Assorted Can Jewelry

What follows is a step by step description of the process involved in making a few types of can jewelry.  It involves a few steps but is a lot of fun and leaves you with some beautiful pieces.  Because you are using cans you can personalize it however you like.

Steps:

Wash out can

Start cutting around the circumference of the can (where the can becomes wider) with an exacto knife

Finish cutting off the top of the can using scissors

Cut down the length of the can with scissors

Cut off the bottom of the can with scissors

Flatten out the “sheet” of aluminum (you may need to roll the sheet backwards in order to make it flat)

Cut off any rough edges using an exacto knife and a ruler

Cut the sheet of aluminum into 1” X 1” pieces

Using a small metal file, file down all four sides of the 1” x 1” pieces to make them less sharp

Starting at one corner roll the small pieces of aluminum around a think paint brush handle – you may need to work the metal a bit by rolling it back and forth around the paint brush until it curls tightly. Ideally, you want your aluminum roll to be no larger than a ¼ of an inch in diameter. The ends will be the pointed corners of the aluminum squares.

Wind a piece of thin wire around the center of the rolled aluminum about 10 times.

Remove the piece of aluminum with the wire holding it in place from the paintbrush

File down the pointy corners to a nice rounded shape.

From here, you can either make earrings, a bracelet or a necklace

For earrings: simply poke a hole in one end of the aluminum and put an earring hook through the hole

For a necklace: place the aluminum rolls onto a large safety pin. Once you have 6 – 8 of these, thread beads onto an additional 4 – 8 safety pins

Thread the safety pins onto a piece of stiff round wire or a pre-made choker (necklace)

For a bracelet: place the aluminum rolls onto large safety pins. Once you have 10 – 20 (depending on desired circumference of bracelet) of these, thread beads onto an additional 10 – 20 safety pins. String the safety pins (in alternating pattern and with the heads and tails of safety pins alternating) onto a piece of elastic, using flat beads in between the safety pins. Secure the elastic and then do the same thing with another piece of elastic on the other side of the safety pins.
 

And there you have it.  A variety of styles to choose from and definitley plenty of room for creativity.

Enjoy!

(Check the galleries for some more styles and ideas)