sculptural metal clay j e w e l r y
t ech n i q u e s
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e x p lo r ati o n s
k at e M c k i n n o n
amphora necklace One of my favorite fictional characters, Hercule Poirot, always wore a silver boutonniere on his vest, given to him as a young man by one of the two women he ever loved. Make this interesting amphora setting to show off a favorite bead, practice your appliqué, fusing, chainmaking and open box-building skills, and to evoke the well-dressed Poirot and his romantic devotion. Finished size
necklace 22¼" (56.5 cm) pendant 1¼" × 2¾" × ½" (3.2 × 7 × 1.3 cm)
Materials
50–75 g of fine silver clay for Amphora 50–75 g of fine silver clay for chain (optional) 1 glass 14 × 63 mm tube bead or size of choice 1" (2.5 cm) of 10- or 12-gauge fine silver wire to snugly fit bead hole 16 or more dry fine silver clay 8mm rings 12 or more dry fine silver clay 3mm balls 2 fine silver 15 mm jump rings and 2 fine silver 13 × 30 mm S-clasps or 8" (20.3 cm) of 12-gauge fine silver wire Liver of sulfur 2-part epoxy resin Tools
Work surface Roller Rolling guides Texture pads or rubber stamps Sharp tissue blade Heavy-duty flush cutters Soft paintbrush and water Cocktail straw or small drill bit and drill 5mm circle cutter Ball-end burnisher Kiln Hammer Anvil Tumbler Flat- or chain-nose pliers Torch (optional) Kiln brick (optional) Large round-nose pliers (optional) Brass brush Lampworked bead by Stephanie Sersich
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amphora necklace Note I used a long, narrow lampworked Project Notes
bead for my design, but you can use any large bead for yours; just design the setting to accommodate the bead size.
This lovely project can be made entirely of metal clay. Just create larger hanging holes and attach a metal clay chain directly to the pendant. I used S-hooks to connect my piece so the chain could be removable, giving the option of wearing the amphora on a plain, less expensive chain if desired. Techniques + Elements
Box building Rivet post Appliqué Rings Chainmaking S-clasp Fused rings (optional)
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sculptural metal clay jewelry
01 | Back. Roll and texture a sheet of fresh metal clay to a finished thickness of 3–4 cards. Cut an elongated fan shape, 15⁄8" × 31⁄8" (4.1 × 8 cm), to form the amphora’s back. Cut decorative windows in the back of the piece, to show the bead from behind, and to cut the weight of your finished piece. Cut hanging holes at the top right and left corners, either when the clay is bone dry, using a small drill bit, or when it is fresh, using a cocktail straw. If you cut fresh, you can remove the cut material from your cocktail straw and either use it to roll a little ball of clay for an egg or a ball-end head pin. Let the back piece become hard-leather hard to bone dry, and, if you wish, appliqué small pieces of dry clay to it for interest. I used three plain circles, cut from a thinly rolled sheet with a drinking straw and attached them bone dry, with a wash of water.
02 | Side rectangles. Roll and texture a sheet of fresh metal clay to a finished thickness of 3–4 cards. Cut two 1 ⁄2" × 3" (1.3 × 7.6 cm) rectangles. Use a ball-end burnisher to make small divots along the length of the rectangles where you’ll add the dry clay rings. Use the circle cutter to cut out a few of the divots; the rings will frame the holes later. Let the rectangles become hardleather hard to bone dry.
It can be helpful to lay your 8mm bone-dry clay rings onto the freshly cut sides, to help you position your divots.
03 | BASE. Roll a plain sheet of freshmetal clay 6 cards thick. Cut a 5⁄8" × 1" (1.5 × 2.5 cm) rectangle to form the amphora’s base. Use the wire that will support the bead to make a hole in the base where a rivet post will go. Keep in mind that the hole may not be dead center, depending on the fit of your bead in your setting. Let the base become hard-leather hard to bone dry. Note This rivet post will hold your bead in place, so be sure to choose a wire gauge that fits your bead hole tightly. Beware of large beads with tiny holes; you want your wire to be thick enough to support the weight of the bead without bending.
clay ball. Let the balls set up briefly, and, when sticky, press and rotate them in their divots to secure. 05 | Use a small amount of water and pressure to squidge the box sides together, assembling an open box form. Brush the joins with a damp paintbrush to gently smooth and clean them.
The prepared box back, sides, and base, bone dry, and ready for assembly.
Place the dry clay balls in the drop of water in your dry clay divots, and let them get sticky. 04 | Use water and pressure to squidge the dry clay rings to the two dry 1⁄2" × 3" (1.3 × 7.6 cm) rectangles so they frame the divots or cut-out holes. For the rings that frame a divot, fill the ring with a drop of water and drop in 1 dry
06 | Let the box dry completely. Fill any errors in your joinery, if necessary, with tiny snakes of freshly rolled clay, and smooth in place with a thin wash of water or slip. Let the box completely dry. 07 | optional. Make and assemble a 16" to 24" (41 to 61 cm) metal clay chain for hanging the pendant.
The finished box form, ready for the post imbed and firing, and a finished Amphora box in the background. Note the different look of flush vs high sides. 08 | Reset the rivet post into the hole in your base, which should have shrunk in drying. This is one of my favorite techniques to get a really good fit on a large wire imbed; make the hole in wet clay, set the post in the dry clay. The drying process offers just enough shrinkage to ensure a tight fit of the wire in the hole. Fire the box and chain for 2 hours at 1650° F (899° C). 09 | After firing, work-harden the chain by hammering the links on the anvil and a bezel mandrel. 10 | Attach 1 commercial or handmade fine silver jump ring to each of the hanging holes. Fuse the rings closed if desired.
amphora necklace
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owl peeking pendant wave ring 6
sculptural metal clay jewelry
sea prong rings
pebble prong pendant
sea prong bracelet project gallery
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sculpt art to wear
About the Artist
Kate McKinnon is a mixed-media artist who lives and works in Tucson, Arizona. Her work focuses on the engineering of how elements work together, connect, and grow into finished pieces of jewelry. She won the prestigious Rio Grande Saul Bell award in 2003 for her innovative design with metal clay, and has taught and lectured internationally. Kate is the author of several self-published books on jewelry design, a mixed-media book, and a novel about rebuilding Thoreau’s dream in a form to suit the digital age—an urban Walden.
Paperback w/flaps, 8½ × 9 160 pages + DVD 150 photographs ISBN 978-1-59668-174-3 $26.95 Available April 2010
Master teacher and jewelry artist Kate McKinnon begins Sculptural Metal Clay Jewelry with an overview of metal clay basics: terms, techniques, and tools. Next, she offers detailed instructions for creating a variety of metal clay and fine silver wire elements: components, settings, findings, attachments, 3-D forms, and textured effects that are the foundation of her signature jewelry designs. The technique section is followed by 10 unique projects that combine foundation techniques with one-of-a kind design elements. Projects include: + three-dimensional rings + organic chain designs + metal clay and lampworked bead pendants
Her designs have multiple components made from metal clay and fine silver wire, including not only clasps, chain, and settings, but also moveable and removable pieces, unusual textures and patinas, unique construction and engineering, and creative ways to incorporate beads. All of the techniques are shown with crystal-clear step-by-step photography. For added instructional assistance, the author and her techniques in action appear on the enclosed DVD bound in the back of the book. This book and DVD combination offers jewelry artists both the techniques and design inspiration needed to create gallery-level jewelry that is truly art to wear.
