Step by Step Jewelry~Polymer, Ceramic, and Metal Clays - Winter 2007

BONUS! Polymer and Metal Clay Guides Winter 2007

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copper beads

links o off style mak e a metal clay bracelet bracelet capture the

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paint yo pa yy oour u urr poolymer ! p make this memorable necklace necklace

Shop for spectacular finished jewelry or come and make your own. Perfect timing for your holiday gift giving! ~ Gemstones, silver, artisan pieces & more ~

J ewelry FEST

December 2 & 3, 2006 Chase Center on the Riverfront Wilmington, Wilmin gton, DE

Shopping Hours: Saturday Satur day,, Decemb December er 2: 10 AM – 6 PM Sunday,, Decemb Sunday December er 3: 11 AM – 5 PM Admission: $5.00 Jewelry Fest registered students receive free Expo admission!

Pendant prov Pendant provided ided by In Indi diaa Ge Gems ms

Classes - Just 3 hours each Beginners welcome Leave Leav e class with a finished piece to keep or give as a gift Taught by Editors of Step by Step Beads, and d Lapidary Step by Step Wire Jewelry , an Journal magazines and nationally published jewelry teachers/designers

Photos show a selection of the pieces you can buy or learn how to make at Jewelry Jewelry Fest. See more more of our class offerings at www.jewelry-fest.com

Check www.jewelry-fest.com for a $2.00 coupon off the Expo admission price and for class class photos, descr descriptio iptions, ns, times and to registe registerr for classes. classes. Fre Free e Parking! Parking! Brought to you by Step by Step Beads, Step by Step Wire Jewelry , an and d Lapidary Journal magazines.

Shop for spectacular finished jewelry or come and make your own. Perfect timing for your holiday gift giving! ~ Gemstones, silver, artisan pieces & more ~

J ewelry FEST

December 2 & 3, 2006 Chase Center on the Riverfront Wilmington, Wilmin gton, DE

Shopping Hours: Saturday Satur day,, Decemb December er 2: 10 AM – 6 PM Sunday,, Decemb Sunday December er 3: 11 AM – 5 PM Admission: $5.00 Jewelry Fest registered students receive free Expo admission!

Pendant prov Pendant provided ided by In Indi diaa Ge Gems ms

Classes - Just 3 hours each Beginners welcome Leave Leav e class with a finished piece to keep or give as a gift Taught by Editors of Step by Step Beads, and d Lapidary Step by Step Wire Jewelry , an Journal magazines and nationally published jewelry teachers/designers

Photos show a selection of the pieces you can buy or learn how to make at Jewelry Jewelry Fest. See more more of our class offerings at www.jewelry-fest.com

Check www.jewelry-fest.com for a $2.00 coupon off the Expo admission price and for class class photos, descr descriptio iptions, ns, times and to registe registerr for classes. classes. Fre Free e Parking! Parking! Brought to you by Step by Step Beads, Step by Step Wire Jewelry , an and d Lapidary Journal magazines.

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Winter 20 07

45

polymer, ceramic & metal clays

contents 7

PROJECT SKILL LEVELS Beginner: Someonejust startingout can completethis projectand be happy with the results.

6

Alchemy

7

Bamboo Metal Clay Earrings

By Leslie Rogalski, Editor-in-Chief

Combining PMC® with 18K gold wire and beads. By Kathleen Bolan

Iris 14 Bearded Polymer clay brushstroke technique. By Barbara Sperling

Beginner/Intermediate: Someone who has had experience with the materialcan happilycomplete thisproject, but will also learn something new by doing it.

on Copper Beads 21 Silver Getting more out of your metal clay.

Intermediate: A comfortable projectfor someone whohas a good working knowledge of the material.

the Pleasure 24 Double Two glass cabochons with movement and style.

By Marc Kornbluh

By Arlene Hildebrand

Intermediate/Advanced:A project for someone whois readyfor a more challengingapproach to a material theyhave worked with repeatedly. Advanced: A good project for someone who is confident with the material and has had a lot of experience with the techniques.

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Step by Step Jewelry: Clays — Winter 2007

31

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Bracelet 28 Link PMC chain fired in one piece. ®

By Hadar Jacobson

Raku Bead Necklace 31 Folded By Sue Ki Wilcox Lentil Beads 34 Pastel Painted polymer takes art to new heights. By Patricia Kimle

Patterning Technique 40 Fracture By Helen Breil Patterned Sheet 44 Fracture Patterned polymer clay. By Helen Breil

Polymer Pendant 45 Patterned Tempera paint crackle effect for polymer clay. By Helen Breil

Oro — River of Gold Pendant 50 Rio Metal clay and Aura22 . ®

By Lorrene J. Davis

Complete Guide to Metal Clays 55 The By Suzanne Wade Clay Hints 60 Polymer By Kathy Weaver

62 Clay Web Resources

50 A D V E RT I S E R ’ S

SECTION

63

Bead Shops

65

The Next Step: Classes Near You

CHECK US

OUT ON THE WEB:

www.stepbystepjewelry.com ON THE COVER

Patricial Kimle’s Pastel Lentil Bead , page 34.

More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

5

Alchemy Working in clay appeals to a deep instinct in an artist. Call it a primal urge. Every culture has a legend about creating something from clay and bringing it to life. There is an archetypal aura about sinking your fingers into malleable materials, feeling the medium respond to your every touch, and then, usually with fire and heat, transforming your creation from transient to permanent. It’s very empowering and very magical to change a lump of clay into a work of art. Clay artists today are our modern alchemists. Imagine what ancient potters would think of metal clay, the way it becomes pure precious metal. Arthur C. Clark said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” How true! And how privileged we are, to have such technology empower our creativity. Technology has transformed our lives as artists. It brings supplies to our doorstep with the click of a button, enables us to use colors historically reserved for kings and popes, and improves the very mediums we cherish by making them easier to work with, faster to process, and more enduring. As you create the projects we’re proud to present here, remember that as you transform the raw material into a beautiful piece of jewelry, your creation will go on to affect someone else. Wearing your art will transform them into someone special. Like magic.

Merle White, Editorial Director

Leslie Rogalski, Editor-in-Chief

polymer, ceramic & metal clays

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Leslie Rogalski Art Director Kevin Myers Projects Editor Denise Peck Associate Editor Jane W. Dickerson Assistant Editor Kristen L. Gibson Sara E. Graham Assistant Art Directors Karen Dougherty Robin Hayes Cheryl L. Long Editorial Director Merle White BUSINESS Publisher Joseph Breck Business & Operations Manager Donna L. Kraidman Marketing Director David Weiman Sundry Sales Manager/ Office Manager Michele P. Erazo (610) 232-5710

Promotions Designer Web Site Editor/Developer Office Coordinator Events Manager

Karen A. Dougherty Tricia Gdowik Kathleen A. McIntyre Karen Keegan

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Founder, Creative Director CEO President CFO Vice President, Sales & Marketing Vice President, Human Resources

Linda Ligon Clay B. Hall Marilyn Murphy Dianne Gates Linda Stark Suzanne DeAtley

BOOKS Publisher Linda Stark CFO Tricia Waddell Art Director Paulette Livers Managing Editor Rebecca Campbell

For questions regarding our book program, call (970) 669-7672 Monday–Friday, 8:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M. or email [email protected] Step by Step Jewelry: Polymer, Ceramic & Metal Clays is published by InterweavePress LLC, 201 E. Fourth St., Loveland, CO 80537-5655. (970) 669-7672. Step by Step Jewelry: Polymer, Ceramic & Metal Clays is published at 300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100,Malvern, PA 19355. Copyright © 2006 Interweave Press LLC, All rights reserved. Reproductionof this copyrighted material in any manner without the express writtenpermission of Publisher is strictly forbidden. Step by Step Beads is notrespon sible for manuscripts, photographs or other material, whethersolicited or not, unless a signed, prior written agreement is executed.All manuscripts, photographs or other material submitted will beconclusively presumed to be for publication unless accompanied by awritten explanation otherwise. Once accepted by Publisher, materials become the sole property of Step by Step Jewelry: Polymer, Ceramic & Metal Clays , who has the unconditionalright to edit or change material. All manuscripts, photographs or othermaterial accepted by Publisher will be paid for at a rate solelydetermined by Publisher unless a signed, prior written agreement isobtained. No payment is owed until and unless work is published. Stepby StepJewelry: Polymer,Ceramic& Metal Clays is notresponsiblefor anyliability arising fromanyerrors,omissions or mistakescontainedin themagazine andreadersshouldproceedcautiously,especiallywith respect to any technical information,for which Stepby StepJewelry: Poly- mer,Ceramic &MetalClays doesnot warrantthe accuracyand furtherdisclaimsliability therefrom.

www.stepbystepjewelry.com 6

Step by Step Clay Jewelry 2007

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Bamboo Metal Clay Earrings Combining PMC ® with 18K gold wire and beads. BY KATHLEEN BOLAN

Skill level

. r o h t u a e h t f o y s e t r u o c s o t o h p r e h t o l l a ; s i t n a S e D k n a r F y b e c e i p d e h s i n i f f o o t o h P

What you need

PMC® offers myriad possibilities in surface texturing and combining it with other jewelry elements. The earrings pictured here were made by cutting two shapes from a hand-drawn template, texturing them with a rubber stamp, and embellishing them with 18K gold, sterling silver, and handmade lampwork glass beads.

