Marble and Metal Pendant Necklace (3 Versions)

by Fikjast Scott

4.3K10210

Intro: 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.

STEP 1: Items Used

  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

STEP 2: Get Started Cut the Marbles

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.

STEP 3: Metal Cutting

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.

STEP 4: Forming Metal - Three Versions or Styles

Forming metal - Three versions

1. The bottle cap style

2. The sun burst style

3. The tab style

STEP 5: Version 1. the Bottle Cap 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

STEP 6: Version 2. the Sun Burst Style

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.

STEP 7: Version 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 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.

STEP 8: Some More Photos

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

Thank you for viewing my Instructables

10 Comments

hunter999 10 years ago

Really awesome idea, I like the bottle cap one :-) Thanks for sharing.

valkgurl 10 years ago

Happy to know that without being a marble "collector" there are others who share Marble Addiction Syndrom.

Hi my name is ----and I have a problem.

Worse I passed it on to my grand daughter.

I must ask--WHERE are you finding such NICE marbles??? I have many many nice OLD marbles inc gem stones; real agates and clay but new marbles mostly look bland and pale---YOUR marbles however look smashing! Please share!!!!!

These designs are great---the "Tab Style" one could also be called a "Prong Set" style----

Fikjast Scott 10 years ago

thank you, please sit down for my response.
Well I am on the lookout for marbles all the time; the ones shown were found in a museum shop. Last year I was in Branson Missouri and they had a store called the 5 and 10. They had a great selection.
I see on the internet you can get some from marble king (like the package shown) http://www.marblekingusa.com/
I must have been a pretty good marble player when I was little. I had a few jars full. Side story, I was hitting the marbles out into the field with my baseball bat and my mother took all of them away from me. She said I would thank her one day. She put them on the kitchen window sill. Well I was much older and still collecting and she gave them back to me. Wow - mom was great.
Well I stopped counting mine after 60,000 marbles; but there is a lady I believe in Missouri that has dedicated her whole house to marbles. I think they call her the Marble Queen.
I put out a tray full of free marbles in front of my Rock display case every year at our rock club show, they go quick.
Back to finding nice ones, luck, luck, luck. I stopped at garage sale down the street from me and said I liked marbles. The man invented a game using marbles – he just gave me boxes and boxes of marbles.
I have a small collection of handmade marbles. I find these sometimes at craft shows. A foam gun case works great to store them.
Well, almost done. I have been working on building a machine to make stone marbles. Rock people called them sphere machines. I made one machine but it scared me to use it. I hope to get a new one done. I have boxes of raw agates waiting.
If you are ever in Michigan just let me know, I will trade you. Actually I would just give you some.
cheerfully scott

Aeon Junophor 10 years ago

Really great idea!!

Love it

Youras Aeon Junophor

Fikjast Scott 10 years ago

Thank you
I use to worry about every chip in my marbles, but seeing people wear them calms me down.

Tarun Upadhyaya 10 years ago

All are cool but I especially loved the sunburn version:)

Fikjast Scott 10 years ago

thank you, I really lucked out with having the matching braided necklace cord.

Penolopy Bulnick 10 years ago

So cool! They make me think of Pokemon Badges for some reason :P

Fikjast Scott 10 years ago

This is how my mind works; I see something and notions pop in my head. It works with the other senses. I keep a box of crayons on my desk. I open it every once in a while to smell it and I travel back in time to Kindergarten.
You made my day
Thanks

I had to look up the word notion to make sure I was using it correctly. Wow what a word.
A mental image or representation; an idea or conception. A fanciful impulse; a whim.
A general understanding; vague or imperfect conception or idea of something: a notion of how something should be done
An idea or opinion. : An idea about doing something: a sudden wish or desire