I’m so appreciative of all the great and unique suggestions given in response to my request for ideas on what to do with 50 vintage mens ties! To say “thank you”, I thought it’d be cool if I wrote up some directions on how to make a glass pebble bracelet that I made this weekend. It is a variation on those glass pebble magnets that are so addicting to make.
>http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=39077

Materials needed for bracelet:
Small flat-backed clear glass pebbles
Cut-outs (from magazines, photos, etc.)
Glass adhesive (E6000, Goop, silicone glue, hot glue, etc..)
Large and small jump rings
Clasp (I used a lobster clasp)
Needle-nosed pliers

First, adhere cut-outs to the flat side of small glass pebbles with a glass adhesive, making sure to press out any air bubbles. (I used Household Goop, which I like b/c any excess glue on the glass can be rolled off like rubber cement when it is dry.)

If the pictures used are light-colored or on thin paper, glue a cut-out of white cardstock behind the image so that the glue will not make the cut-out transparent.

Once dry, glue two large jump rings to the backs of each cut-out so that half of each ring hangs off the edge (see photo titled “bracelet back”). Be sure to glue the jump ring where the split in the ring is. To ensure a strong hold, first put glue on the cut-out back, then put the jump ring on, then put a second layer of glue on the jump ring where the first layer of glue is, to sort of sandwich the ring in glue.

Once the glue for the rings is completely dry, connect the glass pebbles to each other by attaching small jump rings to connect the large jump rings, with the needle-nosed pliers. Then attach one or several small jump rings to the last ring in the chain to make the bracelet the length you’d like, and attach the clasp. The clasp latches on to the large jump ring on the first pebble of the chain.

If anyone has any questions, reply to this post and I’ll try my best to help out.

Have fun, post pics of your final product if you can.. and thanks again!

Awesome instructions! I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to make the marbles into jewelry without using a method waaaaay beyond my capacity involving bezels and soldering. I will definitely be trying this soon.

My added tip: it is so easy to make your own jump rings, and you get exactly the size you want. Wind wire around a dowel the size you want the finished jump ring to be. After you have made as many coils as you want jump rings, slip the coil off the dowel. Pull the coils apart slightly, and use wire nippers to cut the rings. So easy! So cheap! There are good pictures and instructions for this method in this article http://www.lapidaryjournal.com/jj/charmbracelet.cfm

Thanks so much for the instructions!

You are a life saver. I have been trying to figure this out forever in a way that wouldn't cost 9 million dollars! Gawd bless you! Thank you so much!

YAY!

someone figgured it OUT!

*3 cheers*

WEEEEEE

*runs to get her E6000 glue*

mouse

I did this last night (came out so cute--cherries!) and have one question: how do you protect the paper from the rigors of wearing? After I had put it all together I realized that the back of the bracelet was just some flimsy catalogue paper that would dissolve in water if it ever got wet (and I'm not a particularly dainty chica so it would likely get wet, dirty, banged up, etc.).

I spread a layer of E6000 over the entire back to cover up and hopefully protect the paper, but I don't know if that's the best solution. It seems that making the E6000 that thick might weaken the bond.

I eat cottage cheese for lunch everyday, and I was thinking maybe I could get a circle punch and punch circles out of the containers and glue them over the jump ring layer, but (1) I don't know if a punch would be strong enough to cut cottage cheese containers, and (2) I don't know if this would result in sharp edges that would be uncomfortable for the wearer.

Thoughts? Ideas? I think the bottom/outside layer probably needs to be plastic, as using more paper (even cardstock) would not solve the water problem.

Duh! This winter I glued a few marbles with the jump rings, but didn't think of using another jump ring to connect them! So simple, yet brilliant! :)

Thanks!
Kerri

Re: the water problem

How about coating the back of the finished marbles with a good layer of clear nail polish?

I love clear nail polish. It solves all my problems!

Ok, I made one too(thanks for the directions!), but I modge-podged the pics on to the back of the marbles. Then I went to glue the rings on with a glue gun, and the glue wouldn't stick! Any sugestions on how I could get the rings to stay?

i bought some great glass glue today (aleen's brand) i'm letting my pebbles dry now.... they look SO cute! thanks so much for the idea!

i also cut out little circles of card stock and glued them over the jump rings on the backs of each pebble for extra support. evrything seems to be holding up great so far. i'll let you know how it goes when i finish!

be blessed,
amber

How about some clear varnish to protect the backs of the pictures? That seems like it would be the best way to do that. I'm sure nailpolish would help, though some kind of craft varnish would probably be stronger. I have a bottle of spray-on clear coat stuff, which is what I would use for mine.
-Rachel

it might be nice to do a clear acrylic coat on the back of the pics, like you would do if you were decoupaging a table that you're gonna wanna wipe off with a wet rag.

then while that's wet, slap on a little circle of velvet or another soft, thin, durable fabric.

that way, the varnish and velvet will cover and protect your pics, and the velvet will protect your wrist from the varnish.

i havent tried it tho ...
madge

Thanks so much to everyone for the kind words and additional tips! :*)

Someone mentioned to me today an alternative option to gluing large jump rings to the pebble backs (I knew there had to be a more normal way, lol!) - something called "bolo slides", which I'd never heard of before today.

Look at the third one down on this page:
>http://www.jewelrysupply.com/EJS/boloslidetips.htm

I think I just might *have* to order some!

ok, so i had some extra-shiny pennies liying around when i was glueing pics to the backs of my pebbles and i tried glueing the pennies on.... it's look so cute! (if you like that sort of thing anyway)... i just thought i'd share! i also thought of coating the flat part of the pebble with glue and diping the glued surface into some seed beads or those cool ultra-micro glass marbles. what do you guys think?
anyone have anyother ideas on what to glue to the back of the pebbles instead of pics?

be blessed,
amber

I made the bracelet out of pennies and i was amazed at its beauty!...that is until i picked it up and, alas, my glue failed me again! how did you attach the rings to the pennies? soder them? help!

Instead of bolo slides or jump rings, I bent 18 ga wire into figure eights (about a 2 inch length is right) and glued them on. Very stable.

Thanks so much! Great instructions

Thanks so much! Great instructions

Thanks so much! Great instructions

do you mind if we use these ideas an sell them? i'd like to incorporate them into my selling line of .. er.. stuff. lols
i'll give you full credit for the idea! ^^
>http://www.xsnrg.tk

do you mind if we use these ideas an sell them? i'd like to incorporate them into my selling line of .. er.. stuff. lols
i'll give you full credit for the idea! ^^
>http://www.xsnrg.tk

mithridatechild: ?.?.? ur site is really cool. do u mind if i ask what u use for the base for the glass ring. ?.?.?

=) i use those cheap doller store ones.
theyer fun, cheap, and everywhere.
i recycle alot. because i have alot of old rings i dont wear anymore, or think are uuuugggly.. so i just lopped off the top, and attach the marble ontop.
it's good to recycle!