Crackle Marble Jewelry
A while ago on Pinterest, I saw an idea for making crackle beads yourself. The basic principle is to heat glass and then quickly cool it, thus cracking it.
Here are the tutorials I read:
Craftser.org forum
nikki lynn design
I have beads like this that I bought, but in true crafty spirit, I thought it would be fun to try it myself.
Materials:
Small clear vase fillers - round
Small pink and green vase fillers - pebble shaped
Baking pan
Oven
Mixing bowl
Water and ice
How To:
The procedure I followed that worked the best was to broil the glass vase fillers on HI for 25 minutes, and then immediately dump them into a bowl filled with water and ice. I leave them in until they are cool enough to remove with my hand (1-2 minutes). Lay them out to dry on a towel. They will look better after 24 hours or so than they do when you first remove them.
My thoughts:
These make a quite satisfying sizzle when you put them in the water, and you can see them crackle. However, once you pull them out they don't seem that sparkly. Let them sit for several hours, or even a day before choosing which ones to use for your project. They will look better at this point.
The round marble shaped ones work much better than the pebble shaped ones. However, I haven't been able to find them except in clear. I've heard they have them at the dollar store. Has anyone had any luck finding them in different colors?
Now, once you have your "fried marbles," you'll want to make something with them. Here is a simple tutorial for making a wire wrapped bail that can be glued on:
Beading Daily
You will need wire and E600 craft glue. The tutorial recommends 18 gauge. I have also used 20 gauge successfully.
The pebble shaped ones aren't as sparkly, so they look better with a more elaborate setting, such as an ornamental wire wrap:
I clearly didn't follow it exactly, but if you are interested in learning about wire wrapping I would recommend this article:
How to Wire Wrap
 |
| Shown here w/ mini jingle bells for some festive earrings |
Craftser.org forum
nikki lynn design
I have beads like this that I bought, but in true crafty spirit, I thought it would be fun to try it myself.
Materials:
Small clear vase fillers - round
Small pink and green vase fillers - pebble shaped
Baking pan
Oven
Mixing bowl
Water and ice
How To:
The procedure I followed that worked the best was to broil the glass vase fillers on HI for 25 minutes, and then immediately dump them into a bowl filled with water and ice. I leave them in until they are cool enough to remove with my hand (1-2 minutes). Lay them out to dry on a towel. They will look better after 24 hours or so than they do when you first remove them.
 |
| These make a great simple pendant to wear with everything! |
My thoughts:
These make a quite satisfying sizzle when you put them in the water, and you can see them crackle. However, once you pull them out they don't seem that sparkly. Let them sit for several hours, or even a day before choosing which ones to use for your project. They will look better at this point.
The round marble shaped ones work much better than the pebble shaped ones. However, I haven't been able to find them except in clear. I've heard they have them at the dollar store. Has anyone had any luck finding them in different colors?
What to do with your fried marbles
Now, once you have your "fried marbles," you'll want to make something with them. Here is a simple tutorial for making a wire wrapped bail that can be glued on:
Beading Daily
You will need wire and E600 craft glue. The tutorial recommends 18 gauge. I have also used 20 gauge successfully.
The pebble shaped ones aren't as sparkly, so they look better with a more elaborate setting, such as an ornamental wire wrap:
I clearly didn't follow it exactly, but if you are interested in learning about wire wrapping I would recommend this article:
How to Wire Wrap
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