Jewelry Project SEE BOTH SIDES
Anodize to the second color on
the exposed side. I like to put a
stripe down the middle of each
petal with a ball bur and recolor to a
lower voltage.
Tip: If you don’t have tape, you
can anodize to the higher voltage
color you plan to use, then grind
the color off one side with the ball
bur or steel brush and recolor to a
lower voltage color. Your original
color may “advance” a bit when
you recolor to a lower voltage
color. Yellow, especially, tends to
become pink.
STEM AND STAMENS
The stem of the fl ower is 20ga
sterling silver, and it will become
the ear wire. I prefer 22ga for the
stamens, though smaller wire would
work, too.
For 6 stamens, cut 3 pieces of wire
about ½" longer than twice the diam-
eter of the fl ower. Mine were about 2"
long. Melt a little ball on each end.7106 89More
FlowersHAWAIIAN LEI, PAGE 72Coil the Wires
You can make these fl owers
without a torch!
Bend a loop in the end of the 20ga
wire. Thread 3 pieces of 22ga wire
through it and twist each one.
Tighten the 20ga loop around the
smaller wires, then form a small coil
on the end of each stamen.AN
EASIER
WAYTip: For brightest color, you can
buy Multi-etch ™ from Reactive
Metals Studio. It is an acid formula
that comes in dry form, ready
to mix and use. It will result in
much brighter colors but must be
treated with great care. I use it only
occasionally.
ADD COLOR
One of the charms of this design for
me is the opportunity to use diff er-
ent colors on the two sides. With an
anodizer, this is pretty easy.6-7
Decide what colors you
want to use. Anodize the
petals to whichever color requires a
lower voltage. Rinse and thoroughly
dry the pieces, then stick them
onto a piece of tape. Packing tape
will work if you are using fairly low
voltages but will tend to lift at the
edges above around 50v. Reactive
Metals sells anodizing tape that
works much better, though it is
costly.46 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST