How to Make a Broken Plate Necklace

Tools
-opaque paint marker
-tile saw
-glass grinder
-xacto knife (optional)
-popsicle stick for burnishing foil
-stained glass soldering iron with 1/4" tip
-sal ammoniac bar to keep tip clean
-2 mini vise clamps
-inexpensive flat nose pliers
-sponge with sliced grooves
-protective eyewear
-protective clothing for tile cutting
-heat protective apron for soldering

Supplies
-large dinner plate with repetitive patterns
-6mm jumprings
-4mm jumprings
-hook and clasp closure
-pearls or other accessories
-3/8" copper foil for stained glass
-lead free silver solder
-flux and flux brush
-flux remover

You'll need a plate with enough repetitive patterns to cut at least 9 pieces from it. Use a paint marker to mark the lines where you want to cut the plate. Then with a tile saw cut from the edge towards the center of the plate without cutting straight through to the other edge. When you're finished you should have a plate with the center intact and a bunch of cut sections still attached. It almost reminds me of childhood drawings of the sun with rays shooting out. Break off the rays (I usually just knock it gently from behind with a hammer and it will snap toward the center of the plate) and using a glass grinder smooth the edges. Let the pieces dry (they'll be wet from the tile cutter and glass grinder).

Now it's time to construct the necklace. You want to attach 2 of the plate pieces by connecting 2 6mm jumprings to the top mini jumprings. Then 3 jumprings to the mini jumprings at the bottom. The combination of 2 at the top and 3 at the bottom helps the necklace take a more round shape. We're almost done.

Attach the 2 end pieces to the necklace. Then finish by adding a hook clasp to one of the center mini jump rings and a small "extension chain" with a bead at the end on the other.

Finish it off with some beads or other creative gems that compliment your plate's design & distract the eye away from the jumpring links that connect the plate pieces together.

With this piece, by complimenting the colors of the plate the eye is pulled back up to the primary rose design in the center of each plate piece. The grey-blue pearlized glass beads attached to the bottom set of links are similar to the fringe at the bottom of the plate. While the white pearlized glass beads on the top to blend with the plate's white background.

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