How to Make Metal Aluminum Jewelry

There are several ways to make aluminum jewelry. Sheets of recycled aluminum, aluminum rings and aluminum beads can all be used to create custom jewelry. Each type of aluminum requires a different technique and tools, but all three types will create one-of-a-kind pieces that make great accessories.

Aluminum sheet jewelry. Trace shapes on a piece of aluminum and cut them out with tin snips. Sand the edges with sandpaper to dull them. Drill a hole in the shape where you would like to attach it to a chain or wire. If you want to attach a shape to a chain, pass a jump ring through it and then through the chain link where you want the shape to hang. If you are stringing the shapes together, run the jewelry wire through the hole in the shape.

Aluminum jump rings. Aluminum jump rings can be weaved together using an art called chain maille. Weave the rings together to form a pattern using two pairs of flat-nosed pliers. There are a variety of patterns for chain maille jewelry, such as Byzantine, European, Persian, Japanese and Dragonscale.

Aluminum beads. Lay the beads out on a bead board in an appealing order. Measure enough wire to make the piece of jewelry, plus 6 inches for finishing. Attach a clasp to one end of the wire by running the wire up through a crimp, through the hole in the clasp and back down through the crimp bead. Seal the crimp using the crimp tool's round hole. Turn the crimp 90 degrees and place the crimp into the U-shaped hole of the crimp tool to close it. Slide the beads onto the wire and finish the other end of the wire in the same manner as you did the first.