• Half of a 28-gram package of PMC+®

• Pin tool or long needle

• Soldering torch

• Work surface of glass or smooth

• Toaster oven

• Soldering pick

• Ceramic tile

• Burnisher

• Round sterling tubing: 3.8–4mm O.D.,

• Silver solder: hard, medium, and easy

plastic • PVC roller: 1" diameter x 8" long • Manila folder or other heavy paper

5

⁄ 16" long

• Paste flux

• Pencil • X-Acto® knife with new blade

• Square sterling tubing: 4.5mm O.D.,

• Cutting mat

• Tube cutting jig

• Bowl of water

• Jeweler’s shears

• Jeweler’s saw and 3/0 blades

• Sparex or other pickle of choice in a

• Bamboo rubber stamp

• Flat nose pliers

(All Night Media) • A piece of Teflon® paper: approximately 6" x 6" (available from cooking supply stores)

1

⁄ 16" long

• Chain nose pliers: 1 pair bent tip and 1 pair straight • Round nose pliers: 1 small pair and 1 large pair

• Soldering pick • Fire brick

crock pot • Rotary tumbler with mixed stainless steel shot • Burnishing compound • Kiln capable of holding 1650°F for 10

• Cellophane tape • Badger Balm® or olive oil

• Wire cutters • 20-gauge soft 18K gold wire, 7" long

• Kiln shelf

• Saran Wrap®

• 20-gauge dead soft sterling silver

• Tongs

• Small pointed brush

wire, 12" long

minutes

• Liver-of-sulfur

• Sandpaper: 320- and 400-grit

• 2 small lampwork glass beads

• Tweezers

• Salon emery boards: medium and fine

• 2 small sterling silver accent beads

• 4/0 steel wool

• 4 playing cards

• Bench pin

• Sunshine or other polishing cloth

• Needle files: flat and round

• Metal mandrels to make jump rings: 2mm and 4mm


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I have an affinity for Asian motifs, and selected a bamboo design for the PMC ® imprint. The 18K gold “straws” on the top complement the 22K gold leaf and red enamel beads that dangle from the bottom loop. I strive to create a traditional look using contemporary techniques for designs that traverse time. As an option to simplify the project, freshwater pearls could be substituted for the beads, which give the earrings a slightly different traditional appeal. Draw a curved rectangle shape for the earrings on a piece of manila folder approximately 1" long, slightly less than 1" at the top, and narrowing to about 9 ⁄ 16" at the bottom. Place it on a cutting mat, and cut it out with the X-Acto ® knife. Hold the knife perpendicular to the template, and score the manila folder lightly for the first cut. Repeat the cut three or four more times using a little more pressure until it cuts through. Leave a 3 ⁄ 4"–1" border of manila folder around the cut-out shape on all sides. Smooth any rough edges of the template with 400-grit sandpaper. Mark a “T” for “top” in the corner on one side of the template. Apply a light coat of Badger Balm ® to the bottom side of the template and set aside with the Badger Balm ® facing up. A flatter, gentle curve along the top rather than a more rounded curve is easier to solder onto the round tubing for the bail. Keep in mind the PMC+ ® will shrink 10-15 percent when fired.

Tip: Turning the clay over every two to three rolls will prevent it from sticking to the Teflon ® .

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Put some Badger Balm® on your fingertip and rub it over the rubber stamp to prevent it from sticking to the PMC+®. Press the stamp fairly hard into the clay to get a deep image.

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Position the template with the oiled side down on top of the clay. Hold it in place, and use the pin tool perpendicular to the clay to cut around the shape. Let the earrings dr y. Tip: To speed up the drying, you can heat them in a toaster oven. Carefully pick up the Teflon ® , gently lift the earrings off with your fingers, and put them on a ceramic tile. Place the tile in the toaster oven, and heat at 250°F for about 15 minutes. Do not use the aluminum tray that comes with the toaster oven; the PMC ® reacts adversely.

Tape a piece of Teflon ® to your work surface. Rub a small amount of Badger Balm ® on your hands. Place a piece of Saran Wrap ® over the clay as you roll it out to help keep it moist for a longer time. Roll out half of a 28-gram package of the PMC+ ® to a height of two cards on the Teflon® or an oiled surface.

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When dry, hold the two pieces together, and carefully sand the edges with a salon emery board, 320- or 400grit sandpaper. This smoothes the edges and assures that the shapes are exactly the same. Also, check the back of the earrings to make sure the surface is smooth. Sand, if needed. Handle the leather-hard clay very gently because it is fragile and can break easily. Tip: File and sand over a clean sheet of paper to collect the filings, then add them to your jar of PMC+ ® slip.

O.D. jump rings using a 4mm mandrel. Remove the mandrel, hold one of the coils against a bench pin, and use the jeweler’s saw to cut the coil and separate the jump rings. Repeat for the other coil, then saw two 5.5mm jump rings in half. I like to make a few extra of both jump rings in case they ar e needed, and a longer coil is easier to hold for sawing.

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Hold a 3.5mm jump ring between the flat nose and bent tip chain nose pliers, and bend side to side until the ends butt tightly together. Then hold it with the bent tip or flat nose pliers along the top edge with the seam side facing down, and sand the bottom flat on 320-grit sandpaper.

Place the earrings on a kil n shelf and fire for 10 minutes at 1650°F. When the cycle is completed, crack the door open. After 10–15 minutes, carefully remove the earrings with tongs and cool on a ceramic tile. Tumble with the mixed stainless steel shot and burnishing compound for 2–3 hours.

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Use a jeweler’s saw and tube cutting jig to cut two 5 ⁄ 16" long pieces of the round sterling silver tubing. Cut tw o 1 ⁄ 16" long pieces of the square sterling silver tubing. File the ends of the round tubing with the r ound needle file to remove any burs. Sand the round and square tubing with 320-grit sandpaper on a flat surface. Saw off one side of the square tubing “slices.” Hold each with flat nose pliers and sand the bottom edges flat.

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10 Solder a 3.5mm jump ring to the top of a square tubing “slice.” Cut a tiny pallion of hard solder with the jeweler’s shears. Center the jump ring on top of the square tubing “slice,” flux, solder, quench in water, then pickle. Repeat for the s econd one.

Wrap the 20-gauge sterling wire around a 2mm mandrel by hand about 5–6 times. Repeat to make two 5.5mm


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11 Solder the square tubing with the jump ring on it to the round tubing. Cut two tiny pallions of hard solder for each earring. Carve a depression in the fire brick the depth of half the diameter of the r ound tubing. I use the back end of my tweezers. Check so the midline of the tubing lines up with the square tubing “slice” when placed next to each other on the fire brick. Center the “slice” of square tubing on top of the round tubing, flux, solder, quench in water, then pickle. Repeat for the second one. If the square tubing is not centered, sand the r ound tubing to make the sides equal. Make sure the tubing is the same length on both earrings.

help center and align them. Center the tubing along the top, flux, solder on the back side, quench in water, then pickle. Repeat for the second earring.

14 Ball one end of the 7" of 18K gold wire. Dip the end of the wire in flux. Hold the wire with tweezers, so it is hanging downward. Bring the tip of the tor ch flame up to melt the end of the wire into a ball and quench in water. Make sure the balls on the ends are small, so three will fit through the tubing together. Cut the balled wire 7 ⁄ 8" long and pickle it. Hold this wire with tweezers so the cut end is hanging downward again, and melt the other end into a ball the same size. Make 3 more of this size for a total of four. For the next two, repeat melting a ball on one end, cut these 1 1 ⁄ 8" long, then melt a ball on the other end. Each ear ring uses one long and two short 18K wires.

® 12 Solder a half jump ring to the PMC+ . Burnish the bottom edge of each earring. Mark the center of the earring along the bottom edge wi th a pencil line to help center the half jump ring. Cut two tiny pallions of hard solder for each ear ring. Do the soldering on the back side of the ear ring to make sure solder does not flow into the stamped texture on the front. Center the half jump ring, flux, solder, quench in water, then pickle. Repeat for the second earring.

15 Solder three of the gold wires together. Lay one long wire on the fire brick with one short wire above and below it. Center the wires so they are equal on each side. Solder them together in the middle with two tiny pallions of medium silver solder. Flux, solder, quench in water, then pickle. Heat just enough to tack the solder in place, so the solder does not flow down the length of the gold wir es. Repeat soldering the other 3 wires together.

13 Burnish the top curved edge of the earrings. Cut two to three small pallions of medium solder for each earring. Use the carved depression again, so the midline of the tubing lines up with the top edge of the earring. Mark the center of the tubing and the earring along the top edge with a small pencil line to 10

16 Solder the gold wires to the inside of the tubing. Push one end of a three-wire bundle through the round tubing on top of an earring. You may have to bend the two outer wires to lie on top of the middle wire to get them through the tubing. Center the wires so the amount of wire extending out on each Step by Step Jewelry: Clays — Winter 2007

side is equal. Splay the wires on each side, so they are evenly spread apart. This helps hold them in position. Blind solder them to the inside of the tubing wi th one to two small pallions of easy solder. Flux the inside on the center of the wires, solder, quench in water, then pickle. Make final adjustments to the wire spacing. Repeat for the second one.

ers away from you until the ball touches the long end of the wire. Hold the loop facing you with the

long end of the wire hanging down. Position the widest end of the large round nose pliers below the loop; bend the wire away from you, going up around the jaw of the pliers. Use the flat nose pliers to

17 Make two headpins. Cut two pieces of 20-gauge sterling wire 11 ⁄ 2" long. Dip one end of the wire in flux and heat it in the torch. Hold the wir e with tweezers, so the cut end is hanging downward. Bring the tip of the torch flame up to melt the end of the wire into a ball, quench in water, and pickle. Make sure the ball is l arge enough to hold the lampwork bead on the wire.

make a slight bend at the long end of the wire by positioning the end of the wire so it is flush with the side of the pliers; bend out away from the loop. File the end smooth with a flat needle file.

18 Make two hook ear wires by cutting two pieces of 20gauge sterling wire 21 ⁄ 4" long. Dip one end of each wire in flux, and heat the end of each to melt it into a small ball. With the small round nose pliers, hold the wire about 1 ⁄ 4" from the tip of the pliers at the base of the ball with the balled end pointing up. Make a small loop by bending the pli-

19 Patinate the earrings, headpins, and ear wires with liver-of-sulfur. It is best to do this outdoors to avoid inhaling the noxious sulfur fumes. Use one cup of hot tap water. Pour the water into a small glass or ceramic bowl used only for this purpose. Add a small pea-sized piece of liver-of-sulfur to the water and stir with tweezers until dissolved. Hold the earrings unMore Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

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der the hot water faucet to warm the metal. Immerse the earrings and wires into the solution until they turn a dark steel gray. Remove them with tweezers and rinse in cool, clean water to stop the chemical action. Wash in hot soapy water and baking soda, then rinse again. Buff the silver with 4/0 steel wool to remove most of the liver-of-sulfur. The recessed areas remain dark. Polish with a Sunshine®cloth for a soft luster.

20 Wire-wrap the lampwork glass beads to the bottom loops on the earrings. Put one of the lampwork beads and small silver accent bead on a headpin. Hold the headpin about 1 ⁄ 8" above the beads with the small round nose pliers about 1 ⁄ 8" from the tip of the jaw. Bring the wire above the pliers down and over the outside jaw of the pliers. Maintain your grip and bend the loop toward you with the pliers while holding the tail of the wire against the bead with your other hand.

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This movement is done with your wrist. Reposition the round nose pliers so the top jaw is at the top of the loop. Bend the tail at a right angle, and bring it across the bottom of the loop. Use the straight chain nose pliers to open the base of the loop enough to slide it on the loop at the bottom of the earring. Position the straight chain nose pliers across the loop, and use the bent tip chain nose pliers like fingers to wrap the wire around the stem between the loop and the beads two times. Cut off the excess wire. Squeeze the cut end with the pliers, so it is flush against the wraps. Repeat for the other earring.

21 Attachthe hooks. Use the flat nose pliers to bendthe small-balled loopon the top of the ear wire toone side. Hook the earring onto it, and close the loopby bending it back to the center of the ear wire.Repeat for the other earring. Your new earrings are now complete andready to wear. 

Kathleen Bolan creates mixed media jewelry using precious metal clay, metal, polymer clay, and her handmade lampwork glass beads, which she sells at fine art fairs and in select galleries. Her company, Born To Bead, is in Trenton, Mich.

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bearded

IRIS Polymer clay brushstroke technique. BY BARBARA SPERLING I absolutely love the color choices and brushstroke technique of Van Gogh. To me, the iris was a natural choice for this brushstroke look. When I think of doing a millefiori cane, I usually start with a subject matter that I really like, and then the technique or look comes into play. With polymer clay there are limitless choices to be made, leaving only the imagination to discover them. I was demonstrating the polymer clay millefiori cane work technique for a shop when I first thought of doing the iris with the brushstroke technique. There was a break in the action, and one of the shop clerks came out to visit. I imagine I was staring pretty intensely, because she asked what I was doing. The wheels were turning and I was trying to envision how I had to break down the design to accomplish the look I was seeking. That is how it starts for me. I view the image as a puzzle; breaking down each design, making all the little parts, then piecing it together. I am self-taught in polymer clay, but my background in numerous mediums has developed my eye for color and design. Experimentation comes naturally to me and I like the challenge of figuring things out. I learned very quickly that with polymer clay there are a few rules one must obey, and no matter how forgiving it can be, you have to know its limits. Instructions are for technique versus exact coloring or amounts of clay. This project also requires an understanding of gradational shades, conditioning, and mixing of the clay.

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Conditioning the clay .

Place the clay in a food processor dedicated for clay work. Turn the motor on, chopping the clay into small pieces. The heat from the motor will also help to soften the clay, making the conditioning process a little easier. After removing the clay from the processor, combine the clay pieces into a ball. Roll the ball out, recombine into a ball, roll out, recombine, and roll out for a total of 15 or more times. If you don’t have a food processor, then the rolling and recombining process has to be done mor e. The clay will be smoother, softer, and more elastic when it is conditioned properly.

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Leaves, stem, and bloom covering : For a variation, the leaves can be as simple as mixing the selected colors together with some white and leaving mottled, then shaping into a leaf.

Mixing colors and making gradations .

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Petal : I used a mix of purple and cobalt for the petal, and chose to make nine different shades to achieve a nice brushstroke effect. Roll the blended purple into a log, then cut off one section to retain for the darkest shade (length depends on amount of clay used). Add 1 part white to the re-

maining purple log. Cut off another section equal in length to the first. Add 1 part white to the remaining purple log. Cut off a section equal in length to the first and add 1 part white to the remaining purple log. Continue this process adding 1 part of white each time to the purple log to equal nine shades. (In the directions and diagram for building the petals, the gradations are numbered 1–9, 1 being the lightest.)

Iris beard.

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Form a tall triangle from the darkest shade of ochre. On the #1 setting of the pasta machine, make sheets out of the two remaining ochre/yellow pieces and the three yellow pieces. Drape the sheets of lighter shades of ochre, then the yellow, over two sides of the triangle. Reduce the triangle in size by stretching.

Beard : Mix ochre and golden yellow for the base color. Following the process above, add white for a total of three gradations. Now mix yellow and golden yellow for a base color

and mix with white to equal thr ee shades. This will give you a total of six shades to use i n the beard. Leaf and stem : For the base color, mix leaf green, green, and turquoise. Add white for the first two gradations, then begin adding yellow and white to equal three more gradations, for a total of five shades of gr een.

y s e t r u o c s o t o h p r e h t o l l a ; s i t n a S e D k n a r F y b d a e b d e h . s r i n o i f h t f u o a o e t h t o f h P o

Skill level

What you need • Polymer clay (I used FIMO® Classic) Iris: purple, cobalt blue, white, yel-

low, golden yellow, ochre. Leaves and stems: leaf green,

green, yellow, golden yellow, ochre, white. Background: dove gray, light blue,


navy blue, champagne, white, ochre, purple. • Tissue blade or other sharp fine edge • Brayer — hard rubber or acrylic rod • Food processor (optional)

• Pasta machine (referred to as “pm”) This helps when making the sheets, but hand rolling is also fine. Settings listed in the directions are for the Atlas ® brand pasta machine. Any thickness for any of the sheets of clay used is fine, just keep proportion in mind.

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Drape one sheet of each of the purple shades #4 then #3 (pm#1) over the ochre/yellow triangle on the same two sides.

TIPS 1. I use Fimo ® Classic for all of my complex canes. It maintains color and design integrity during the reducing stage. Its colors are true and I like the matte finish after baking. It is a much harder clay to condition and work with, but that really is a plus when making detailed millefiori canes. 2. Condition the clay well — I can’t say this enough. Even before mixing the colors and shades, the clay must be well conditioned. 3. Always mix extra clay; you will want to retain some of each color and shade for additions

Beard veins .

4

Roll out a sheet (pm#6) of purple #8. Cut into varying-width strips to be inserted for veins. Using a tissue blade, starting at the bottom of the triangle, make five to seven angled slits along the sides, and one slit on the top of the triangle.

or later use. You do not want to have to tr y and remix or match a cer tain color. Any extra clay can always be used to make other canes for accents or backgrounds when constructing jewelry. 4. When mixing the shades/colors for a flower cane, leave striations in the mixed clay as this gives the piece an interesting, artistic flair. 5. Reducing: I find that a slight wiggling of the cane back and forth, while stretching at the same time, makes the reducing easier. Not all shapes can be reduced by rolling or brayering. Beginning in the center of the cane and working out towards the ends helps to reduce the waste at the end of the cane. Before assembling the parts, be sure to make a clean slice on the ends so you can view it while putting

5

Insert the dark purple vein strips into the slits. If you work the strips into the slits using a sideways back and forth motion, it will help keep the clay from sticking before you have it in place.

the parts in their places. 6. No “monster canes” for me; I keep my canes to a 3–4" length, with a 2–3" diameter. Detail work becomes distorted if you try to make it too big. The flowers are more forgiving if you really need to go large, but anything with extremities would have a hard time staying straight when reducing. Of course, this means reducing each segment before constructing the final cane. 7. Make sure that each segment of the cane is in its correct place and is attached firmly to surrounding canes before reducing the cane. I hate to perform “surgery” on a cane after it has been constructed.

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Once you have all the slits filled with veins, press the clay back together firmly. Set aside. Iris petals.

6

Roll the nine shades of purple into sheets (pm #2). Cut ten 1" x 3" strips of all nine shades. Even though you may not need all ten in each shade, it’s not only easier, but it also allows variances in your brushstroke.

8

Once the stack is complete, place a sheet of dark purple (pm #4) over the stack, beginning at the dark end. After all the sheets have been placed, you will notice that the middle is higher than the ends; this is a good thing. Brayer over the whole stack, making sure all the clay is adhered together. Do not flatten the middle; keep it angling down towards the ends. Start pushing the two ends towards each other and continue stretching the cane, keeping the lowest layer flat—this melds the “brushstrokes.” Continue to stretch this stack out, retaining the shape; this l og is actually half of all the petals.

7

Looking at the cross-section (the end), lay out the strips, following the diagram for the color order. Here is where creativity comes into play — mixing up the order and/or adding small strips randomly of shades #1 and #9 (pm#5) will make the petal more interesting and not so uniform.

9

Back petals.

