Have you ever looked at a piece of jewelry and wondered, "What the heck is that made of?" Well, if you've ever seen a pressed flower suspended between glass, a necklace made from an antique piano key, or a piece of Grandma's broken china turned into a pendant, you may have encountered jewelry made using the Tiffany technique.

And yes, I really do make jewelry from those things. Along with a few others that might surprise you!

The Tiffany technique, also called the copper foil method, uses a process known as soft soldering when adapted for jewelry. Traditionally used in stained glass artwork and made famous by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his beautiful stained glass lamps, the technique involves wrapping the edges of glass with copper foil and applying molten solder to create a metal framework that holds everything together.

But here's where things get interesting. Although traditional stained glass solder often contains lead and isn't suitable for jewelry, the same technique can be adapted using a different solder. And that opens up a whole world of possibilities beyond stained glass.

Shop Pressed Flower Jewelry Here

I've been working with this medium for years, and believe it or not, my journey into jewelry making began with a broken teapot and a husband who decided to do a little dusting.

It all started with a broken teapot

Before I started making jewelry, I was creating stained glass window panels and smaller stained glass pieces.

One day, a woman contacted me with an unusual request. Her husband had accidentally broken a treasured teapot that had belonged to her great aunt. She'd saved the broken pieces and wanted to know if I could turn them into jewelry.

The funny part? She told me she couldn't really be mad at her husband because he'd actually been dusting, and apparently that was such a rare occurrence that she felt it deserved some consideration! Ha!

Anyway, I began researching whether the technique I was using for stained glass could be adapted into something people could wear. Traditional stained glass solder often contains lead, and that certainly wasn't something I wanted to use in jewelry.

After a fair amount of research, experimenting, and some good old fashioned trial and error, I found a lead free solder composed primarily of tin, with small amounts of copper and silver.

And it worked!

Of course, figuring out how to make the jewelry was only the beginning. Learning how to properly finish the metal, maintain its appearance, and keep it looking beautiful required a whole lot more experimenting. Eventually, I developed my own methods for doing just that.

A few of those particular methods remain a rather well guarded studio secret. *wink* A girl's gotta have a little mystery, after all.

Check out this unique pendant!

How does Tiffany technique jewelry work?

The basic principle is fairly simple to explain, although mastering it is another story.

When I'm working with something that will be enclosed between glass, such as pressed flowers, a photograph, a piece of lace, or another flat keepsake, I begin by thoroughly preparing the materials.

The glass must be clean and free of oils, fingerprints, and dust. Organic materials such as flowers must be properly dried before they're enclosed. Once everything is positioned, I wrap the edges with copper foil.

The width of that foil matters. Sometimes I want more metal surrounding the piece to create a bolder design. Other times I prefer a finer border that allows more of what's inside the glass to remain visible. The foil is then burnished, which simply means pressing it firmly against the glass to ensure good contact.

Next comes the soldering.

I use a soldering iron and a metal joining flux, which helps the molten solder flow and bond to the copper foil. As I work, the solder creates the metal framework around the piece. Depending on the design, I may incorporate additional copper wire or other metal components.

Once the soldering is complete, the jewelry is thoroughly cleaned, finished, and polished. I may leave the metal with a silver appearance or apply a gunmetal or copper patina.

One of the things I spend considerable time on is the finish. I use a jeweler's rotary tool with a cotton buffing wheel to carefully buff and polish each piece, bringing out a smoother, brighter surface and deeper luster.

 

What kind of materials can be used?

This is probably my favorite part of the entire technique.

While glass is a major part of my work, Tiffany technique jewelry isn't limited to pressed flowers or even to glass itself.

Over the years, I've incorporated all sorts of things into jewelry, including some materials you probably wouldn't associate with jewelry making at all. I've worked with broken china, antique piano keys, vintage skeleton keys, gemstones, coins, and pieces from old watches.

For custom orders, I've preserved pieces of wedding dresses, bridal bouquets, funeral flowers, handwritten signatures, photographs, concert tickets, maps, favorite clothing, sheet music, and even the paper fortunes from fortune cookies. I've also worked with locks of hair, pet whiskers, feathers, and other keepsakes from beloved animals that are no longer with us.

Then there are the more unusual materials.

Butterfly wings, dragonfly wings, cicada wings, meteorite fragments, diamond dust, dried lotus stems, herbs, and even a tarantula's shed exoskeleton have found their way into my work.

And no, I don't go running through the woods chasing butterflies with a net. Ha! The insect wings I've used come from ethical sources, including suppliers who support sanctuaries.

Not every material can be used, of course. Some things are too thick, some cannot tolerate the heat, and others simply aren't suitable for the construction. But the possibilities are surprisingly broad.

And quite often, the ideas don't come from me. They come from people who have something meaningful, unusual, or downright peculiar and wonder if I can turn it into jewelry. Sometimes I can. Sometimes I can't. But I do enjoy the challenge.

The antique piano keys that became necklaces

One of my favorite examples of experimenting with the Tiffany technique happened years ago while I was browsing online for new or unusual materials, hoping to discover something that might inspire a new jewelry idea.

I came across someone selling a few antique ebony piano keys from a deconstructed antique piano. Now, I'd never tried soldering wood before, but I wondered whether it might work. So I bought them.

When they arrived, I carefully removed the old finish, prepared the wood, applied copper foil, and began experimenting. Much to my delight, the ebony wood tolerated the process. And just like that, my piano key necklaces were born.

