Making low-budget pagan jewelry.

[~niamh_x~]

Hey fellow Neophytes! I really wanted (and still do!) to get jewelry that symbolized my beliefs within my religion/life style of choice. But being cash-strapped (damn student loans!), I needed to come up with alternate options. There were pieces at the local "pagan" shops, but I found they were asking for too much-- or the items were worth the cash, but you needed to have the cash to buy... ANYWAY, I decided to get creative. Went to the local and AMAZING bead shop, and spent 45 minutes choosing the beads I wanted to make myself a necklace. I chose moonstones as spacers, and red jasper, amber, amazonite, and... another... stone... (looking down shirt to look and see if i can jog my memory) to make up the four colours of the elements. As a "centrepiece" I chose a clay three-quarter inch bead featuring little flowers/designs with all of the four colours on it. I strung these beads on beige nylon and fishing line, used a typical fastener to finish it up, and I now wear my "elemental" necklace every day.

Since I'm still in the closet, and will probably be there for a while, I chose the neutral colours for the string-- less visibility. I'm not making a huge effort to hide the necklace, but working in a "professional" environ, I keep it low on the neckline, and wear work jewelry above my new jewelry piece. People still notice it once in a while, and think it's cool, but i haven't told them what it means to me..

Within hours of wearing it, I felt a change in my heart. I felt.... well... different is the only way to describe it. I think, at a smaller scale, that this is what coming out the broom closet feels like. I felt lighter, more at one with the goddess, and more... liberated, more pride as a pagan. Of course, when you make these things yourself, your own power and magic are woven in, making the piece even more special.

Anyway, I wanted to share this with y'all-- and also wanted to ask who might have other low-budget "home made" ideas for pagan jewelry. What kind of ideas do you have for rings? Pendants? Anything else??

Brightest blessings,
Niamh

[Pan]

Very nice! Makes me want to raid my mom's place for beads. ;)

For rings, I used to make those out of silver wire and beads. I would string soft, round beads all around it so it wouldn't hurt my surrounding fingers. Wire would work the best since it wouldn't move around as much or break when you put it on. String would break (save for maybe fishing line), but wire would be good. Craft wire.. the kind you buy per spool for like.. $2. :D

Pendants.. you could always go outside and find a fallen branch, grab your father's saw (unless you have one) and cut off a disk. Carve (or burn) a shape into the disk and put a finish on it (if you want). IT would be best to sand it down first so it wouldn't hurt your skin when you wear it. You can then drill a hole in it and put a bit of twine in the hole, making a very small loop, that way when you put it on the necklace, the pendant will face outward. String beads or whatever not on the string for your necklace and presto! Leather string would work well, too, if you don't want to use beads, or if you want to use big beads that would look clunky on thinner string.

Another way is braiding embroidery floss. Using red, white, and black, would symbolise the mother, maiden, and crone (respectively) and bring you closer to the Goddess. You can also use white, green, and brown for the God (prince, father, sage). Making the wooden pendants and stringing them on these necklaces would make for pretty jewelry on a modest budget. Embroidery floss is incredibly cheap (I got mine from my mom, so it was free).

Hm.. what else.. Making bracelets is easy. Get some stretchy string (like elastic string). Buy some big wooden beads (different sizes avail.) and paint them with whatever you want or leave them blank. String them on, tie it off, and there you have it! Instant bracelet. You can also make a Rune charm bracelet by sawing off thin discs of wood and painting on Runic symbols, then stringing them on a bracelet with a few beads in between each disc.

Headpieces can be a bit trickier. I find that buying fake ivy or other leaves and just twisting them to fit your head is nice.. then you can just tie on trinkets and things as you get them. Also, making one that you and tie and untie each time would work.. using leather string is the best way I've figured out how to do it.

Most stores sell a product called Sculpey. It bakes up in your oven. You could buy some of that, and make sure you poke a hole in whatever you're making, and bake it. This could be used to make a triple moon, a Green Man face, planetary symbols, runes, and other such symbols. It can be as intricate as you like, or as plain as you like.

There are recipes for Rose Beads everywhere.. just make some homemade play-doh and add in some Rose oil or crushed up (fresh) rose petals. A sun way to make your own beads that smell really nice. I'm sure you could put in any other oil to make a myriad of scents.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll try to think up more stuff later! I hope this helps! :D:D

[~niamh_x~]

Thanks Loki-- great suggestions-- every one of them!! I'll probably get into making some stuff this weekend!!!

[Demeter]

You may want to get some Beadalon or other beading cord and restring the necklace eventually. Nylon fishing line (a) stretches and (b) tends to break down after a while. Did you dot glue or clear nail polish on the knots to seal them?

[Sora]

Wow, that's for sharing all that! I've already employed some of your great ideas, 'cause money's a rare thing to have in my pocket and, anyways, the necklaces I've made look better than ones from any store. Couldn't have done it without you :D

[Aotearoa]

I dont know how u move threads but this looks pretty suited to Arts Crafts and other things. You guys should check that forumn out to get some more ideas n stuff. I would love to make some more jewlery. havent got the time or the $$ at the mo tho.... holidays soon.... :)

[Pan]

it's already been member-moved to arts and crafts. there's a thread in there.. and since i can't delete threads HERE... this one's stuck.

[Amber Ravenstar]

You might also want to check out Azure Green, they are an online and mail order Pagan store, and their prices are the best I've ever seen! I've bought stuff from them that I had seen at other shops for twice as much.

http://www.azuregreen.com

[PureClassicTorture]

That's a really great way to bring the elemnts close to you in an inconspicuous way. I'll have to see if I can find some of the jewelery ingredients. I haven't gotten really creative n way too long. I think I've been letting myself turn into a vegetable.