Today we welcome Brenda Sue of B’sue Boutiques who’s jewelry supply store not only has everything you need to make neat Steampunk jewelry, but she also has loads of instructional videos for people like me who love to make things, but in all honesty can’t craft their way out of a cardboard box.
STEAMPUNK JEWELRY MADE SIMPLE: Breaking It Down to Cogs and Gears
By B’Sue
Love the Steampunk lifestyle? Well as this blog has aptly demonstrated, you need the right glad (or perhaps ‘mad’) rags for your look! And as every fashionista knows—whatever style genre he/she chooses—you need the right accessories. Jewelry come first for me! And the fact is, you can learn to make your own Steampunk jewelry, thus reflecting your own perfect Steampunk sensibilities.
Check out this sweet Steampunk pendant I made:
Gotta tell you, there are no hard techniques involved in this piece. Let me tell you how! I started with a luggage tag pendant made in the Victorian style, available here: http://www.bsueboutiques.com/shop/index.php?keywords=fig39
As this piece is raw brass, you’ll want to patina it. One fast way is simply to clean the brass by washing in hot, soapy water…all raw brass comes with traces of machine oil on it, so gotta do it. Dry completely, then torch it. All you need it is a little creme brulee torch and a soldering block. Torch it til it gets toasty or turns dark. OR, you can try my vinegar/salt/patina method, which you can watch me do at YouTube right here:
When you have achieved the color you want on the brass, simply seal it with Renaissance Wax. Then you will want to add your embellishments. I added a pie crust bezel from the Bezels, Mounts and Frames section of our website, found here: http://www.bsueboutiques.com/bezels_mounts_frames.shtml This is a great bezel to build with as it is textural and deep. Into it, I glued a vintage soda cap, upside down, with the cork still in it.
Into that cap, I poured a bit of mixed ICE RESIN. For tips on working with Ice Resin, check out this video:
I also inlaid a circlet ring found at our website, as well as a tiny propeller. These propellers REALLY SPIN!
The trick is to pour only enough resin to inlay the bottom of the propeller so that it still spins. This one does!
The actual pendant is available at B’sue Boutiques right here:
How would you finish it? Would you turn it around and dangle something from the hole and make it a heavy, cool looking brooch? Or would you make it a necklace by adding beads, leather thong, old cord and maybe even safety pin or garter clip connectors?
Here’s a funky Steampunk necklace I made with our Steampunk components from B’sue Boutiques and scrabble tiles:
Come on over to B’sue Boutiques and check the place out! We have a large, comprehensive Steampunk Jewelry Making Section broken down into watch parts, cogs and wheels, wings, keys, and all the components you need—-easy to find! http://www.bsueboutiques.com
And…here is a very popular video we made at You Tube that will demonstrate how to make an easy Steampunk ring:
Another master of Steampunk jewelry making is Harry Wood of OSCAR CROW: http://www.etsy.com/shop/oscarcrow Visit Harry for great ideas and great ready-made jewelry at low prices. Here is a very cool pectoral he made recently:
And for more Steampunk Eye Candy, why not visit our Steampunk Gallery? These are pieces shared with me by visitors to my B’sue Boutiques Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bsue-Boutiques/123052674404364, and entered into an archived album at the B’sue Boutiques website.
I hope you feel enabled and inspired…..because who knows? Maybe YOU are the next radical Steampunk jewelry designer! Soon they may be beating a path to YOUR door!
STEAMED! 
Thanks guys for a great blog and for allowing me as a guest, to be part of it for a day!
This is a great article and I loved the pendant!!!
LOVE B’Sue Boutiques and all of her wonderful creations! And Harry is an awesome jewelry designer, no matter what the genre!