Beads and glass
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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 …
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).
