CDM Arts & Crafts: How to make your own Florence + The Machine inspired ring.

It's no secret that everyone at Coup De Main is ecstatic about the release of Florence + The Machine's new album 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful'.

So to continue our CDM x Flo fortnight, we decided to pay further homage to the perfection that is 'HBHBHB' with a little craft segment I like to call 'How Art How Craft How D-I-Y'. 

One of Florence Welch's most prominent motifs in the 'HBHBHB' era is that of alchemic symbology. Air and water symbols are both present throughout a range of media, including promo art, Florence's Twitter picture, and most noticeably Flo's jewellery in the 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful' video. Drawing inspiration from these symbols, we decided to make Florence + The Machine inspired rings, complete with a tutorial so you can make your own at home…

Here's what you'll need:

Silver wire.
A soldering iron (if your iron requires butane, you'll need gas too).
Solder.
Pliers.
A pen (or something round that is roughly the size of your finger).
Patience - lots of patience!

Step 1:
Using pliers, cut two pieces of wire to a 4cm length (this is approximate, feel free to change your length depending on the desired size of your ring). Bend both these pieces into 'V' shapes, ensuring they retain a similar angle and width. You can use your fingers at first, but it helps to gently use pliers to force the wire into shape.

Step 2:
Cut another piece of wire to a length that comfortably wraps around your finger, but be sure to leave at least 1cm each side to create an overlap in the loop. This overlap will form the bases of each 'V' shape cut out in step one, so make sure the overhang matches the width of these. Use a pen or similarly round object to ensure the loop retains a circular shape.

You should end up with three pieces similar to the photo above.

Step 3:
Pro tip: You might want to enlist the help of a friend or some trusty weights for this step! If you don't know how to use a soldering iron, I'd recommend watching THIS handy video first! Please be careful not to burn yourself, and solder on a surface that you don't have to worry about damaging! I used a baking tray.
Holding down each of the triangles to make a diamond shape, burn a piece of solder with the soldering iron until it melts, then join together two ends of the 'V'. Give the solder some time to cool down, then do the same on the other side to form a complete diamond. 

Step 4:
Attach the circular loop/ring piece to the newly formed diamond shape using the solder and soldering iron. Make sure that each of your overlapped pieces from step two match up to the joins in the diamond. Let your solder cool down, then repeat this step on the other side. This part can be a little bit tricky, as you have to make sure you don't melt the solder from the diamond and unintentionally disassemble the entire piece. 
(Not-so) Pro tip: If you don't get it right the first (or second, third or fourth) time, don't stress - it took me a fair few goes to get this step right! 

Step 5:
Cut out another piece of wire, approximately the same length as the diamond's width. If you need to straighten this piece, use pliers to gently push it into shape. 

Attach this straightened wire piece to the middle of one of the triangles using the soldering iron by placing solder on each side of the 'V' shape, taking extra care not to warp the ring. Let the solder cool down, then gently clip off any excess solder or wire with the pliers - be very, very careful not to break apart the soldering joins when you are doing this.

And there you have it, your very own Flo-inspired alchemy ring!

Please bear in mind that if you're not an expert at soldering, this may take some time and patience, but if you make one of these rings, please show us on Twitter or Facebook so we can see how fabulously artsy and craftsy you are!

A huge thanks to Bunnings Warehouse for providing us with all the tools to make these rings! Check out the following links for purchase information...
TradeFlame soldering iron
TradeFlame butane gas
Zenith tie wire
BernzOmatic solder

For more Florence-inspired fashion, click HERE to read our 'Get The Look' post.

P.S Click HERE to read our review of Florence's new album, and watch the 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful' video below to get your inspiration flowing…