Junior: Jeweler Badge

Jeweler #1:Get to know the tools of the trade - Learn from a professional

i have to give all the credit for this to my husband! He contacted the owner of a local jewelry store and set up a field trip for our troop. They have 2 professional jewelry designers that make custom jewelry and repair. They showed the girls how a custom piece is made and explained the various tools they use. Each of the girls received a jeweler's loop, too. It was a great field trip!

Jeweler #2: Make Jewelry with Metal:Wish Necklace (Pendant)

Okay... so we did work with metal tape for another project, but this is where you look back at what you did and think "hmmmm... yeah... that didn't really fulfill the requirement." But, it's 4 years down the road and I'm not in the business of repossessing badges. Ha!

I ordered little glass bottle from Oriental Trading and we used memory wire (that's metal... woo hoo!!) to make necklaces. The girls wrote on a piece of paper something they don't ever want to lose about themselves... such as "I am funny" or "I like that I read books for fun.", etc. They rolled that up and put it in the bottle. Then they strung beads onto the wire and we finished it off with a jump ring and lobster clasp. 

Jeweler #3: Turn Everyday objects into jewelry: t-shirt bracelets

For complete details go to instructables: 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycled-T-shirt-Bracelet/

Before the meeting I took t-shirts and ripped them into 1" strips... leaving the strip a loop... so lay the tshirt flat and cut on the side and rip all the way around for a great big (or small, depending on the size of the shirt) loop. Then, the sleeves, cut open and cut into 1" strips. 

To form into bracelets, have the girls twist the big loops to form 4-5 small loops that would fit onto their wrist. Use a sleeve strip and wrap around the loops to hold them together and tie the ends into a knot. Voila! no sew bracelet!

Jeweler #4: Jewelry Inspired another culture Slide pin (hieroglyphics/symbol/logo of name drawing into wearable art)

UPDATE: Additional post here all about this!

We did some research on ancient Egypt, because the girls were into that. We found a hieroglyphics chart (there's one here: http://edhelper.com/themes/Hieroglyphics_Chart.htm) and the girls wrote their name in hieroglyphics. Then, we used slides and metal tape purchased from Oriental trading to make slide pins they could put on their backpack or wear or whatever. 

Jeweler #5: Make a sparkling Gift Swap (make one for a troop friend; draw names and talk to design)

Lastly, the girls all threw their name in a hat and drew out someone else's name... they talked to one another to figure out a favorite color and interests... I took in the big ol' bag of SWAPs supplies and the girls worked to create a SWAP using the information they gathered. I also had tissue paper and note cards. They wrapped their gift and wrote a note stating something they admired about the girl they made the SWAP for. I was a "mean leader" and told them whatever they admired could not be a physical trait. 

I hope some of this information helps sparks an idea for you when completing the Jeweler badges with your troop.