Autumnal leaf necklaces

Leaves symbolise change, growth, transition, and transformation. It makes them a meaningful source of inspiration for jewellery with significance. Due to their unique colours and curled shapes, autumnal leaves can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

The natural shapes and intricate veining patterns found in leaves can be translated into organic forms in jewellery. The textures of leaves, whether smooth, serrated, or veined, can be replicated in surface treatments. Techniques like engraving, embossing, or etching add leaf-like textures to jewellery. However, if you want to make a leaf necklace for yourself but without the hassle of sawing and form folding leaves, try this tutorial for a statement necklace here.

Form folded Leaf jewellery

Recently I used the technique of Form folding to create pendant necklaces inspired by autumnal leaves. I created the leaves using 26g sheet metal and strung them with locally sourced beads to create Autumnal leaf necklaces.

Form folding is a technique in jewellery making that involves manipulating metal sheets or other materials to create three-dimensional forms, often resembling paper folding. It consists of three processes – Folding, annealing, and shaping which are done repeatedly to get the required form. Read my posts on Pendant necklaces with Form Folding and Introduction to Sheet metal jewellery to know more about it.

Annealing:

As metal is folded and worked, it can become brittle. Annealing is the process of heating the metal to a specific temperature and then slowly cooling it to relieve stress and restore its malleability. This is necessary during the form folding process to prevent the metal from cracking or becoming too rigid.

Depending on the complexity of the folds and the thickness of the metal, you anneal the metal sheet a number of times. For this, you need a micro torch. However, if you are going to do minimal folds (with pliers) you need to anneal (copper) only 1-2 times. You can do it on open flame on the stove top making it easy to make kitchen table jewellery. Unlike copper, I do not anneal brass.

Autumnal leaf necklaces

I made the necklace seen above using black and coral red glass beads, ribbon beads and brass Dokra beads. The leaf is brass metal sheet. This leaf was not only form folded but manipulated by bending, twisting, and curving the metal to create depth and dimension. This necklace is available for sale.

Dokra and Patwa necklace with a leaf pendant

Autumnal leaves convey a sense of seasonal charm. However, as jewellery they can be worn throughout the year and can be used to commemorate life events or transitions. I made this Dokra and Patwa necklace with a leaf pendant as gift for one of my mom’s friends for her 60th birthday. After form folding the leaf component, I soldered a copper spiral bail to it. I coloured the front and back of the leaf using patina inks to create an artisan component. The Dokra and Patwa cord was made by an artisan on special order.

Red orange Autumnal leaf necklace

In form folding, you can use simple straight lines or more complex curves and angles, depending on the design. In the red-orange autumnal leaf necklace seen above, I have used curved folds. I coloured this pendant with Vintaj Ultimate paint. Since the paint is translucent compared to the patina inks, the copper base shows through. This gives the pendant its red-orange colour. I dotted the veins with white ink to add details. To continue the colour scheme, I have looped the pendant with glass beads in yellow orange, orange and red orange. This necklace is available for sale.

I love making leaf components and playing with metal colourants. Therefore, I hope you enjoyed looking at these three necklaces. Do contact me if you are interested in purchasing the available pieces. Check out some form folded jewellery inspired by the moon for sale here. Also, do not forget to share your feedback and any tips on working with sheet metal.

I hope you find it interesting

Cheers