Adrianne Surian - DIY Stamped Metal Jewelry: From Monogrammed Pendants to Embossed Bracelets—30 Easy Jewelry Pieces from HappyHourProjects.com!

Avon, Massachusetts

For Raya and Roman, who inherited my love of hammers;

for Kevin, who gives me tools instead of flowers;

and for friends near and far who have encouraged me to do great things.

You are my inspiration.

DIY Stamped Metal Jewelry will teach you everything you need to know about stamping metal, from your first piece to exploring a whole world of fabulous, creative techniques! Jewelry-making is as much an art form as it is a science; as you complete these projectslike the (see Chapter 4)you will find ways to express yourself that are entirely your own. How awesome! This book is meant to get you started stamping quickly and confidently. All of your pieces, from your first tries to your experienced creations, will look fabulous!

I started stamping metal jewelry in 2011. At that time, it was difficult to find supplies, and even harder to find anyone who would share techniques for free. Classes were expensive, and personalized stamped metal jewelry was a hot seller online. I was determined to learn it, though, so for my birthday I overpaid for a beginner stamping set, and then spent hours doing a terrible job. But Im stubborn, so as I kept at it, I learned a lot along the way! Ive also picked up a few tips from professionals in the industry, and in the end, I discovered my favorite ways to create beautiful pieces of jewelry and more with my hammer and stamps. I continue to find innovative ways to use stamping to create works of jewelry art. I share my adventures in the world of metal stamping on my blog, HappyHourProjects.com, to teach others who are interested in stampingwithout all the hassle I went through to learn.

Here youll find out everything you need to know to start stamping your own gorgeous, personalized jewelry. Start with youll find all of the techniques you will need to make every project in this book: from stamping letters to creating patterns to using patinas to create a custom look. From there, youll be ready to roll on any stamping project that strikes your fancy, or even ones you dream up.

As you work through the projects, youll find earrings for a girls night out, necklaces that show your funny side, and bracelets you can wear for every occasion. Stamped jewelry fits every wardrobe and every style, because its an expression of you! There are 30 designs in this book to inspire you when you make your next accessory or your next gift, ranging from classic to trendy and from sweet to sassy. Stamped metal jewelry is so much more than just the classic initials necklace.

Throughout, youll see extra tips, tricks, and ideas under the hashtags #stampinghacks and #happystamping. These hashtags are used by the awesome HappyHourProjects.com community across all social media platforms to share our projects and encourage one another! Under #stampinghacks, Ill point out some tricks of the trade to help you easily learn fun new techniques. #happystamping will give you plenty of variation ideas to make these projects truly your own. Remember to use these hashtags to share your creations with the stamping communitywe cannot wait to see what you create, so lets get stamping!

Metal stamping is the practice of using a small hammer tool to gently tap a stamp (a small, solid rod of metal that has a raised design or letter at one end) onto a metal surface, called a metal blank, to create an impression. These impressions are your patterns, monograms, shapes, and words that you can use to make jewelry to express yourself and wear what you love.

Stamps are available in nearly every style you can imagine, from whimsical designs and script letters to bold and modern choices, with new options available all the time. You can create beautiful accessories with basic tools and supplies, but as with so many areas of crafts and design, theres also plenty of room to grow and expand your collection once you find that you have a real passion for personalizing metal jewelry.

Here youll learn about the basic tools and materials needed to create your very own stamped metal jewelry and to get great results right from the start.

There are tools specifically made for metal stamping. These tools will enable you to create everything from metal cuff bracelets to beaded earrings, and beyond. Metal-stamping tools and supplies are finally making their way into craft stores as this hobby increases in popularity, so if you have a major arts and crafts retailer near you, all you need is a trip to the store to find everything you need to get started. If you dont have a major outlet nearby, try inquiring at a local bead shop, or source your supplies online. Prices vary quite a bit, even for the same tools, so comparison shopping can save you quite a bit of money. You should be able to get your starter supplies for around U.S. $100.

The first tool you need in order to get a great result when stamping is a steel block (or steel bench block) for a work surface that will both give you a crisp impression and protect your work table. You cant skip the steel block if you want to stamp! Its a critical tool. Steel blocks are simple slabs of hardened steel, often square, and can be quite heavy the larger they are.

Steel blocks are much like the desk in your office; they come in different sizes with different features for your comfort. If you stamp a great dealor think you willinvest in an extra-large steel block at 6" square. This is the size you will see used throughout the book. If you want to try out stamping before splurging on a large block, there are blocks as small as 112" square. Some blocks come with rubberized bottoms to absorb noise. As with a desk, you can pay extra for certain features, but in truth, you can get the same quality of work done no matter which block you choose.

When choosing hammers, you have many options, each with a specific purpose and use. Depending on your personal style, you may find that you use many hammers regularly, or that a good brass hammer is all you need. Each of the following hammers has a special purpose in your stampers toolset.

The typical stamping hammer is a one-pound brass hammer with a shortened handle. The brass helps absorb some of the shock so that your hands dont ache at the end of a long stamping session, and the shortened handle of the stamping hammer gives you much more control than a standard hammer. While I highly recommend a one-pound brass stamping hammer, Ill be perfectly honest: I began stamping with the one-pound hammer that I found in my household tool box. Working with a small standard hammer is just fine if youre starting out and want to save some money, but as soon as you decide youre a stamper at heart, itll be the very first piece you will want to upgrade.

A nylon hammer is a good tool to invest in, because you may find on occasion that thin metal blanksthe small pieces of metal you are stamping intocan bow slightly as you stamp them. The nylon hammer will allow you to flatten out these blanks without marring the metal. Nylon hammers are also really useful if you need to shape a blank from a flat piece of metal into a curved cuff, for example, because it allows you to do so without leaving a mark.