Jean Campbell - Steampunk Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings

VICTORIAN, FANTASY, AND
MECHANICAL NECKLACES,
BRACELETS, AND EARRINGS

JEAN CAMPBELL

These pages: Handmade Steampunk Unisex and Diverse Vintage Neo-Victorian Jewelry Ricky Wolbrom, EDM Designs

Surely youve heard the saying, Its never too late to have a happy childhood. The exploding cultural wavefront known as Steampunk might very well adopt as its motto, Its never too late to live splendidly like a Victorian.

But, of course, just as no sane adult seeks to replicate exactly all the cramped and shortsighted parameters of childhood, so no thoughtful creator or lifestyle adopter seeks to authentically inhabit the constricted and narrow-minded conditions of 150 years ago.

Steampunk takes the best of this seminal historical mother lode and mixes it up with postmodern influences that range from attitude to materials. We Steampunks are bricoleurs, with one foot set firmly in the Victorian era and the other solidly planted in the twenty-first century, yoking the elegance and brio of the past with the ineluctable concerns and visions of the future.

The type of antique things and techniques the Steampunk artist or recreationist instinctively seeks and utilizes are those objects and technics for which the current period offers only inferior or ugly or distasteful counterparts. Cast-iron and wood instead of aluminum. Silk and linen instead of polyester. Brass and glass and rubber instead of plastic. Welding instead of superglue. Rivets instead of injection molding. Leather belts and buckles instead of Velcro. Decoration instead of utilitarianism. Irony and humor instead of severity and starkness.

The Steampunk artisan always favors rich, beautiful materials and painstaking artisanal methods that hark back to a less recondite and less machine-mediated technology, when natural resources emerged transmogrified but still recognizable from the workshop and factory.

And, most important, Steampunk cultivates a DIY ethos, in line with the fabled music from which half its name derives. The Victorian and Edwardian era represented the last period in which broad expertise and knowledge were obtainable by the average person, even if self-taught. It was a time when every woman could be her own jungle explorer, every man his own aetheric scientist, given the urge and talent. Steampunks are makers and doers, not passive consumers and mere audience membersas this book well demonstrates!

The key allure and goal of Steampunk is to fashion and inhabit a world where the awe and romance inspired by humanitys pursuit of scientific knowledge is reflected in our tools, furniture, architecture, literature, art, and fashions. The mode is both a celebration of the past and of what might yet be, a witty commentary on things lost and paths not taken.

All of my foregoing philosophy is made manifest in the pages of this book much more vividly and emphatically than my mere words can convey. With a clear and informed and passionate vision of what Steampunk means, Jean Campbell has assembled a guild of talented jewelry makers who echo her goals and abilities. In lucid, revelatory chapters, they share the secrets of their hard-earned, joyous accomplishments, providing endless inspiration to lucky readers intent on entering the exciting world of Steampunk craftsmanship.

Cinch the straps of your aerostatic harness, dog the ports of your bathyscaphe, engage the drill bit of your subterranean burrower. Youre in for a stimulating ride!

Paul Di Filippo
author, The Steampunk Trilogy
Providence, Rhode Island

That question is a common reaction from people new to the name of this style trend one thats been around for more than twenty years, since the term was first coined in 1987. Generally, Steampunk is a fashion, design, and popular-culture phenomenon that combines romance and technology. Among its many influences are futurism, time travel, and the Victorian Age. These seemingly disparate facets combine into a resulting look that might be called Mad Max Meets Jane Austen.

Signature Steampunk jewelry design pairs mechanically based found objects with Victorian- influenced filigree, charms, chain, and sumptuous beads to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Brass and copper are usually the metals of choice, and each piece often holds some kind of meaning it tells a story, evokes a memory, eulogizes a historical figure or object, or simply evokes a hearty chortle. The look is romantic but not fussy; edgy but not angry; futuristic but not cold.

For Steampunk-Style Jewelry Ive gathered together twenty pieces that embody the heart and soul of this trend. You dont need to be a master metalsmith to make these projects. A curiosity to learn, an explorers spirit for shopping, and the willingness to pick up the occasional hand or small power tool are all you really need.

Theres a design for just about any wardrobe. Show off your punk side with Minervas Folly Cuff on .

The thirteen talented project designers featured in this book show you how to make their pieces through clear step-by-step instructions and illustrations. If you need to learn or relearn a specific technique to finish your project, youll find them all described in the Makers Workshop on . Theres plenty of inspiration in the sidebars showcasing the practitioners who have influenced and have been influenced by Steampunk. In the final section of the book, youll find a gallery of Steampunk jewelry designs from some of this communitys finest, hopefully to inspire you to do a little Steampunking of your own.

I hope you enjoy making the projects in this book and savor the truly innovative work of the artists featured throughout. May Steampunk-Style Jewelry serve as a steam-driven vessel for your imagination, bringing you to the uncharted ports and unknown harbors of your creativity.

Steampunk Ring
Daniel Proulx, Catherinette Rings

The supplies and techniques you need to create Steampunk-style jewelry are pretty basic. Nearly all the pieces in this book are made with items you may already have on hand or can easily find on trips to your local bead shop, hardware store, or junk shop. A few hand tools are usually all you need to get the job done.

Beads (A) are my favorite part of any jewelry project. They are versatile, plentiful, and easy to find. In this book, beads serve as ornament to many of the designs. Youll find beads made of crystal, fire-polished glass, freshwater pearl, porcelain, stone, metal, and vintage glass.