DIY Magical Hammered Copper Bookmarks
Is it just me or does everyone just use crappy scraps of paper as bookmarks… Just me? Well NOT ANYMORE! Now I can make as many bookmarks as I like with a basic craft supply, copper wire. You can see the process of making this bookmark in the video below!
There are so many reasons to make these bookmarks. Not only do they look lovely in your books when on the bookshelf, but they also have the potential to be a part of a spell if you would like to put certain stones on the charms!
What You Need
Copper Wire
Jewelry Pliers
Metal to act as an anvil
a hammer
sandpaper
jewelry findings and charms
Step 1. Bend your Wire into Shape
Using jewelry pliers bend your copper wire into shape. I have made a free printable template for you of my finished bookmarks. They measure approximately 1 1/4 inches wide at the widest part, and 5 1/4 inches long. Shape your wire and check it against the template to make sure it turns out a good size for most books.
These are not the only designs you can choose for your bookmarks, they are just the ones i really like. And of course If you are making a bookmark for a specific grimoire or large book you may want to make the bookmark longer all together so that it stays put.
Step 2. Hammer Time
Use a thick piece of steel as an anvil. I opted to use the head of a rockhounding pick. Place your shaped wire on the anvil and begin to hammer. Using small strokes continue from the top to the bottom until the desired thickness and dimple pattern has been reached. You can see the lovely hammered pattern on the left bookmark at this angle. I love when the sun catches different planes that have been hammered in different directions! If you want a smaller pattern you could use a tiny hammer. Or I could have even used the ball-peen side of my hammer.
I wanted my bookmark to be less than 1/8th of an inch about 1/16 of an inch total width. At this thickness the bookmark will be kinder to the spine of whatever books it will live in.
When hammering the bookmark will lengthen slightly. This is because we are flattening out the copper and it presses the mass outward and downward. I kind of feel like a tiny blacksmith when I make these!
banging away on my makeshift anvil
Step 3. Sand the Tip
First use a large grit sand paper to remove the burs from the bottom of the bookmark (where you cut the wire). Then once the end is rounded over, you can come back with a finer grit sand paper to smooth it over.
Step 4. Attach your ~ MAGICAL ~ Charms
Using your pliers attach your chain and desired charms (don’t be afraid to mix metals and switch charms out as you like!)
Here is where the magic comes in. I have attached a tigers eye to the straight bookmark and an amathyst to the wiggly bookmark. I am trying to read 2 books at a time right now and I have made these to associate with the types of books I would like to read to keep my self balanced. I keep the tigers eye bookmark in my meditation book, to remind me to be grounded and to pull me into the safety of my body. I have the amathyst wiggly bookmark in my “You’re not dying, you’re just waking up” book by Elizabeth April (A must read for you star-seeds out there). This book is more heady and cerebral so the amethyst reminds me of universal truth and my intention to learn deep knowledge of the universe. The amethyst helps me to stay in connection to these energies as I read this book.
If you make these bookmarks please tell me what your dangles mean to you! I would love to hear your intentions for why you read and how these bookmarks help you remember that!
And so it is!
With much love,
