Glimmering Gilded Agate Slice Tassel Ornament

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It’s time for our annual Ornament Exchange! This year I made Hope Haas of Hopes Crafty Niche, my ornament exchange partner, this gorgeous Gilded Agate Slice Tassel Ornament for her tree! For more fun holiday ideas see my Christmas page.

Agate slices are a pretty popular item in home decor this year. They are available in lots of different colors and shades. What I found though is the colored ones are dyed with pigment. Some review said that the color can come off if they get wet. Funny thing, Amazon sells sliced agates made as drink coasters! Hello, they get wet. The dye can come off on your table. Yuck! With that in mind, I opted for the natural colored slices for my exchange partner Hope.

Hope told me she likes modern metallic ornaments for her holiday decor. I decided to glitz up my geode and add some silver metallic gilding. I applied silver gilding to the edges of the slice combined with a 30 mm natural wood bead and a pretty silver tassel to tie it all together. I even bought some extra agate slices to make some more ornaments for my own tree! Here’s how to make this ornament:

Gilded Agate Slice Tassel Ornament

Supplies:

• 3-inch Natural Agate Slice
• 30 mm Wood Bead with 10 mm Hole (Micheals)
• (2) DMC 5 Metallic Pearl 25mm #5283 Embroidery Thread
• (1) Silver Gilding Sheet
• Gilding Adhesive
• Clear Gloss Enamel
• Dry Stiff Paint Brush
• Paint Brush
• E6000 Adhesive
• Hot Glue & Gun
• Drill with 1/8  Drill Bit
• Floral Wire

Instructions:

Tassel:  Remove the paper labels from the embroidery thread. Do not unroll the skein.

Fold the thread bundle in half. Cut a 24-inch string of thread off of the second embroidery thread skein. Pull tightly and tie the thread in the center of the tassel. Tie the thread again to make a knot. Metallic thread can be slippery so I used a dot of hot glue to hold the tie still while tightening the knot.

Fold the thread in half. Tie another piece of embroidery thread about 1/4 inch below the first knot. Tie the thread twice to make a knot like before. Trim the ends and wrap them around the thread and glue down ends.

Take another piece of embroidery thread and repeat the steps above, 1/4 inch below the other tie. This will give you a double tied tassel.

The beads I bought for this project came in a bag with a variety of sized beads. I found them in the wood second of Michaels Craft Store. They have one 10mm hole in one end.

I used a drill with a 1/8 drill bit to make the hole go all the way through the bead. I used a small drill bit so it wouldn’t be as large as the 10mm hole.

Using a small piece of floral wire fold it over the tassel ends and feed it through the large hole into the small hole in the bead.

Pull tight on the thread and push the top of the tassel inside the large hole on the bead.

Gilding the Agate Slice:

Paint gilding adhesive onto the rough edges of the agate stone. Let it dry a few minutes until tacky.

Lay the silver gilding sheet over the edge and press it onto the areas with adhesive. Smooth the gilding down on the edges. If you miss a spot just add more adhesive and repeat steps. Let it dry for 1-2 hours.

Take a dry stiff paint brush and brush off any leftover gilding sheet particles. Paint a clear gloss enamel over the gilding on the agate. Be careful not to get the adhesive or gloss on the polished side of the slice. If you do, quicky buff it off so it does not set. Let it dry completely.

Lay agate flat on the table. Lay the thread on the top of the tassel down onto the agate. Add a small line of E6000 adhesive on the Agate slice and lay the thread over it and press down. Let it dry overnight or per manufacturer’s directions.

Tie the end thread in a knot about 3 inches from the top of the Agate to hang the ornament. Using sharp scissors trim the bottom of the tassel straight across. And that’s it!

I just love this ornament! It has a pretty metallic look and it is definitely modern.

Love it? Pin it!

Now for more crafty goodness!

 

Check out more of my Ornaments from former Ornament Exchanges~

Bottle Brush Ornament

Painted Driftwood Ornament

Modern Wrapped Trees