Dressing the part for Valentine’s Day? Make your own one-of-a-kind heart jewelry to wear as the perfect accessory to complete your Valentine’s Day outfit. Craft a set of matching necklace, earrings and bracelet or make each piece an individual design to stand on its own. Heart jewelry can be made from wire, wood, beads or any number of other materials. Whatever medium you choose, make hearts the center of the day.
Wire Heart Jewelry
Wire jewelry artist Carol Rucker has taught jewelry making in her community and has a number of tutorials online. Her instructions for wire heart jewelry make it look easy, but each results in a beautiful creation. With just a few simple tools you could be making simple heart earrings, or adapting the design to fashion a different piece of jewelry. How about surprising the little Valentine in your life with a mother/daughter set? More of Carol’s designs for the heart may be found here and here.
A very simple free-floating heart pendant can be fashioned in no time following these instructions. Besides the bit of wire and needle nosed pliers, the only supplies required are your own fingers. This piece would make a great first project or if you’re short of time.
Wooden Heart Jewelry
Wooden cutouts in the shape of a heart are available at many craft stores and online sources. Wooden hearts are available in a variety of sizes so choose one appropriate for a pendant, or perhaps one larger heart for the center and two smaller to go on either side, with wooden beads separating them. Purchase the hearts unfinished then get creative with a little paint or other embellishments to make it a truly unique piece. Drill two small holes evenly spaced in the top to thread cord or thin chain, or make the holes off-center for a less classical look.
Smaller hearts can be painted to match then strung onto elastic thread to make a simple stretch bracelet. A wire earring fixture, small wooden heart and a bead or two would be all you need to make earrings to complete the set. A minimalist? Forgo the paint and leave the wood with a natural finish.
Another option for wood jewelry would be to embellish a chunky bangle bracelet with wood shaped hearts. Choose hearts of the same size to paint and glue to the bracelet, or alternate various sized hearts for a completely different look. Paint them all the same or walk on the wild side with a kaleidoscope of colored polka dots, stripes or swirls.
Beaded Heart Jewelry
If you have a creative streak but don’t feel talented enough to fashion with wire or to paint your own hearts, heart shaped beads may be a good option for you. Beading and jewelry supply catalogs are filled with heart shaped beads of all sizes and colors, doing the bulk of the work for you. Your biggest task may be in deciding what beads to choose for your Valentine jewelry project. Will it be a big puffy red pendant with matching earrings, or a dazzle of multi-colored glass heart shaped beads to form a bracelet?
Bead prices can run from the very inexpensive plastic beads suitable for a kid’s project, to the more costly that are sculpted from semiprecious stones, with a number of materials between the two extremes. A heart shaped beaded necklace strung on wire with complementary bead spacers can be paired with earrings and bracelet to throw on with your favorite jeans and sweater, or to perk up that little black dress. Decide what you want to make and whether it will be just for fun or if you want to make a knockout piece to complement your favorite outfit for a Valentine’s night on the town.
Mix Things Up a Bit
There are no hard and fast rules in jewelry making, so mix it up and use different materials when making your Valentine jewelry. Wrap wire around a wooden bangle bracelet and further adorn it with colorful heart shaped beads. The look of heart shaped wire earrings will be completely altered by the addition of a single bead embellishment, and a heart shaped stone pendant can be dramatically transformed with a dainty wire wrap.
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