Here I cut a flat round circle out of some copper sheeting and cut a hole the size of the glass jewel slightly off-centre (I use ordinary office scissors for this job). Once I had wrapped the copper foil (¼" width) around the glass jewel (it is the catalyst for soldering the glass to the copper as solder does not take on glass), I soldered it in place, allowing the light to shine through from the back. I covered the copper in silver solder and then soldered some pieces of wire onto the bottom half of the copper, giving it a coat of black patina and gently buffing it with fine kitchen steel wool to create an aged effect. After soldering on some rings, it was ready to suspend from a nice thick rope chain.
To work with copper sheeting is an absolute pleasure. It is pliable, easy to handle and can be cut and shaped into any shape you please. It can be combined with many other materials like glass, wood, stone, steel, shells and even plastic or used on it's own to create one-of-a-kind copper jewellery.
I purchase mine in rolls, available from most craft shops, which is then easy to store and doesn't take up as much space as when you buy pre-cut flat sheets.
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