Jewelry Making Charms

What makes a charm a charm?

Can I make my own?

Jewelry making charms are usually smaller than what you would call a pendant. (But not always.) I think originally, charms were anything in the shape of something and fairly small, that was used to add “charm-ing” touches to your jewelry. (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)

Today a charm can be anything. Put a hole in it, and it becomes a charm! They are not always small, either. Sometimes what a company or a store will call a charm, I would call a large pendant!

Most things like single stones, carved stone circles, or large charms are called pendants. Most pendants will have some sort of bail on them, where charms can just have loops. I think that is just about the only thing that separates a charm from a pendant.

Jewelry making charms come in all different sizes, shapes, materials and colors. There are so many different ones to choose from, I won’t even go into them. Instead, I’ll tell you how to make your own!

Note: Pure sterling silver can be a bit heavy. I would recommend using only a little and mixing it with other light beads, charms or findings.

Creating Your Own
Jewelry Making Charms

You will need:

• Some sort of tiny drill, or drill bit
• Something you want to create a charm out of
• Wire, small eye pin or small screw or post with a closed loop (mini eye bolt)
• Jewelry making heavy duty adhesive

Drill your hole.

Before Drilling: Take into consideration what you will be using your charm for.

You want to make sure that it will hang like you want it to when you’re finished. Make sure to drill at the angle and in the place that will get your desired effect. If you are going to use it as a bead type charm, you will want to drill a hole all the way through.

Take into consideration what type of loop you will be attaching. Also think about whether you are making a charm to dangle, or a charm bead.

Use a drill bit that is about the same size as whatever loop system you are using. If it is just wire, it will have to be a smaller hole than if it’s a screw type loop or a post type loop. You want to drill into the charm at least the depth of the length of the post you want to secure. (If the post or screw portion measures 1/4", you want to drill at least that far.)

Drilling: Drill a hole into your charm to be with your small drill or your drill bit. (a Dremel tool would be great for this. They offer all sorts of small drill bits for their tools. You can do this process by hand with just a drill bit. It will take a lot more time, and a lot more patience, but it can be done.)

Be careful to keep your path as straight as possible. If you put pressure on the drill bit from multiple angles you can snap it in half. You could even break off the bit inside your charm to be, which would ruin the whole charm. To make things easier, measure the depth and put a small piece of tape on the bit to mark it. When you get to depth point on the drill bit, you know you have gone far enough.

Glue in your post.

This is where you glue in your post of choice. I would do a “dry fit” first to make sure your hole is deep enough, and your post and loop are going to sit the way you want them to. Make sure to use a heavy duty adhesive that works well on the materials you are gluing together.

Wood and plastic glues do not always work well with metals. Metal glues can sometimes melt or have a chemical reaction to plastics. I would recommend a good jewelry making adhesive. They are usually made to work with both plastics and metals.

(After everything passes a dry fit test.) Put a small drop of glue into the hole. You can use a toothpick to transfer your glue to the tiny hole. Insert your post. Set the completed charm aside to dry for as long as the adhesive manufacturer recommends.

Use your new charm.

This is the FUN part! Now you get to use your jewelry making charms in whatever way you want! After the glue has dried, use the loop to attach jump rings and attach your charm to any bracelet, necklace or earrings you want.

Creating your own jewelry making charms can be a lot of fun. Anything you can drill a hole into has the potential of becoming a charm. Old game pieces and miniature doll accessories can make some really cute and fun charms. Use your imagination and get creative! You’ll be surprised at what you can come up with!

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