Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Horizontal Pin Converters


Horizontal Pin Converters

Have you ever had a favorite brooch/pin that you wish could double as a pendant but didn't know how to do it? This may be your answer. It is called the horizontal pin converter.
Just slip it onto an existing pin/brooch and voila!  You can now hang it on a chain or cord.  The opening on the horizontal pin converter is over sized so thick cord and even large clasps on a necklace will fit through.
If you are creating a new piece of jewelry now and you want to make it so it can be both a pendant and a pin/brooch you can see how I did it here.

The placement of the pinback is important as it always is when you want your pendant to hang properly. Always place this in the upper third portion of the back, otherwise, your pendant will flop forward because of the weight.
As you can see in the photos, my pinbacks (1 1/4") were a lot wider than the horizontal pin converter. That's OK but it will slide around.  I fixed this by slipping a piece of 2.5mm SoftGlass onto the pin.  The pin converter now sits snugly in one place.
Another choice would be to use smaller pinbacks (last photo).  These pinbacks are 3/4" and a perfect width.
if you sell your work at craft fairs why not offer some of the pin converters for sale to your customers? They will most likely see added value in being able to wear the piece that they are purchasing in more  than one way!
The pendant was made using the brand new "Almond Bezels and More" CaBezel mold that was designed to perfectly match Best Flexible PJ001 Almond Cabs and More!  A match made in heaven :)


Here is a sneak peek at the new "Almond Bezels and More" CaBezel mold.