oooo, i’m a bit starstruck to feature this inspiring guest post from janet of the janet jewelry fame! over a decade ago, when i was a new yorker, i met janet when she was selling her unique and beautiful silver jewelry at a street market in the village. then she set up her first store right near my chelsea apartment! and now she has written a fab guest blog on making jewelry with kids just for us.
i’ve always admired her artistry, and today she’s sharing a wonderful preschooler-friendly art project with all of us… AND she’s offering a special discount code for my readers to use when holiday shopping on her web site! don’t miss it at the end of this entry – read on…
janet wrote up a wonderful post for us all about how she helped her daughter’s preschool class create their own custom silver jewelry! how awesome is that?!?! enjoy janet’s words below:
Fingerprint Cast Sterling Silver Pendants
As a graduation present for each of my daughter’s friends at her daycare, I wanted to give them a chance to make their own handmade sterling silver jewelry that they (or their parent!) could wear, something that would represent this moment in time for them. To me, jewelry isn’t just about adornment, but especially when it’s handmade, I feel that jewelry emanates a talismanical quality that encapsulates so much more–energy, creativity, intent, time, joy, love….
Since this was for a Pre-K class, first, I did a quick show and tell of some basic jewelry making tools (files, sandpaper, jeweler’s saw, wax, burner, dental tools, etc) but mostly focused on the wax: what was it, how did it feel, what makes it softer/harder, why did it come in different colors/shapes, and how does wax become metal?
different waxes
Because of their age group (3-5 yr olds) I focused mostly on colors, textures, and shapes of waxes and let them feel each of the different colors and let them mush it between their thumbs and forefingers like they would Playdoh–this practice is great for young children to help develop their fine motor skills. The more they mushed it around in their hands, the softer it got! Magic!
I showed them how I make shapes out of wax, which is then cast into raw metal, which I saw, file, sand, and polish to make jewelry.
I made a little ball of wax for each child, flattened it a little so that I could press their initials using my set of steel stamps (so I knew which pendant to give back to which child), and with the initial side down, I had each child press the semi-flat (from the initial stamping) ball into a flat thumbprint pendant. The children saw that even with the same size of wax ball, some of the pendants came out to be really big and super flat, while others were smaller in shape but thicker, too. They got to choose what they wanted to create.
After class, I took all the waxes to a casting company, where they use the lost wax method to create metal pieces out of the wax models. Casting equipment is expensive, heavy, massive, dangerous, etc, so I prefer to outsource the casting portion of making pendants. I get it back as “raw cast pieces” meaning, the sprues (those little things sticking out of the pendants where the metal is shot into the wax model) are still on it, and the finish is rough and white.
I saw off the sprues by hand, file and sand it, being careful not to interfere with the thumbprint, and drill holes where the bail will be.
I put little jumprings through the holes (the bail) and solder it closed.
In order to keep the thumbprints as visible as possible, I didn’t sand the main surfaces at all, but instead, rubbed it with a brass brush to give it a bit of shine, but left the texture intact.
For a more detailed description of the cast finishing process, check it out on my website. Ta-da! Finished product! Most of the moms wanted to wear the pendants until their child got older, so I finished it with a sterling chain necklace. The kids really enjoy seeing their moms wear their “art work” every day, and the moms love their thumbprint reminders of their little ones. I’m hoping to make this into a “kit” soon, so keep an eye out for it on my website!
If you don’t have access to wax casting or metal smithing, you can do a similar project using polymer clay, like Fimo or Sculpey, which can be hardened by baking in a toaster oven (follow instructions on package). If you prefer a shiny finish, you can simply coat it with some clear nail polish!
My favorite part about making jewelry with children is that it is art they can wear, show to their friends, or give to someone they love, and they start to develop an appreciation for accessories and fashion, not simply as protection against the elements, but as forms of self expression and representation. Enjoy their creativity!
get to know janet:
Janet Akie Masamitsu began taking silversmithing classes in high school (1987!) and she’s been hooked ever since. After receiving a MA in Gender Politics at NYU, she realized she spent all her spare time making jewelry, and decided to take a break from her teaching career to create www.janetjewelry.com in 1997. Janet’s jewelry has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, including New York Times, Paper, Elle Girl, Revolver, and Cargo. Meredith Vieira wore her Postmodern Candy Necklace on “The View,” and Janet herself made her first TV appearance on The Oxygen Network’s “SheCommerce,” and more recently, on Style! Network’s show, “Isaac,” with designer Isaac Mizrahi. Her pieces have been worn by The Killers, Cibo Matto, and Blu Cantrell, and she has also worked on commissioned designs for Cyndi Lauper, Phantom Planet, and Jeffrey Gaines. Janet lives in NYC with her husband, a Creative Director, her 5 year old craft-acular daughter, Dylan, and 20 month old Jack, who keeps them all on their toes by running off with their half made projects.
a holiday offer especially for you, dear readers:
do some holiday shopping at janetjewelry.com and use the discount code: PAINTCUTPASTE to receive 20% off your entire purchase, including sale items and clearance items. this offer is good through thursday, december 15, 2011. the only fine print: Cannot be used in conjunction with other Coupons; cannot be used toward Gift Certificates. here is the holiday FAQ, which covers most questions regarding packaging, shipping, exchange policy, deadlines, etc.
some of my own personal favorite items that janet makes are her customizable pieces – and i happen to have collected a few over the years!
in the photo above, i’ve included a few of my top picks such as: janet’s hot mama jewelry line is awesome for custom pieces with your family names. (i totally love the three little bears necklace!!!) and the significant other ring which is a great gift for your partner, best friend, or sibling.
janet offers a gift idea page for everyone on your list, and she even breaks it down by price (starting under $25) and by recipient (for mom, for dad, for teen, etc..)
you can keep up with janet by following janetjewelryNYC on twitter and on facebook, too! have a sparkly holiday!
