Aromatherapy Jewelry

Posts Tagged ‘home crafts’

To make any craft project significant you must enjoy the topic thoroughly and understand the historical significance of the pieces you are working on. Celtic jewelry making is no exception, so let’s go through a couple historical facts before we get to the how to portion.

We have Celtic jewelry from way back before the birth of Christ, the Celts believed that they would be reincarnated. Reincarnation is a significant aspect to how the Celts created jewelry. The symbolism they used represented the immortality of the soul as well as how they believed their influence on human civilization was a gift.

For example:

The Latin Triquetra which literally means the “three cornered” and was later representative of the Holy Trinity

Man’s progress was symbolized by the Greek symbol Triskelion or “three legged”. Notice how the knots are like three legs running.

Another interesting thing the Celts did was the concept of the five fold. The fifth fold was an intersection of 4 others. Spring, summer, fall, and winter made up the fifth fold of transitioning.

The Celts were also famous for their usage of crosses in their jewelry. They believed that the cross represented the link between a physical existence and a spiritual one.

Some typical design ideas the Celts used are spirals, interlaced spirals and knots. Bronze is an excellent metal to start practicing with when starting out.

Check out sample designs and patterns available for Celtic jewelry making and choose which among them you would like to follow. It is good to start with the simpler ones and look for designs that have personal meaning to you. This way, you are keeping the tradition of Celtic jewelry making.

Practice your desired pattern on a piece of paper. Graphing papers are good tools for Celtic jewelry making to exact the sizes of your curves and distances.

Look for the appropriate wire gauge for your jewelry. If you are making a brooch, choose the chunkier lower gauge ones; and for the bracelet or the ring, select the thinner ones with higher gauge.

Determine how long the wire is and cut it vigilantly. Remember to always add about 1 to 2 inch extra from your desired length for additional adjustments. The wire length would rely on the kind as well as the size of the jewelry you are planning to make. There are some charts available online that you can check in case you are a bit cautious.

What you are going to need after you have your cut wire are chain nose pliers and round nose pliers. The round nose pliers are useful for smaller loops while the chain nose pliers are great for larger loops

You can finish Celtic jewelry making with the use of metal clasps, or you can also bend the wire found at each end, forming a hook. Another way to do this is by forming a closure that is hook and eye by bending the wire in one end and looping it to the other end.

Learn about mens celtic jewelry over at fine celtic jewelry.