We couldn’t resist a DIY project around the Diamond Jubilee and as we assumed you would all have your tiaras by now,  we would show you how to add a little sparkle to your specs. Adorn London teamed up with British jewellery brand Tatty Devine to bring you a DIY project to mark the Diamond Jubilee inspired by their book: ‘How to Make Jewellery‘ 



HOW TO MAKE THE CRYSTAL FRAMES

Try hunting for old glasses in car boot sales or charity shops. We especially favour frames from old-style glasses, vintage shades, NHS spectacles, and the sort of glasses that Jarvis Cocker, your granny or Her Maj would wear.

YOU’LL NEED:

1 pair of old glasses
Soft cloth
Cotton buds
Bench vice
Hacksaw
Small flat file
Drill
1.2 mm drill bit
1 playing card
Cocktail sticks
2 small screw-in eyelets
60 cm necklace
Flat back crystal chatons
Wire cutters
Regular jump rings
2 pairs of flat-nose pliers

METHOD:

Old spectacles frames are often really dirty when you first come across them, like all the best treasure. But don’t be put off: a good clean will get rid of years of accumulated grime. Warm, soapy water is the best. Harsh cleaners can corrode some old types of plastic and may strip away any lovely details that are painted or printed on the frames.

Use a soft cloth to avoid scratches and get busy with cocktail sticks and cotton buds to get into all the nooks
and crannies.

When the clean-up is done and dusted, remove the arms of the glasses. Hold the glasses securely in a vice and, using the hacksaw, cut through the hinges as close to the frame as possible.

Using the file, smooth off any sharp edges. These will be against your skin so the smoother the better.

Hold the frames in the vice, and drill a hole approximately 3 mm deep into the top corner of the glasses frame, using the 1.2 mm size drill bit. Make sure you don’t hit the lenses or the metal inside the frames. Do the same on the other side.

Mix up the Araldite on a flyer or playing card, using the cocktail stick. Dab a small blob of glue on to the screw-in eyelets and then screw them into the holes on the frame. Leave to dry and add your own snazzy chain.

APPLYING THE CRYSTALS:

Mix up a small batch of Araldite and armed with a cut-off cocktail stick dot the glue where you want each crystal to gleam. Do a few spots at a time.

Stick a blob of beeswax to the end of another cut-off cocktail stick. This is a really easy way of picking up the crystals and popping them on the glue.

Pick up the crystals with the cut-off cocktail still loaded with beeswax. Keep dotting and sticking until your pattern is complete.  Leave to dry, and then polish with a soft cloth and a dash of white spirit.