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Materials & Tools

• Old or broken jewelry parts (clip-on earrings are perfect for this project)
• 20-gauge florist wire or other armature wire
• Gold spray paint
• Metal and jewelry glue
• Soldering kit (optional)
• Wire cutters
• Needle-nose pliers

Instructions
1. Choose the jewels and gems that you want to work with, pairing “spider bodies” with “spider heads.”
2.  Using your pliers, remove any jewelry backings from the gems to make a flatter surface.

3.  Cut four wire pieces, approximately 3.5″ to 4″, and one 7.5″ piece for each spider. There should be five pieces total.

4. Using your needle-nose pliers, curl each end of the four shorter pieces, making a loop at both ends. Then, with a wire in one hand and your finger at the base of a loop with pliers in your opposite hand, bend each loop over at a 90-degree angle — use your finger as a guide for a precise bend and repeat on the opposite end. Your wire should now resemble a dumbbell.
5.  Gather all 4 “dumbells” into a bundle. Lay the 7.5″ wire on top of the bundle perpendicularly with their centers crossing. Now wrap the larger wire around the center of the bundle as tightly as possible, twice. Using the needle-nose pliers, you can crimp this joint for extra security.

6. Depending on your skill level, you can either glue or solder this joint together to keep the legs from falling out of place. Glue will require a longer drying time. I would recommend at least a couple of hours or until the glue is completely hard.

7. Spread the spider legs out as evenly as possible, then decide whether you want a pick (like the spiders on the pumpkins or cupcake) or a holder. For a pick, you will bend the longer straight-wire piece at a 90-degree angle downward from the spider legs. For a holder, you must place your “gem” for the spider body on top of the armature as a guide (to guarantee enough space for it later), then lift the longer extension upward at a 90-degree angle.
8. Using the needle-nose pliers, make a spiral for the picture holder (the height of the holder is up to you; you can cut your wire accordingly, but never cut shorter than 1″).
9. To make the armature for the head, cut down the opposite wire extremity to approximately 2″, then using your needle-nose pliers, coil the wire inward, creating a loop for the “head” to rest on.

10. In a well-ventilated area, spray paint each spider armature, one side at a time. Follow spray paint instructions.
11. While holding the “body” on top of the spider with your thumb and index finger, carefully bend each leg into standing position. The height of each spider will depend on the size of its “body.”

12.  Adhere your “gems” onto the wire frame, starting with “heads” first, then the bodies. Glue them into place.




Read more at Design*Sponge http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/10/diy-project-heirloom-gem-spiders.html#ixzz134MoZJ00