Artisans do use paper for jewelry designs. The trick is to seal the paper to make it more durable.  So I thought the Ephemera mixed media earrings tutorial by Luthien Thye was unfairly named.  Ephemer a means "things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time."   But with the care in preparing the paper portion, the design can be enjoyed for a long time.

mixed media earrings tutorial


There are several tips covered in the tutorial. The paper started out as the plain white variety which is then stained with coffee.  After the design is printed out on the prepared paper, the edges are singed. Cool tip is to use an incense stick for this task. With my luck, using a candle flame will probably result complete ashes!

The designer suggested using a spray fixative for inkjet images before sealing with a water based varnish and resin to prevent the inks from running.

Another cool tip was to use a gas stove to anneal the 16 G wire for the U shape design elements.  Annealing will soften this thick wire enough to make it easier to manipulate.

Did I miss any tips?

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips