DIY Vintage Jewelry Magnets
Have you ever wished there was something you could do with some of the vintage jewelry you have laying around? If so, check out this incredibly easy tutorial on how to make your own vintage jewelry magnets.
Welcome to week 4 of the Deck the Home Blog Hop! I’ve joined together with 25(!) other bloggers to bring you tons of DIY and home decor inspiration for this holiday season.
Every week, we have been sharing projects related to a specific theme. Week 1 was door decor; week 2 was wood decor; week 3 was outdoor decor; and this week is DIY gifts.
I have recently been on a decluttering kick. This seems to happen around my house about once or twice a year. I start going through cabinets, drawers, closets – nothing is safe really – and get rid of anything I don’t feel like I need anymore.
I have a jewelry chest in my bedroom that holds most of the jewelry that I own. At the moment, my 14 month old is obsessed with opening the drawers and pulling out all of the boxes. This has prompted a bit of a jewelry clean out, and it also got my wheels turning. I had a number of pieces, mostly brooches, that have just been sitting in my jewelry chest for years now unused. They are gorgeous pieces, I just don’t typically wear brooches. So, there they sat.
While trying to decide what to make as my DIY gift for this week, inspiration struck. I could turn the brooches into vintage jewelry magnets. Then, they could be displayed and actually enjoyed, instead of being hidden away in a drawer.
Not only is this something that I would love for my own refrigerator, but it would make a lovely gift, as well. Everyone uses magnets, right? So, give them something beautiful, that they can actually use!
If you don’t want to give away your own pieces, you could easily pick some up for cheap at goodwill or yard sales. A couple of the ones I made came from a local goodwill.
While the process for making them is super simple, I definitely learned a few things along the way.
How to Make Vintage Jewelry Magnets
(This post contains affiliate links. To see my full disclosure, go here.)
Supplies Needed –
- Old brooches (or necklaces with large pendants)
- Pliers
- Craft magnets
- E6000 glue
Step 1 – Remove the clasps
The first thing you need to do is remove the clasps from the back. I actually used a pair of wire cutters, but I did not cut the clasp off. I took ahold of one side of the clasp and very gently twisted back and forth until it popped off of the brooch. So, a pair of pliers
Here is where I learned the first lesson though. Don’t twist too hard or you may pull a piece off of the brooch. Oops!
Fortunately, I was able to repair this with a bit of glue.
Step 2 – Glue the magnet on
The second, and final step, is to simply glue the craft magnet onto the back of the brooch.
I learned a couple more lessons during this step. I was originally just going to use super glue to attach the magnets because that’s what I had on hand. Unfortunately, the backs of the brooches were not totally flat. So, there was not enough surface area for the super glue to adhere to.
Then, I tried hot glue, even though I didn’t have much hope of it working, because it was the only other thing I had on hand. That didn’t well stick at all.
So, I headed to my local Michael’s. After speaking to a sales associate, I purchased some E6000
The sales associate raved about its strength and bonding powers, and she said that the texture was much like hot glue.
It sounded perfect for what I needed. And it was! I was even able to repair the brooch that I broke. 🙂
I applied a generous amount of glue to the craft magnets, then put them in place on the back of the brooches. The tube of glue says to let it cure for 24-48. So, I let them set upside down and untouched for a couple of days, and then they were ready to go.
Two simple steps for gorgeous vintage jewelry magnets!
I love the little bit of glamour and sparkle that these add to my refrigerator. Everyone has magnets on their refrigerator. Why not make them beautiful?
Click here to see another of my favorite DIY gifts.
And be sure to keep scrolling in order to check out all of the other gifts created this week.
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These magnets are gorgeous!
Thank you so much!
I love this project! What a wonderful way to display old costume broaches that used to belong to my grandmother instead of letting them sit in a drawer!
Yes! So much better than having them tucked away out of sight. Thank you so much!
Anyone would be happy with your lovely magnets as a gift!
Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much!
Amy, what a great idea! I have so many broaches from my grandma that I love. I tried to bring them back in style – but it just didn’t take LOL. I love the idea of making them into magnets – and I will remember that glue tip too! Also, I totally relate to your decluttering kick – hahah nothing is safe here either!
Ha! It’s a bummer you couldn’t bring it back in fashion. 🙂 You should definitely turn some of them into magnets. Then, you can enjoy them without having to worry about fashion trends. Thanks so much!
Love this cute up-cycle!!
Thanks so much, Brooke!
Absolutely gorgeous! I wish I had some brooches to upcycle!
Thank you! They are pretty easy to find at Goodwill/estate sales/etc. It’s an easy and cheap craft!!
SO CUTE!!!!!!!!! I absolutely love this idea – and it’s a great way to display heirloom pieces too!
Thank you so much! Yes, it’s nice to have them out on display for everyone to see and enjoy! 🙂
LOL, Amy you can hardly see our fridge anymore because of all the magnets. I’m a little addicted to buying them. This is such a great idea and used to collect brooches too when I wore a lot of scarves so this is perfect for reusing them in a really pretty way. I might have to buy another fridge though 😀
Haha! The side of our fridge is covered in plastic kid-friendly magnets, but I keep the front of the fridge fairly clean. 😉 This would be a great way to display some of your collection, if you can find the room!
Amy these have to be the prettiest magnets I have ever seen, hands down! Now if only I could find some brooches.
Thank you so much, Mary! That really means a lot! Brooches aren’t too terribly hard to come by at estate sales/garage sales and Goodwill. Just keep a look out, and I bet you’ll stumble across some at some point. 🙂
That’s very attractive Amy! Love the photo. I’m with you…I don’t wear brooches either & this is a great way to put them to good use.
Aw, thanks so much, Florence! I am loving having them out. It’s so nice to hear from you! Hope you are well!
These are really pretty and so much nicer than just keeping them in a jewellery box.
I have a few brooches that I’ve inherited (not fancy ones of course) and I rarely wear them, it would be nice to put them to good use.
Thank you so much! It is definitely nice to have them out and useful, instead of taking up space in a drawer. You should get them out on display. 🙂
What adorable little magnets! They’d be a super sweet gift for a friend!
This is such a cute idea! I have so many old broaches and necklaces sitting in a shoe box under my bed. I bet my younger cousins would love these magnets for their little magnet boards.
Thank you so much! And I bet your cousins would love them. My daughter has been obsessed with them ever since they went up on the fridge. 😉