Cut off 1 ⁄ 3 of this log. This section will be used for the three smaller petals coming up the back and will show no beard. The remainder will be used later.

Reduce the 1 ⁄ 3 section you cut off then cut it in half. Pinch the light end on both halves to form points.

After doing twelve layers, begin leaving out shade #2, then #3, and finally #4. At the same time, begin stacking the darker shades towards the lighter end.


10 Place a thin strip of dark purple along part of the flat, lighter edge of one of the halves; this will be the vein in the middle of the petal. Push the two flat sides of the two halves completely together.

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piece in half, retaining the 4" side. Keeping the darkest green down towards the table, lay a sheet of yellow clay along one side of the light green layer, on one of the halves, then place the other half on top, keeping the lighter shades towards the middle. Brayer together. Shape into a leaf — the leaves are just tall triangles with angled bottoms. Place a thin layer of medium-dark green down one side of the completed leaf and stem for shadowing. Leaves.

14 Cut the leaf cane into two pieces, making one smaller Press the lighter end into a point and round the dark end.

11 Stretch this petal log to 12", but have 8" of it smaller than the remaining 4". Cut into three equal lengths of 4" (this will be the length of my cane, your length may be different—be sure to make adjustments to all lengths given from here on) and set them aside.

than the other. Reduce them to the appropriate size for the finished cane. Remember to place the shadowed sides down towards bottom of the cane, to represent how sunlight would cast a shadow. Bloom covering .

15

Make a small triangle of mottled greens. Cut on the diagonal, and insert a strip of ochre through it to make the bloom covering at the base of the petal. Reduce. Mosaic background .

16 I like the look of Main petals with beard .

12 Take the remaining half of the petal-log stack, left from Step 9, and reduce it a li ttle, then cut it in half. Pinch the light colored ends into points. Reduce the beard to proportion and place it between the two pointed, lighter edges of the halves before pressing them together. Wrap a thin sheet (pm #6) of dark purple around the log, leaving the beard edge exposed. Cut this bearded petal log in half. To make the sections for the two smaller frontside petals, reduce one of the halves of this bearded-petal log and cut into two 4" sections. Pinch the beard end to make a point. Retain the other half for the larger, round main petal. Set aside. Stem.

13 Roll the five green shades into sheets (pm#1), 3" x 4". Stack the sheets starting with the darkest shade on the bottom. Brayer or stretch this stack out, keeping one side at 4". Cut a small section (approx. 1 ⁄ 2"x 4") of this stack off and set aside for the stem. Cut the remaining 18

the mosaic effect around my flower and leaves but there are many options when it comes to filling in around the flower design. Roll out the conditioned clays for the background canes to 1" diameter snakes. Combine the snakes into a pleasing combination, forming one mosaic-like log. Roll the log, bringing the “snakes” together and eliminating any gaps. Twist the log, r ecombine, and roll it out again. Only do this a few times, at the most, for a choppy mosaic look. Keep this log large, 2–3" diameter. When deciding on background shades, remember that when the logs are reduced, the color appears darker. A good rule of thumb is to always make them lighter than you think they should be. I recommend testing your background cane before going too far. Cut a small section off the end of the log as you have it now, and roll down to a small snake to see if it is what you want. If not, add in Step by Step Jewelry: Clays — Winter 2007

more snakes of lighter or darker colors to correct it. Cover the outside of the log with a sheet of navy blue (pm#5). Roll out into 1 ⁄ 4" snakes and cut the length of the finished cane. Doing two or more different background logs makes a nice effect. I usually use the lightest one right up around the flower, then go darker towards the outside of the cane. Assembling the cane .

17 Tip: I use my canes for more than jewelry and like to keep sections of the different parts, i.e., petals, leaves, stems, for later use on 3-D items or relief work. Be sure to set them aside before surrounding them with the background snakes. Build your cane on a sheet of paper so it can be turned easily while you work on i t and then for compressing later. Check all the part canes to be sure they’re proportional, and reduce, if necessary. Place the petals so they are standing up on your work surface and you are looking down on them from above. Place the large petal in the center bottom, the two small-bearded petals above the large petal to either side, then the larger non-bearded petal in the middle top, with the smaller non-bearded petals to either side. When they’re properly placed, be sure to attach them well to each other. Flip the cane over every now and then to be sure things are aligning on both ends. To keep voids open around the petals as your building your cane, place rolled up paper in the spots until you’re ready for the snakes. Place the bloom covering under the large center petal, then the stem and leaves.

reduced — too much background and not enough of the flower is not a good thing .

19 When all of the components are together, check both ends to be sure parts are in their right places. Then, press all the parts so they stick to each other before reducing. Grasp the cane in your hands and apply even pressure on opposite sides, all the way around, for the length of the cane.

20 Now you are ready to reduce. Remem- ber: To start the process, apply equal pressure around the middle of the cane, working out to the ends. When you get it longer, wiggle it while stretching .

21 Because the cane is round, when it gets long enough, you can also roll it. I cut off a part of the cane and leave it large, so I can choose the diameter later.

18 Make some of the snakes into triangles so they fit into the Vgrooves between the petals. Start placing the snakes around the flower, adhering each snake to the next. Don’t put too many rows of background snakes around the flower, or the flower will be too small when it is More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS!

N E W

! L o c a t i o n

BEAD EXPO

April 11-15, 2007 Oakland Convention Center Oakland, CA www.beadexpo.com

JEWELRY ARTS EXPO

April 20 - 22, 2007 Greater Reading Expo Ctr. Reading, PA www.jewelryartsexpo.com N E W

S H O W !

BEAD FEST MIAMI

May 4 - 6, 2007 Sheraton Miami Mart Miami, FL www.beadfest.com

WIRE JEWELRY FEST

July 20 - 22, 2007 Chase Ctr. on the Riverfront Wilmington, DE

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BEAD FEST ATLANTA

Aug. 10 - 12, 2007 Georgia Int’l Convention Ctr. College Park, GA

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BEAD FEST PHILADELPHIA

Oct. 4 - 7, 2007 Greater Reading Expo Ctr. Reading, PA www.beadfest.com N E W

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Making a bead.

22 To make a bead similar to the one shown on page 14, shape a lump of scrap clay slightly smaller than the shape of the finished bead you want, allowing for the added dimension of the thin cane slices. Take the reduced iris cane and slice off two to three pieces. Apply the slices around the center of the bead. Add slices of complementar y canes around the larger flower slices, filling in the gaps and covering the entire bead. While retaining the bead shape, press all the added slices gently, being sure they’re all adhered to the base bead. Before baking, make a hole in the bead for stringing or wiring. Bake in your dedicated convection oven (I only use convection ovens as they hold their temperatures much more true than a toaster oven) at the manufacturer’s recommended temperature for 20–40 minutes, depending on the size of and thickness of the bead. I prefer a matte finish and leave my work as is right out of the oven, but you can bring your piece to a nice sheen by sanding wi th sandpaper to 1500-grit or by sanding and then buffing with a muslin wheel on a buffing machine. There are many ways to use the millefiori canes — and many more yet to be discovered. What I hope really comes through in my work is my love of nature and art. Frustration in the process only puts up walls to creativity — so enjoy, and remember to have fun! 

BEAD FEST MEMPHIS

Nov. 16 - 18, 2007 Agricenter Int’l Memphis, TN www.beadfest.com

JEWELRY FEST

Dec. 1 - 2, 2007 Chase Ctr. on the Riverfront Wilmington, DE www.jewelry-fest.com EVENTS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

LAPIDARY JOURNAL Jewelry Jewelr y

SA VE

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$2.00

OFF ADMISSION WHEN YOU PRESENT THIS COUPON AT ANY OF THESE EVENTS!

Barbara Sperling is a Chatham, NH-based artist working with polymer clay and Precious Metal Clay. She is a State Juried Member of the League of NH Craftsmen in Polymer Clay, PMC ®, and Non Metal Jewelry. She was Chairperson on the LNHC Committee to review and set the standards for Polymer Clay, and presently serves as a Juror for the League in Polymer Clay, PMC ®, Non-Metal Jewelry, and Multi-Media. Her work is carried in galleries throughout the United States, and can be viewed on her Web site. She lives with her husband, George, in the White Mountains.


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silver on copper beads Getting more out of your metal clay. BY MARC KORNBLUH

Attention metal clay and glass artists! I’ve created a quick, simple, and economical way to make silver beads. All you need is a little metal clay, copper tubing, a few tools, and a beadmaking torch. This technique really stretches your metal clay, enabling you to create a larger bead using less material. Skill level

What you need

Making the bead.

1

Cut a 1 ⁄ 4" piece of copper tubing using your tube cutter.

• 6" length of 1 ⁄ 4" diameter copper tubing • Tube cutter • 28-gram package of silver PMC+® • X-Acto® or craft knife • Textured surface: silverware pattern, rubber stamps, etc. (for creat . r o h t u a e h t f o y s e t r u o c s o t o h p r e h t o l l a ; s i t n a S e D k n a r F y b e c e i p d e h s i n i f f o o t o h P

ing an impressed design on the bead’s surface) • Fireproof tile • Bench-top mounted torch

2

The thickness of the clay in the package is about 1 ⁄ 8" thick. This is a great thickness for this project. If you are working with metal clay that has already been opened and is no longer in the prepackaged dimension, roll the lump out to about 1 ⁄ 8" thick but don’t use any oil as it will work against your goal of applying the clay to copper. Using the craft knife, cut a strip 1 ⁄ 8" wide and 3 ⁄ 4" long.

• Bowl of water • Long nose tweezers • Liver-of-sulfur • Extra-fine steel wool • Metal teaspoon • Cotton swab • Round nose pliers • Chain nose pliers • Wire cutters • 2 French ear wires

3

Wrap the clay strip around the center of the copper tubing piece, joining the clay ends together. Gently roll the clay covered copper tube back and forth between your thumb and forefinger until the clay covers most of the tube. You’ll finish covering the tube in Step 5.

• 2 head pins • 4 spacer beads • 4 complementary beads


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4

Slip the tube snugly onto a pair of l ong, closed tweezers. Tweezers work well to hold the bead while you texturize it and later work it in the flame.

5

Dip your finger into the bowl of w ater. Rub your finger on the bead, wetting it slightly. Smooth the surface of the bead, working the clay from the center to the edges, until all the copper up to the edge is covered and the bead is smooth and unifor m.

6

Choose a texture you’d like to use for decorating your bead, then lightly oil the surface of the textured tool. The oil will help prevent the clay bead from sticking to the textured tool. Gently roll the bead over the textured surface or stamp the bead gently with the textured tool. It’s important to work gently with the bead so the bond between the clay and copper isn’t broken.

7

Light your torch. While your bead is still wet and on the tweezers, bring the bead into the outer fringe of the torch flame . Rotate the tweezers slow-

After the bead has dried, it will ignite momentarily and then go out, this is the organic binder burning off. Now the bead is ready to put dir ectly into the flame.

8

Turn the bead in the flame until it glows a light orange. Keep moving the bead in and out of the flame to pr event it from getting too hot (bright orange) — too much heat will melt out the detail of your design; maintain the light-orange glow. After a few minutes, the clay will shrink and begin to break out into a light sweat of silver — it’s nearly done. Continue turning the bead in the flame for a few mor e minutes — more silver will appear on the surface. Using pliers, gently nudge the bead off the tweezers onto a ceramic tile or other fireproof surface. Let the bead cool to room temperature. Don’t quench the bead in water; the two metals expand and contract at different rates which may cause separation.

Adding the finish. 9 When the bead is cool, buff it using extra-fine steel wool. The bead is now finished or r eady for a patina treatment. I like to apply a patina using liver-of-sulfur. When working with liver-of-sulfur, be sure to have adequate ventilation, avoid breathing the fumes, and wear safety goggles. Add one or two crumbs of gravel (approximately 1 x 2mm

crumb) to 1 ⁄ 2–1 cup medium hot water. Dip briefly, then rinse in cold, running water, repeating these steps until desired color is reached. Stop the chemical action by rinsing in cold water, then washing in soapy hot water and baking soda. Using the extra-fine steel wool again, buff the surface of the bead. The buffing will accentuate the raised area of the bead, leaving the recessed areas of the design black.

ly until the bead dries. Use caution — putting the bead directly into the flame before it is completely dry might cause the clay to crack. The process of flame-drying the bead takes about five to seven minutes to complete.

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12 Slightly twist your head pin loop with chain nose

Making a pair of earrings. 10 When using the silver beads in jewelr y, I like to use spacer beads to hide the copper edging. Slip your pattern onto a head pin,

11

With round nose pliers, grasp the wire of the head pin above the last bead added and bend the wire to a 90° angle.

pliers to open. Thread the open end onto the bottom loop of your French ear wire; twist the loop to close.

You’ve completed your first earring. Repeat Steps 10–12 for the second earring. Using wire cutters, trim the wire to about 3 ⁄ 8".

String a matching bracelet or necklace using all the other beads you’ve made, then go back and make more for your friends! 

Marc Kornbluh

Grasp the tip of the wire with round nose pliers and rotate the pliers towards the bead, creating and closing a loop.


is a glass artist from Burlington, Vermont, built a hot glass studio for the production of his one-of-a-kind fused glass and lamp worked glass jewelry. He has traveled overseas for many years, informally studying art and culture. Much of his work is influenced by Eastern design, which he incorporates in his own contemporary style. Marc’s artwork is available in museum shops and galleries throughout the country.

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double the pleasure

BY ARLENE HILDEBRAND

What you need • 2 glass cabochons (I used one cabochon about 2" x 1", the second one is a bit smaller) • 20–25 grams of metal clay (I used Low Fire Art Clay ® Silver) • Acrylic roller . r o h t u a e h t f o y s e t r u o c s o t o h p r e h t o l l a ; s i t n a S e D k n a r F y b e c e i p d e h s i n i f f o o t o h P

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• 1mm thickness guides • Spoon tool (similar to dental tools, except one end is curved like a spoon) • Plastic straw • Masking tape

I love the uncomplicated beauty of glass. I am a fused glass artist, and to enhance the look and uniqueness of my fused glass cabochons, I use the amazing medium — metal clay. The low-fire metal clay now available, particularly Art Clay ® Silver, is very compatible with fused or lampworked glass. My approach to combining the two elements (glass and metal clay) may be different from other artists, as I use the metal clay to capture the glass, taking advantage of the clay’s shrinkage. A few things to remember when constructing a piece: Take into account the percentage the silver will shrink. Work the clay around the glass gently, but securely; any silver touching the glass must not be tight fitting — it should gently lie on, or just touch, the glass. If the silver is securing the glass cabochon too tightly, the silver may crack at the tightest point when fired. At the 1200°F firing temperature glass will stay intact, so if there’s any give needed it will be in the silver. Now the fun begins!

• Texture plates (optional) • Circle template • X-Acto® blade • Food dehydrator, hair dryer, or hot plate • Salon board or file • Denatured alcohol • Kiln • Steel brush • Optional: Tumbler and stainless steel shot


Making the O-ring connector. 1 Knead 5 grams of clay into a pancake shape.

2

Using an acr ylic roller, shape the clay into a 1mm-thick round shape. Texture the clay, if desired.

3

Using a circle template as a guide, cut out a 7mm circle from the clay.

6

When the connector is dr y, wrap a small piece of masking tape around the top and another piece around the bottom. The tape will prevent the next layer of clay to be added, from sticking to the O-ring.

Making the top glass piece. 7 Knead 10 grams of clay into an oblong shape.

8

Using an acrylic roller, shape the clay into a long strip that’s 1mm thick, 1 ⁄ 2" wide, and twice the length of the glass cabochon.

4

Using the circle template, cut a 4mm circle out of the center of the circle created in Step 3. This is your O-ring connector.

9

Lay the glass cabochon in the center of the clay strip and orient the glass the way you want it to look in your finished piece.

10 Place a 1" piece of plastic straw on the clay, at the top of the glass cabochon. The diameter of the straw will determine the size of the bail and, more specifically, the size of chain that will fit through the bail.

11

5

Allow the connector to dr y. Here are a few drying methods: Place the connector in a food dehydrator or on a warm hot plate; dry with a hair dryer; or leave it out to air-dry (which takes about 24 hours, depending on your climate).


Using the spoon tool, lift up the top of the clay strip, guide it over the straw, and then gently over the top of the glass cabochon. Guide the clay until it’s wrapped to one side of the glass and secured down on the side (or back) of the glass cabochon. Trim any excess clay.

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14 Allow the clay to dry. 15 Carefully remove the straws. If needed, use a salon board or file to gently sand any rough edges on the clay. Create the bottom glass piece.

16 Knead 7 grams of clay into an oblong shape. 17 Repeat Steps 8 and 9. 18 Place a 1" piece of plastic straw on the clay, at the top of the glass. Again, this straw is used to create an allowance for shrinkage and a loop for the O-ring to move on.

12 Place a 1" piece of plastic straw at the bottom of the glass cabochon. Here the straw is used for two reasons: first, to create space for the s hrinkage that will occur when the piece is fir ed; second, to create a loop that, after firing, will allow the O-ring to move — giving movement to the piece.

19 Use the spoon tool to lift the top of the clay strip and guide it through the O-ring, over the masking tape. Continue to guide the clay, gently laying it over the straw and on top of the glass; secure the clay to the side (or back) of the glass. Trim any excess clay.

13 Use the spoon tool to lift up the bottom of the clay strip, guide it through the O-ring, and over the masking tape.

Continue to guide the clay, gently laying it over the bottom of the glass and over the straw, securing the clay to the side (or back) of the glass. Trim any excess clay.

20 Repeat Steps 14 and 15. 21 Clean the glass cabochons with denatured alcohol and remove the masking tape. If you can’t get the tape off easily, leave it alone — it will burn away during the firing process.

22 Fire the piece in a kiln. Heat the kiln to 1200°F and hold it there for 35 minutes. Allow the kiln to come to room temperature before removing the piece — no peeking!

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23 Clean your piece with a steel brush. 24 Tumble, if desired, using stainless steel shot and just enough water to cover the shot. Tumbling your piece will definitely let you know if the glass is securely fitted to the metal. If the glass falls out during tumbling, all is not lost — simply use epoxy to hold the glass in place. And next time, wrap the clay around the glass more securely from front to back. Wear and enjoy! 

Arlene Hildebrand has been a fused glass and metal clay artist for several years working from her home studio in the San Francisco Bay area. Her finished work is sold through her business, AM Collection. In addition to pursuing her own creativity, she loves to teach. See more of Arlene’s work and her teaching schedule on her Web site: www.amcollection.biz.


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Link Bracelet PM C ® chain fired in one piece. BY HADAR JACOBSON Skill level


What you need • Standard PMC® • PMC+® • A rolling pin

This bracelet is fired all in one piece. It is assembled prior to firing and the links don’t fuse together. It comes out of the kiln almost ready to wear.

• Olive oil or hand salve • A Ziploc® bag

The links.

• Postcards or jumbo size playing cards • Texturing molds • A long scraper • Scissors • Sponge sanding pads, fine, super-fine, and

Roll a layer of standard PMC ® eight cards thick. Since you need long strips, it is recommended to use jumbo-sized cards or postcards. Lay the two stacks of cards over a texturing mold such as a wallpaper sample or a piece of ribbon, screen, fabric or lace. Roll a snake of PMC ® with your fingers and place it vertically between the stacks. Then roll the snake with the rolling pin under a Ziploc ® bag.

1

ultra-fine • Clay shaper • Kiln

2

From the textured layer, use a long scraper to cut a strip 80mm long and 5mm wide.

• Kiln shelf • Alumina hydrate • Liver-of-sulfur • Rotary tool • Course mini-fiber wheel • Goggles • Fiberglass brush • Wet/dry sandpaper, 220-grit and 600-grit • 2 triangular or rectangular sticks, 1 foot long • Slotted mandrels

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3

Lay the strip on its long side and shape it into a figure 8. Make sure that the textured side faces outward. Place a pencil inside each of the circles to make sure they are well rounded. This is necessary to make room for the next link and to allow for movement. Dry on a coffee warmer, in a vegetable dehydrator, in a toaster-oven at 220°, or in the air.

en. Try to open them again, but make sure you don’t touch the textured part.

8

Place slip at all the joints except for the last one, which will be connected to the hook. Hold them together with small clothespins and dr y.

wrong

wrong

wrong

right

Repeat Steps 1–3 six more times. You will need seven links for a 71 ⁄ 2" bracelet. You can use a dif ferent texture for each link.

9

Roll a layer of standard PMC ® 2 cards thick over a texturing mold.

4

5

Prepare the “eye” part of the clasp: roll a layer eight cards thick as in Step 1, and cut it 60mm long and 5mm wide. Lay it on its side and shape it into a circle. Dry.

10 Cut a strip 3mm wide. Don’t cut the l ength yet. Wrap it three times around the joint of one of the links, partially overlapping, as shown in the illustration. Cut off the excess of the strip with scissors. Dry.

11 Repeat Steps 9 and 10 with five more links and the “eye.” Don’t close the seventh link yet. The hook.

6

Using sponge sanding pads, smooth the plain (untextured) sides of the links and round their edges. Start with fine, continue with super fine, and finish with ultra-fine.

® 12 For the hook, use PMC+ . This is needed for extra strength. Since a lot of bending is involved, it is best to use fresh clay for the next few steps. Roll a layer of PMC+® four cards thick over a texturing mold.

Assemble all the links including the “eye”: open one l ink slightly and slide in the next one. If they are too hard, spray them with water and wait a few minutes until they soft-


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Place it on its side and shape it into a hook as shown on the illustration. To make sure that textured side faces outwards, follow illustrations 1 and 2. Dry.

18 Repeat Steps 9 to 11 with the seventh link.

19 The links will tend to open up during firing in spite of the strip wrapped around their joint. Push clay under the strip to better seal the joints. Use a clay shaper to smooth the clay. To seal the hook use PMC+ ®. Dry. Firing.

20 Before firing, make sure that all links have enough room to move in all directions.

21 Place the bracelet on the kiln shelf diagonally over a pile 1

2

of alumina hydrate. It is best to fire it stretched straight, but if you have no room, avoid bending it at sharp angles. Sprinkle alumina hydrate over the whole bracelet to prevent the links from sticking to each other.

22 Fire for 2 hours at 1650°. Finishing.

23 Dip the bracelet in liver-of-sulfur until it is completely black. If the links seem to stick to each other, gently wiggle them and they will separate. wrong

24 Buff the bracelet with a course mini-fiber wheel to remove the liver-of-sulfur. Protect your eyes with goggles.

13 Close the joint with slip and dry. It is not recommended to use a clothespin this time since dry PMC® is very brittle and may break.

14 Sand the sides of the hook with a super-fine sponge sanding pad. It is best not to handle dry PMC+® too much before firing to avoid breaking. ® 15 Roll a layer of PMC+ two cards thick over a texturing mold. Cut it 3mm wide. Don’t cut the length yet.

25 To remover the liver-of-sulfur from hard-to-reach spots, use a fiberglass brush.

26 Sand the smooth (untextured) parts with a sanding stick wrapped with 3M wet/dry 220-grit sandpaper. Follow with 600-grit.

27 Use a slotted mandrel mounted on a rotar y tool to sand inside the links. Start with 220-grit and follow with 600-grit.

28 Tumble the bracelet for about an hour. Avoid over-tum16 Wrap the strip around the joint of the hook. Follow the direction shown with the arrows in the illustration. Dry.

17 Slightly open the seventh link of the bracelet (the one that has not been sealed yet). Slide in the hook.

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bling. If it’s too shiny, you will not be able to tell one texture from another. 

Hadar Jacobson creates her silver PMC® jewelry and teaches classes at her studio, “Textures” in Berkeley, California. For photos of her work and information about galleries, awards and publications please visit her website: www.artinsilver.com. For questions, information, or advice, please e-mail her at [email protected].


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Folded Raku Bead Necklace BY SUE KI WILCOX

These folded beads are a form of extruded or shaped clay, and have contours that resemble brains. I can’t guarantee that wearing them will make you more intelligent, but they will attract attention. I use porcelain clay because of its pure white color and consistent, fine-grained texture that gives a smoother extrusion or hand-rolled coil. If you’ve heard warnings about the use of porcelain in raku, relating to how it withstands thermal shock, ignore them. At the scale we’re dealing with here, porcelain is fine. You can use conventional raku clay if you prefer, but understand that it will produce more roughly surfaced beads, and, when used with a transparent glaze, they will be cream or pale gray, not white. 1

Think about the length and style of necklace you want to make, and whether or not you want matching accessories, such as earrings, bracelets, or pins. Raku gives brilliant but hard-to-reproduce color effects, so all the beads for one project should be fired and reduced together. Thinking about how many beads you need, and what sizes they should be, will save the frustration of tr ying to find beads to fill the gaps in your necklace later. Better to make too many than too few (make some spares in case of accidents). To produce a set of graduated beads, hand-roll a length of clay of an even cross-section, then use the ruler to mark it into different sized chunks to make into individual beads. Estimate the size you want for the focal bead and measure it off the roll. Make the bead and see if it appears to be the right size. After firing, a bead will shrink by about 10%. (If that one ends up being the right size, you can proportion the other beads by cutting a little less for each subsequent pair of beads. For the smaller beads, you will need to mark out enough clay for two or four beads at a time. As long as you know how many beads to get out of the clay, you can divide it up equally enough by eye.)

Skill level

. r o h t u a e h t f o y s e t r u o c s o t o h p r e h t o l l a ; e i l s e L l e a h c i M y b e c e i p d e h s i n i f f o o t o h P

What you need • Porcelain clay or other smooth clay

• Bead frame and heat-resistant wire or heat resist-

• Kemper Klay gun and dies

ant rods with ceramic

• Box of short coffee

supports

stirrer straws • Knife • Ruler • Clay cutting wire

• Metal container (with tightly fitting, airtight lid) suitable for containing bead frame • Beading wire

• Plastic wrap

• Balinese silver beads

• Bowl of water

• Silver clasp

• Raku glaze: transparent

• 4 silver crimp beads

crackle glaze

• Crimping pliers

(I use Hoku-trans)

• Wire cutters

• Wooden skewers • Access to bisque-firing kiln, raku kiln, and appropriate tools and safety

Always ask for the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for any materials you buy, which will give you reactivity,health hazard, and safe handling data.

equipment More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

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Use an extrusion gun to make the long coils of clay. This little gadget is perfect for making continuous, even-sectioned coils of clay. Before starting production, experiment with the different extrusion dies to find the size that works for you. I use a mediumsized die — a too-small die produces sticky, unmanageable threads (instead of coils); a too-large die produces coils that are hard to bend without snapping them. Try hand-rolling some coils and folding them gently into spheres. The size that w orks with hand rolls will work with extruded coils. The humidity of your clay and your environment will af fect how the coils handle. If the clay is too sticky, the coils will gum together and not fold well, while if the clay is too dr y, the coils will break as you tr y to fold them. My solution is to keep the main block of clay in the thick plastic bag in which it is sold. Immediately wrap any smaller pieces cut off the main block in plastic wrap. If the moisture content feels low, sprinkle the clay with water before wrapping it. The water will absorb fairly quickly. Dr ying clay is just as easy — just roll out the clay on a piece of cloth (an old dishtowel is per fect). When you are ready to extrude the clay, dip the quantity earmarked for a bead or a pair of beads in water before putting it in the extrusion gun. This process makes the process much easier, but doesn’t give the water time to soak into the clay.

3

As the coil emerges from the gun, let it settle lightly into a heap on your work surface. Use a wooden table or a large plastic chopping board. The cloth-covered work boards found in ceramics studios will dry bead work too much, and tend to contain tiny particles of clay that stick to the coils and ruin the smooth surface. Keep your hands relatively clean — if they are covered in flakes of clay, your beads will be, too. Very gently cut the clay from the gun and pick up the heap of coils.

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4

Shaping a spherical bead involves patting and a small amount of rolling — too much rolling between your palms, however, and the coils disappear. It’s a matter of practice and becoming accustomed to how temperature and humidity affect the handling properties of your clay. You want just enough adhesion to form a bead that will have enough internal structure that it won’t collapse when you bore a hole through it. Gently set down the bead. If you want a flat-sided bead, press it onto the work sur face, turn it over, and do the same on the other side.

5

Depending on the way the clay is handling, you can make the hole immediately or leave the bead to dry out a little — five minutes is plenty of time. Cup the bead in your palm and rotate a hollow straw to make a hole. The hole should be beside, not in the middle of, the surface coils, so as to reduce the friction as the straw penetrates the clay. Bore vertically into the bead, checking the opposite side as the straw approaches. Gentle rotation should help the straw to cut through cleanly. Remove any plug of clay on the end of the straw before withdrawing it back through the bead. This method will flatten one side of the bead, so you’ll have to turn the bead over and flatten the other side to match. Set the bead aside to dr y.


