Hey there fellow Decoist lovers! I’m bringing you a DIY project today that literally rocks! Ok, so that’s a terrible pun, but it is a pretty sweet project: A DIY gold foil agate bookend (or is it a paperweight?).
Trendy Golden Glint
Agate is a pretty popular material these days, so you’ll find it pretty easy to come across a piece of it cut as a bookend or paperweight at home decor stores. To make it over into something much more special than a chunk of stone, here’s what you’ll need:
First, apply the gilding paste onto the rough area of the agate, making sure it gets into all of the deep spots. You’ll want to apply it a little heavier than normal here, so it puddles a little.
When you finish, it should look something like this:
Let the gilding paste dry for about 15 minutes, or until you feel it’s tacky to the touch. Depending on how warm it is, it may only take 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your gold foil sheets for application.
Carefully pick up your sheet of gold foil and place on the paste-covered parts. Try to get as much of the foil to cover the stone as possible, that way you won’t waste any material.
Using a dry foam brush, press the foil down into the cracks of the stone and cut off excess pieces, placing them on any bare spots.
You can also use your fingers for this, and press the foil down further. I chose not to cover the whole thing completely, so you can still see pieces of the stone through the gold. If you choose to cover the whole thing up, I suggest applying gilding paste again and repeating the process for thorough coverage.
Natural and Versatile
I kept mine as is to make it look more “natural.” I also let the gold come over the sides just a little bit. This way the shimmery gold can be seen from all sides of the stone.
To style this, I chose three different places. First I placed it on a book, as a simple bookend on a fireplace mantle. Recognize the heart artwork?
I also used it as a paperweight on some magazines. As you can see, this would also be lovely on a desk! On some simple magazines, the agate brings a touch of glam to something that isn’t very glamorous!
Touch of Texture
Finally, I used the agate on a coffee table as a decor item to add a touch of glimmer and texture to a plain book.
As you can see, there are other touches of gold on the table. The Lucite tray has a marbleized fabric underneath it, and the agate picks up on that texture and on the gold as well! It also connects the small gold tray, which holds some DIY black, white and gold coasters.
Did you also notice the painted mason jars? Lots of Decoist DIY projects here!! This side view of the agate might just be my favorite, because you get the gorgeous lines of the stone, the texture of the uncut top, and the glimmer of the added gold.
The possibilities with this project are many! You could definitely use this piece in many rooms of the house – even in a kitchen! Imagine a glitzy piece of agate next to your cookbooks on a shelf. Pretty great, right?
So would you try gold foil on some agate to spice it up a bit? What do you think of the agate trend?
