the-BA : Beads and glass

A lot of jewellery nowadays is made from materials other than metal; often the styles imitate ethnic jewellery worn by tribesmen and women. Beads – often wooden, plastic or ceramic – can be found on necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Glass, too, is popular in jewellery. It can be cut, formed and coloured in many different ways, providing a good, cheap alternative to precious stones.

Have you ever wondered how beads and glass are shaped and coloured?

You might like to …

Investigate properties of various non-metals (wood, plastic and ceramics) and compare ways of working them (cutting, shaping)
Investigate different ways of colouring non-metals, and/or comparing the durability of different dyes and pigments
Test the strength of various materials that could be used for ‘chains’
Based on your investigations, design and make your own item of non-metal jewellery. You could try to make it from recycled items (for example, old glass bottles could be melted and formed into pendants).

Further links:
http://www.jewelrysupply.com/EJS/projectsindex.htm

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