Form a jewel coloured necklace with Jill Albas' colour melt tutorial

What you need...

• Colour melt crystals in various colours
  
• Embossing foil
  
• Copper chain, 4mm x 1m
  
• Copper toggle clasp
  
• Copper jump rings, 7mm
  
• TOOLS: pliers, round-nosed, flat-nosed, chain-nosed; wire cutters; Dremel 3000 with multi chuck; Dremel diamond tip 7134; baking tray; aluminium baking foil; ballpoint pen; embossing mat or pad of newspapers; ovenproof egg cup

instructions

1. Trace our templates from the link above onto paper. Place embossing foil onto a mat, tape a large heart on top and firmly draw around it with a ball point pen. Remove the template and draw around the design three more times to ensure you have created a clear ridge. Repeat to emboss eight hearts and 10 3cm circles in total. Heat the oven to 180c and cover a baking tray with aluminium foil. Place the embossed foil patterns ridged side up onto the covered baking tray. Carefully sprinkle the designs with colour melt crystals in various colours. Make sure the design is covered so you cannot see the metal underneath and try not to let crystals fall outside the ridged border. A fine, soft paintbrush is ideal for pushing stray crystals in position on the embossed shapes.

2. When the oven has reached temperature, carefully insert the baking tray and leave for 20-30 minutes; the crystals should have melted and have a smooth appearance. Remove the designs from the oven and leave to cool. Carefully peel each shape from the embossing foil. Place one of the hearts flat on an old board. Insert a multi chuck and diamond tip into the Dremel and turn to a speed that you are happy working with.

3. Place the tip upright on the heart in the position shown on the template and gently drill a threading hole. Repeat for each shape. Cut 43cm of chain and use a jump ring to fix a heart to the centre link. Leaving 3cm between each shape, attach a spot, a heart and then another spot on each side of the central pendant. Use a jump ring to attach a toggle clasp at the ends of the chain. Cut 55cm of chain and attach the ends to the toggle clasp, as before. Fix a heart in the centre of the chain then a spot, a heart, a spot, a heart and a spot on each side to finish.