the very tip into a cut. Hint: Manicure scissors are great for cutting curves and into corners. Cut across the interior of the shape to the other side where there is previous cut. Use the tips of the scissors to complete the corner cut, being careful to not cut beyond the corner.

Materials

22 Gauge Dead Soft Sterling Silver Sheet - 6 Inches

H8-22SM6

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
Price: $55.98
Gold Club Price: $41.99

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Tools

Bench Knife, 6 Inches

KNF-967.00

KNF-967.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $4.45
Gold Club Price: $3.34

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Category: Design
Technique(s): Design, General Education

Reviews

Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!

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