I am interested in knowing if anyone has worked with seeds/nuts in
their jewellery and if so have you any tips on protecting seeds with
any type of oil/lacquer to keep them fresh looking. I made a
necklace from small lychee/longan type seeds, gold leaf and gold
wire and although was very happy with the design, after several
wearings, the seeds looked quite old - obviously from rubbing on the
neck, oils, hair etc. Any suggestions?
Heidi
Never worked with seeds. But I have known plenty of Nuts in this
business.
Perhaps spraying the seed with a transparent acrylic and then
spraying 3 or 4 times again after applying the gold or other color
might work. I can also tell you something else. Sometimes seeds have
bug eggs inside and they hatch so you should be careful about
preparation of seeds in jewelry. Sometimes freezing will kill the
eggs and sometimes not. My sister-in-law bought dyed corn necklaces
at the Corn Palace and some time later her bedroom and jewelry box
were filled with flying insects which had hatched.
Donna in VA
I recently made a pair of earrings from gumball seed pods. Prior to
setting stones in each of the openings, I dipped the pods into a
liquid acrylic. I set the stones and the earrings are holding up
great and receive some wear.
J Koslow