Glazing & firing: You’ll need access to a kiln for this project. If you don’t have a kiln at home, there are many commercial ceramic places that will bisque-fire your beads for you. These same suppliers can sell you raku glazes for your beads. You can also join a local raku group who will let you participate in one of their firings. (I often work with the local YWCA; its group holds monthly firings. They supply portable kilns and some reduction containers.) Community colleges are another good place to try. Working with an established group gives you the safety and skill of experienced firers. 6

Once your “brain” beads are dry (you’ll need at least 24 hours, depending on your workroom and the surface on which you set them), put them in an unglazed ceramic bowl for bisque firing, which is a preliminary “cooking” of the beads to prepare them for glazing.

7

Dip your bead into the glaze. The glaze should fill all the folds and contours of the bead; however, you don’t want coating so thick that it drips off the bead. The easiest way to dip a bead is to put it on a wooden skewer or the straw with which you made the hole, then quickly dip it in glaze using a rotating wrist motion to ensure that the whole surface is covered. Rest the skewer across two supports so the glaze can dry. About two minutes should be long enough, as you are simply waiting for the water in the glaze to be absorbed into the porous bead.

than I have here to describe. Try working with an established group to learn from their knowledge and skill. When the beads are done, it’s time for reduction, which is the process of removing combined oxygen from the glaze; it gives a metallic luster to the piece. To achieve a good reduction, it’s important to keep oxygen away from the beads until they’re cool enough for the glaze to set. The main way to do this is to keep them in a smoky atmosphere wher e burning combustibles (paper, leaves) use up any oxygen that leaks in. Remove them to a reduction container and lightly reduce them using newspaper as the combustible material. Beads demand a fairly small reduction container, so use one that can contain your bead frame with a few inches to spare for shredded newspaper, and that has a tightly fastening lid. (A 1' galvanized steel trashcan works well if you fill the hole in the lid with a nut and bolt.) Reduction should take approx. thirty minutes. Caution: This is the dramatic and potentially dangerous part of the raku process. Handling red-hot beads on a bead frame, pulling them from the kiln while they’re at maximum temperature, plunging them into inflammable materials, and sealing them in a container to marinate in a low-oxygen atmosphere calls for skill and care. For your first time, you may want to get someone else to handle it for you, or at least spend some time watching how others do it. Be sure to wear protective clothing and use the proper tools: long sleeves, gauntlets, a face mask, and tongs.

9

After reduction, dunk the still-warm beads in cold water, wash off the burnt newspaper, and admire the final color. The finished beads should be a shiny white with a fine gray crackle. The silvery color is a smoke coating. Although it will come off if rubbed with an abrasive pad, you may prefer to leave it on, at least in the recesses of the folds, as it gives the beads an aged and mysterious look.

10 For stringing, use Balinese silver spacers and a clasp. Be sure that the beading wire you use is strong enough to hold these beads, and is resistant to abrasion from the occasional rough spot on the bead cores. 

Sue Ki Wilcox 8

In order to complete the bead, it’s necessary to melt the glaze without letting the bead stick to others next to it. I use wire to suppor t and separate each bead and to attach them to a bead frame. An alternative is to fire beads on horizontal rods of stainless steel or Nichrome heat-resistant alloy, using disks of ceramic paper to prevent them from touching, but you will encounter difficulties moving the beads when they are red hot. Fire the beads to 1800°F. Firing length is a matter of judgment; it is an art that would take more room More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

is a freelance writer specializing in new computing technologies, graphic design, and high-tech art who tries to keep carpal tunnel syndrome at bay by making raku beads. She is working on her latest book, a compendium of raku beadmaking techniques, and warns readers that these beads can take over your life. Contact her via e-mail at [email protected].

STEP BY STEP

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Painted polymer takes art to new heights. BY PATRICIA KIMLE

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pastel

lentil beads It’s good for artists to make an effort to keep learning and expanding their experiences. A few years ago, I took a traditional watercolor painting class — loved it, and have now done many paintings for family and friends. Eventually, I began looking for ways to bring that watercolor knowledge to my work with polymer clay. What I found was that you can achieve very similar traditional watercolor effects by substituting alcohol for water, and alcohol soluble inks for the pigment. This project uses the basic painting techniques of wash, wet-in-wet, and dry brush to create spectacular beads.

Painting a sheet. 1 Condition the clay by kneading and rolling it until you have a sheet with a smooth consistency. Blend about 1 ⁄ 2 package of white polymer clay with 1 ⁄ 2 package of the pearl clay, increasing the pearl quantity for a more shimmering effect or increasing the white for a more matte effect. On your pasta machine, using the middle setting, roll out a sheet of clay that is approximately 5" x 8" x 1mm thick.

Skill level

y s e t r u o c s o t o h p r e h t o l l a ; s i t n a S e D k n a r F y b s e c e i p d e h . s r i n o i h f t f u o a o e t h t o f h P o

What you need • 1 ounce pieces of polymer clay in pearl and white (I like Premo® because of its color and durability) • Pearl-Ex Brilliant Gold powder (optional) • Pinãta Inks by Jacquard® • Claro Extender • 70% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) • Water-based varnish (optional) • About 40" of .024" diameter 24K flexible beading wire (I used Soft


Flex® 24K Gold Flex Wire ™

• Circle cutters or circle template in

• Assorted accent beads

several sizes, approx. 1 1 ⁄ 4", 11 ⁄ 2",

• Approx. 20 gold crimp beads

and 2"

• French ear wires • Pasta machine dedicated to clay • Round paint brushes, small and

• Standard light bulb and 40-watt appliance bulb • Sheet of drywall sanding screen

• Small cup to hold alcohol

• Cyanoacrylate glue (I use Loctite® or Zap-a-Gap ®)

• Small sheet of glass or plexi-glass

• Crimping pliers

medium

for palette • Acrylic rod for rolling • Cutting blade

• Flush cutter • 1mm drill bit in pin vise or hand drill

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Lightly sprinkle and brush on some Pearl-Ex Brilliant Gold powder, if you like — this is optional.

5

Using a long clay blade, cut the sheet into strips about wide. Shift the strips side-to-side, or turn ever y other strip end-for-end, to create a new pattern. 1 ⁄ 4"

3

Apply several colors of ink to the palette, using one or two drops of each color. It’s okay if the colors dry on the palette, they will be redissolved with the alcohol . Pour a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol into a cup. Dip the brush into the alcohol and wet some of the ink on the palette. Begin by applying washes of color in stripes across the sheet. Try to have each stripe blend from a dark edge to a lighter edge.

When you’ve arranged all the strips to your satisfaction, roll them firmly with an acrylic rod so the seams between the strips are sealed together. Using additional white clay, roll a

4

Add spatters, drips, streaks, etc. of other colors after the washes are dr y. Try putting drips of one color into areas of another color, before they dry, to see them mingle and spread. Paint lines or shapes with a very dry brush (colors picked up with the brush and then the alcohol dabbed out on a dry towel). This is like painting with watercolor; you can vary the strength of the pigment and the carrier as you dip your brush. Experiment by using the Pinãta Ink Claro Extender (which comes with inks), instead of alcohol. The extender will give the paint a shinier look versus the matte effect of the colors applied with alcohol.

very thin, 1mm thick sheet the size of your painted sheet; lay it on the back side of the painted sheet. Roll the two sheets together with the rod. Cutting discs for beads. 6 Using circle cutters or a circle template, cut several sizes of discs. Be sure to cut two same-sized discs for each bead.

7

Carefully press the circles onto the round end of a light bulb. Make sure the edges are pressed smoothly to the glass and do not dent or mar the painted surface — the painted side does not get sanded for imperfections or mistakes.

36


ning, try painting every other stripe of the bead with a water-based varnish. The contrast of matte and shiny is very attractive. Stringing the necklace.

11 Cut a 32" length of beading wire, longer or shorter if you prefer. Lay the beads out on a bead tray or cloth. Mix up the accent beads into a somewhat random arrangement, with no more than 1" clusters on either side of your lentil beads. For the larger discs, use a standard bulb; smaller circles, use a 40-watt appliance bulb.

8

Bake the clay on the light bulbs according to the manufacturer’s directions on the package. Allow the discs to cool and then pop them off the glass.

12 Add a crimp bead on each side of the bead cluster and compress the crimp bead with crimping pliers to secure your cluster in place. Leave approximately 1" of wire showing between each bead cluster.

9

Using your clay blade, carefully trim the protruding corner off of the back-rim edge so you’ll have a flat surface for the glue that will be applied later. The disc edges need to be cut so they are parallel with the plane of the back circumference. By trimming roughly with your blade first, you’ll eliminate a great deal of sanding in the next step.

13 Once you’ve finished stringing all of the beads on

Sand the disc edges smooth by rubbing them across a piece of sanding screen several times.

When the surfaces are smooth and even, glue two halves together with cyanoacrylate glue; set two of the smaller discs aside for your earrings. After the glue has dried, drill holes into each side of your beads in preparation for stringing.

10 (Optional): If you did not apply the Pearl-Ex at the beginMore Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

one side of the necklace, add one crimp bead. Bring the end of the wire back through the crimp bead, leaving a loop in the wire. Continue feeding the wire back through a few of the last accent beads and compress the crimp bead to close, as before. Using your flush cutters, trim the end of the wi re close to the crimp.

