Be Here Now by Ram Dass (New Mexico: Lama Foundation, 1971)

Cleansing:

First cleanse your jewelry especially if it comes from a thrift or antique store, or has been owned by anyone else. The reason you want to cleanse your item is because it may have energies clinging from that last owner or even through shipping and handling.

A common way to cleanse your item is by setting it in a little bowl of salt. This grounds and absorbs the negative energy from your item. I like to leave it over night in the full moon or new moon.

Another method of cleansing is by waving it through smoke of incense or any kind of smoke of cleansing herbs you may have available to you. This is my favorite method.

You can also use cleansing sprays that you may have or hold it in running water, like a creek or river, or running fountain. Just make sure there is no chlorine in the water as that can damage your jewelry.

It's important to visualize the energy dissipating, or melting off of your item during the cleansing.

Time & Place:

Set your time and place. This could be during a certain phase of moon, a certain day of the week, or holiday, or certain time of the day. It's important to plan ahead for your spell or ritual.

If you cast circles, then this is your time to do so, as well as calling in any of your spirits, deities or ancestors that you're working with.

Intention:

Now write down and focus on your intent or say it out-loud. I found writing down your intent helps you focus and solidify your intention as well as saying it out-loud, it makes it more solid (in my opinion).

Now when you cast your spell be sure your intention is in a positive form instead of a negative form, and that it's in the present tense. For example if you say "I will be protected" say "I am protected". It's important to be confident in your working.

Charging:

Now that you have your intention said out-loud or written down, and you know exactly what you're going to charge this piece for, and you're in your sacred space and ready to work. You're going to hold the item in your hand and center and ground yourself and focus on your intention. Visualize your outcome working. For example if your item is to protect you, then you want to visualize that item protecting you.

You're now going to build up that energy from either the earth or yourself or both. Once you have that energy centered inside your body, you're then going to visualize that energy coming up to your arm and into your hand and into the item that you're holding. You want to be kind of like a battery, you want to fill that piece up as much as possible until it can no longer hold anymore energy of your intention.

Now close it off with whatever you feel will seal it. For example I like to say out-loud "So it is done" then I kiss it to seal it off.