Get in touch with your dark side this Halloween with this gothic jewelry design. A fun piece with a real sense of movement! Using a heat gun will allow you to manipulate the flat plastic form to create curves easily. The edges of the acrylic can be polished up really well to give a high shine and the red crystal eyes will sparkle in the light.
you will need
Materials: 3mm black acrylic sheet, oxidized chain, jump rings, flat-backed red crystals, superglue, brooch finding
Tools: Piercing saw, drill/multi-tool, files, emery paper, heat gun, 2 pairs of flat-nose pliers
Extra: Protective gloves
1 Transfer the Bat template on page 123 onto the protective cover of the acrylic sheet. Use a piercing saw to cut out the shape. Drill a small hole near a point on the wing at either side.
2 File and sand the acrylic edges to smooth all the marks away (see page 24). Remove the protective coverings. Using a heat gun, apply even heat over the whole bat form until the acrylic becomes soft and flexible.
3 Wearing thick protective gloves, shape the acrylic to mirror the bat form as shown. Keep the back flat so that the brooch pin can be fitted. Hold in place to maintain the shape until the acrylic cools and sets.
4 Cut two different short lengths of oxidized chain and hang these from the drilled holes in the bat wings using jump rings. Glue the red crystal eyes to the front face and the brooch finding to the center back.
Do not overheat the acrylic, as it will bubble and spoil. Apply heat gradually; if you are unhappy with the form, allow the piece to cool and then heat up again to reshape. To cool and set the acrylic quickly, quench under running water.
Project from Gothic Jewelry by Harriet Smith, CICO Books, photography by Martin Norris
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