Marble and Metal Pendant Necklace (3 Versions)

First - let’s say I have collecting issues with marbles. I have bags and bags of marbles – buckets and buckets of marbles. I have marbles everywhere, I love marbles – there, I have said it.

I wanted to share some of my marble and metal pendants; three versions

1. The bottle cap style

2. The sun burst style

3. The tab style (I wish I had a fancier name for this one)

I will be showing an instructables on cut marbles (not completely round) to make 3 pieces of jewelry.

Remember to practice and use shop safety – use protective eyeglasses, dust masks and gloves. Know how to safely use the equipment before you start. No loose clothing, hair or objects around moving items. Remove your rings.

1. Marbles – American made Glass marbles – called shooters – approximately 9/16 inches in diameter. Fireballs, blue mist, cats eyes – they are all good
2. Thin Brass Stock
3. Diamond wheel cutter – wet saw with 12 inch blade
4. Disc punch
5. Doming block with dome punch
6. Hammer
7. Tin snips – light duty
8. File
9. Sandpaper – aka emery – I like wet versions – grits on hand- 100 220 400 600
10. 8mm ring and 5mm ring
11. Small pick – used on the sunburst version
12. Necklace material – can be chain, leather, string

I started by selecting my marbles; I tried to get a variety to pick from and cut extra (just in case). My goal was to pick the best color and pattern to face forward. I used a diamond wet saw to cut the marbles slightly off center, leaving the larger side to keep for mounting.

I like using thin brass to work with. It cuts with light duty tinsnips and can be worked (folded, punched, etc…).

Using a disc cutter, I punched out 1 inch diameter brass discs. Again cut extra. I was fortune with having access to a nice disc cutter.

The disc cutter leaves a little bur, so I used a general purpose file to smooth.

I followed up with emery paper - 400 grit

Note: Most of the time I make a card stock pattern with a compass, cut it out – and then trace the pattern onto my brass stock. I would cut the disc out with my snips.

Forming metal - Three versions

1. The bottle cap style

2. The sun burst style

3. The tab style

Using the 1 inch disc; I started by using a simple punch to put a hole in the edge for the 8 mm ring.

I used a doming block to start collapsing the brass disc

Then I put the doomed disc into an undersized hole in the disc cutter. Using an even smaller disc cutter (the size of the marble) pushed the disc down in the hole.

I placed an orange cut marble into the center.

Using my pliers, I closed up the folds of the brass – to secure the marble inside.

Added the 8mm ring and necklace material

Using the 1 inch disc.

I placed the marble in the center of the disc and traced around it.

Using my tin snips I cut diamond patterns (to make the bursts) around the disc (I really just used my eye to create equal rays).

Using my pliers I bent the rays at approximately 98 degrees upward towards and towards the center. At the tips of the rays, I did another slight bend inward.

Placing of the white & blue marble requires a roll in process. Tip the marble slightly and push into the center. Now with a small pick, gently pull the rays out one by one. As you are pulling the rays out, push the marble in. It is kind of like changing a tire.

Using my pliers, I closed the bursts or rays of the brass – to secure the marble inside.

I left one sun burst ray to be completely folded over to hold the 8mm ring

The necklace material was attached through the ring.

Using the 1 inch disc; I started by using a simple punch to put a hole in the edge for the 8 mm ring.

I placed the marble in the center of the disc and traced around it.

Using my tin snips I cut straight patterns (to make the tabs) around the disc (I really just used my eye to create equal tabs).

Using my pliers I bent every other tab at approximately 98 degrees upward towards and towards the center. At the tips of the tabs, I did another slight bend inward. The balance (the other every other tabs), I bent flat against the back.

Placing of the red marble requires a roll in process. Tip the marble slightly and push into the center. Now with a small pick, gently pull the rays out one by one. As you are pulling the rays out, push the marble in. It is kind of like changing a tire.

Using my pliers, I closed the tabs of the brass – to secure the marble inside.

I added the 8mm ring

The necklace material was attached through the ring.

With skin reactions to different elements, I like to coat my wearable jewelry with a protective coating.

Thank you for viewing my Instructables