That little experiment eventually became one of my most successful jewelry designs, landing on the cover of the Fall 2016 edition of Signals catalog and even becoming available through The Gift Shop at the Library of Congress.

I've made so many piano key necklaces over the years that I've lost count of how many pianos have contributed to them. Today, I source genuine antique ebony keys, many more than a century old, from a piano repairman on the East Coast.

All because I saw a few old piano keys and thought, "I wonder if I can solder those?" That's pretty much how a lot of my ideas begin.

Is Tiffany technique jewelry made from sterling silver?

No, and this is one of the misunderstandings about this type of jewelry.

The silver colored metal you see surrounding my glass and other materials isn't sterling silver.

I use a lead free solder composed primarily of tin, with smaller percentages of copper and silver. This is often called soft solder, which refers to the lower temperature soldering process compared with traditional precious metal soldering.

It doesn't mean the finished jewelry is automatically fragile or poorly made. It also allows me to create larger, more substantial metal designs without the material costs associated with working entirely in sterling silver or gold.

I can make something big and bold or something relatively small and simple. It's not necessarily better than traditional silversmithing or other jewelry making methods.

It's simply different. And who doesn't like different?

 

Why do I use glass instead of resin?

This is another question worth addressing because pressed flower jewelry, in particular, is often associated with resin these days. But preserving things between glass isn't a new idea, and glass has been used in decorative and wearable objects for centuries.

Truth is, I prefer working with real glass rather than plastic resin. Glass has a wonderful clarity and a substantial feel to it. It is generally more resistant to surface scratching and the yellowing that can occur with many plastic resins as they age.

It also has weight. Now, I don't mean my jewelry is necessarily heavy. But when someone picks up one of my glass pendants, they're often surprised by how substantial it feels compared with a similar piece made from resin.

For me, that feel is part of the appeal.

There are wonderful resin artists out there, and resin certainly has its own advantages and creative possibilities. It simply isn't the medium I've chosen.

Is Tiffany technique jewelry durable?

Absolutely, with a little common sense.

The soldered metalwork is durable, and thicker glass cabochons can be surprisingly tough. I've accidentally dropped glass cabochons on concrete without damaging them. I even flung one once, and it survived just fine. Not that I recommend testing your jewelry that way! (That's a discussion for another time.) *wink again*

Thinner stained glass is another matter. It can be more vulnerable to impact or pressure, so it's important to treat the jewelry according to the materials used.

The metal finish may also change gradually over time. A bright silver finish can develop a softer, more pewter like appearance, while gunmetal finishes may lose some of their original luster. Just as other metal surfaces can change over time, including sterling silver, brass, and copper, that's normal.

I recommend gently wiping your jewelry with a microfiber cloth after wearing it and storing it in a dry, protective bag or jewelry box. Avoid chemical jewelry cleaners, especially products intended for sterling silver.

And one very important thing: although the jewelry is soldered, that does not make it waterproof. Please don't wear it while swimming, showering, or bathing. Tiffany technique jewelry isn't intended to be worn around the clock. A little care helps keep it looking beautiful for years to come.

Is making Tiffany technique jewelry difficult?

Well, some days I think I've got this whole thing figured out. And then my soldering iron decides otherwise.

The process takes practice, particularly when you're working with pieces that are unusually large or, at the opposite extreme, very small.

Larger designs require careful management of heat across the metal. Tiny pieces can be equally challenging because the soldering iron tip may be relatively large compared with the material you're trying to work around.

And just when everything is flowing beautifully, the temperature of the tip can change or the piece can cool before you've finished. It's a balancing act that comes with experience.

I also have to consider whether a particular material will tolerate the heat, whether it's suitable for the design, and whether it can be safely incorporated without damaging it. That's especially important with custom orders involving irreplaceable family keepsakes. Unfortunately, I sometimes have to tell someone that what they're hoping to create simply isn't possible with this method.

I don't particularly enjoy saying no, but I'd much rather be honest than risk damaging something precious to someone.

Why I still love working with the Tiffany technique

Here's a little confession.

As much as I appreciate the craftsmanship involved, my favorite part of making jewelry isn't necessarily the hours spent soldering, cleaning, or polishing. It's coming up with the ideas.

I'm not an artist who sits down and carefully sketches out every design beforehand. More often than not, I gather a few interesting materials, spread them across my worktable, and start seeing what I can do with them.

Sometimes it works beautifully.

Sometimes it doesn't.

And sometimes something completely unexpected comes out of the experiment. That's what keeps this medium interesting to me.

I've repurposed tiny vintage salt shakers into wearable perfume diffuser necklaces and created jewelry from parts of a broken pocket watch so the grandchildren could each have a piece of something that belonged to Grandpa.

I've turned bits of wedding lace into pendants, preserved concert tickets and family signatures, and found ways to incorporate objects that most people would never imagine wearing around their necks.

Some of the best ideas have come from customers themselves.

Their memories, their keepsakes, their stories, and sometimes their wonderfully strange requests have pushed me to try things I might never have considered.

And I think that's what makes Tiffany technique jewelry so interesting. It's conversational. It's personal. It invites questions.

It's not necessarily better than other types of jewelry. It doesn't have to be. It's simply another way of creating something worth wearing.

And after all these years, I still find myself looking at the most unlikely objects and wondering...

"Hmmm. I wonder if I could solder that?"

Bayou Glass Arts™... where a broken teapot, an antique piano key, and a questionable amount of curiosity can lead to some pretty interesting jewelry. 

 

See former One of a Kinds Here