14 For the other side of your necklace, just before you add the last cluster of beads, string on your crimp bead but don’t close it. String your final cluster and add your second crimp bead. Thread the end of the wire through the loop y ou made on the other end of the necklace. Bring the wire back through the 37

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second crimp and several of the beads. Close the first crimp then trim the end with your flush cutters. Slide the bead cluster towards the looped ends, and compress the second crimp to complete your necklace.

Stringing the earrings.

couple of the beads and trim the end. Push some slack of the back-wire end through crimp 2, creating a slightly inverted “v” between the two wires. Compress crimp 2 with crimp-

ing pliers to close. Slide the remaining wir e end through crimp 3 (at the back of the disc) and tighten the crimp close to the hole. Trim the excess wire with your flush cutters.

15 With a hand drill and 1mm bit, drill a hole in the disc about 1 ⁄ 3 the distance across the diameter. Cut a 5" length of beading wire and add a cluster of small beads (about 1" long) to the front s ide. Check that the cluster is going to cur ve smoothly.

16 Using three crimp beads, place the first and second next to the bead cluster and the third on the other end of the wire, behind the disc. Slide the back wire through crimp beads 1 and 2, making a Connect a French earwire to the inverted “v”. 

Patricia Kimle Patricia Kimle has been creating jewelry and fine craft items with polymer clay for 15 years. She is the author of Polymer Clay Inspirations, new from North Light Books. She exhibits her work and teaches polymer techniques around the country. More examples of Patti's work can be found at www.kimledesigns.com.

circle. Draw the wires up to close the circle and tighten the crimp. Slide the front wire end through a

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tips&techniques

Fracture Patterning Technique BY HELEN BREIL

Photo of finished piece by Frank DeSantis; all other photos courtesy of the author.

Recently, I’ve become fascinated with the interesting crackle effects that can be achieved with paint on polymer clay. By applying a layer of paint onto a sheet of clay, then running the sheet through a pasta machine, amazing crackled patterns occur. I began working with acrylic paints, but moved on to tempera after being inspired by Tony Aquino’s article in PolymerCAFÉ magazine. To push this idea further, I began experimenting with textures. By adding a texture to the surface of the clay before applying the paint, I was able to achieve some striking effects and a technique I call “fracture patterning” emerged. Make the patterned sheet found on page 44 or use ideas and inspiration found here. Your finished sheet can then be used in the “Patterned Polymer Pendant” on page 45. PAINTING

• I recommend Van Aken ™ Jazz Tempera Paints because of their heavy pigment load and rich vibrant colors. I’ve found other tempera paint brands are thin and therefore require many coats. • Paint a sheet of clay so the paint totally conceals the clay beneath. The number of coats will depend on how thick and opaque the paint is. I find with black paint, one coat is often enough; but with white paint, two or more coats may be needed. The thicker the layer of paint, the larger the crackle — and I like the dramatic effect of large crackle. • If the paint is too thick, you might want to thin it with water. Don’t get too carried away with the paint — if the coat is too thick, the paint may flake off when dried. • Let the paint air dry for approximately 45 minutes. Be sure it’s thoroughly dry or you will not get the desired crackle effect. CREATING THE CRACKLE EFFECT

• Put the dried sheet through the pasta machine, starting at the secondthickest setting. Adjust the setting, going progressively thinner with each pass through the pasta machine, until you reach a pleasing balance between the exposed clay and the fractured paint. • You can turn your sheet a quarter-turn at each thickness setting, if you wish. I prefer to have the sheet go through the same direction each time, because the pattern of crackle runs roughly parallel with the edge being fed into the pasta machine. The tiger print pendant shown on page 41 is a good example. • As the clay passes through the pasta machine, you’ll see the gaps between 40


the paint-crackle widen. If the sheet starts getting too thin before you’ve achieved the results you’re happy with, back the painted sheet with another layer of the same color clay, set your pasta machine back to a thicker setting, and continue to roll the sheet through until you have the results you like. Your sheet is now ready to use in a project.

Once the paint was dr y, I rolled out the sheet on the pasta machine starting at the second thickest setting, and going sequentially thinner, turning the sheet a 1 ⁄ 4 turn with each setting, until I reached the #5 setting. The result is a flat sheet with a very distinct pattern.

This tiger print necklace is an example of the basic, no-texture technique.

PROTECTIVE COATING HIGH-GLOSS: Before I put the piece into the oven for baking, I applied a very thin layer of Kato Liquid Clay ™ over the surface with a small brush (or your fingers) to protect the paint. I recommend the Kato brand of Liquid Clay because of its transparency and ability to self-level. Tempera is water-based and will wash off or flake if not protected. Tempera dries to a ver y matte finish. For the “tiger print” necklace, I chose a high-gloss Varathene ® finish. This takes the black from dull to shiny, intensifying the color, and adding to the overall effect. I’m a big fan of the high-gloss Varathene ® finish with this technique. MATTE: For the powder-blue, radiating-lines pin shown on page 42, I used the Flecto Satin Varathene® because, in this case, I liked the matte finish. You can decide for yourself, but please note, it’s important to protect the tempera with something — Kato Liquid Clay™ (before or after initial baking) Varathane ® , or both. If you use Varathene ®, I recommend using the drip method, if possible, in order to get a smooth, flawless finish. Please see Elissa Powell’s instructions on this process (http://www.pcpolyzine.com/february2001/ varathane.html)

ADDING A TEXTURE

I wanted to see if I could create a pattern with the crackle and found that having a texture in the raw clay, before the paint was applied, was the answer. The texture causes the paint to puddle — becoming thicker in the textured indents and thinner on the sur face of the clay.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE

C

TEXTURES A - Tulle from fabric store

B

A

B - Clearsnap molding mat “Designer Bento Box”

D

C - Plastic netting from fabric store D - ShadeTex texture plates E - Wire mesh

G E

F - Plastic canvas 14-mesh G - Wavy metal comb

F


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tips&techniques TIPS & IDEAS Here are some general pointers for getting good results and various ideas to try:

FRACTURE PATTERNING IDEAS PLASTIC CANVAS 14-MESH: This pattern was made with a 14-mesh plastic canvas sheet, texture F. Fluorescent green tempera paint on blue clay with a gloss finish.

1. Pick clay and paint colors that have good contrast. If the colors are too similar, the patterning effect is lost. 2. Metallic and pearl clays have the most impact with this technique, adding a coat of high-gloss Varathane ® will enhance the shimmering mica effect. 3. Textures that have small and deep patterns work best. The texture’s pattern will be stretched out on the pasta machine, so you need to start small — especially for jewelry — large patterns are lost on a small piece. 4. In some cases, the first coat of tempera paint “resists” against the clay surface. This may be because I had Armor-All® on the texture sheet, which got transferred onto the clay. If you get a resist effect, put the first coat on as best you can and let it dry. You’ll find subsequent coats of paint will go on properly. 5. You can make the patterning more obvious by putting paint on the textured clay and letting it puddle in the indents. Then, take a piece of paper and lay it flat on the clay to soak up the surface paint.

CLEARSNAP MOLDING MAT:

I used a Clearsnap molding mat to create this radiating-lines pattern. The clay is a combination of Kato ™ pearl and a bit of blue with white paint on top.

6. The Jazz Silver and Gold Tempera hold the patterns very well. Try adding a bit of white or black to them if you find them too glittery straight from the bottle. 7. The paint will fracture parallel to the edge of the clay being fed into the pasta machine. This is important if you’re trying to get a striped effect and need to know which direction the stripe will go. 8. Experiment with the direction you feed the painted sheet into the pasta machine. For example, if you use a plastic canvas as your texture, continually feeding the sheet through the pasta machine in the same direction will give you a striped effect. If you do a quarter-turn with each subsequent setting, you will get a grid ef fect.

For this sheet I also used a Clearsnap molding mat (texture B above). Blue and pearl clay was used with silver tempera.

9. Experiment with different thicknesses of paint, which will result in dif ferent sizes of crackle. 10. Experiment with different textures. Create a reverse texture from the textures you already have. To create a reverse texture, impress any texture into a sheet of clay, remove the texture, then bake the clay. You now have the negative of the original texture which, when applied to a fresh sheet of clay, gives you the reverse of what the original would give. A texture I created using this method is the reverse of a piece of plastic canvas, which makes a very distinct polka-dot pattern. 11. Try Skinner blends with the clay, or more than one color, on a single sheet with the paint. 12. Try using gold or silver-leaf foil on the raw clay, putting it through 1 or 2 settings on the pasta machine, then painting on the tempera.

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CIRCULAR PATTERNED PLASTIC CANVAS SHEET:

This was made with a cir cular patterned plastic canvas sheet, using mixtures of orange and pearl clay with r ed and gold tempera. This creates a large pattern so you would need to use your sheet on a lar ge piece of clay.

WAVY COMB:

This one was made with a wavy comb, texture G, but you would never know it. I almost threw this one away, but once I used it and applied the gloss, I liked the effect very much. A very fine pattern of black paint makes for a very organic and interesting surface effect. 

Helen Breil is a mixed media jewelry artist, founding member of the Southern Ontario Polymer Clay Guild and a member of the Canadian national online Clayamies group. She is a contributing writer to PolymerCAFÉ magazine and has been creating jewelry and fine craft items for approximately 8 years. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected].


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fracture patterned sheet

Patterned polymer clay. BY HELEN BREIL

This project focuses on the patterned crackle effect shown in the pendant on page 45. For additional tips and inspirations on this technique see “Fracture Patterning Technique” on page 40. This technique evolved from a basic crackle effect achieved by applying tempera paints on polymer clay. I wanted to give the crackle a predictable and repeatable texture and started experimenting. I found by impressing a texture on the clay before applying a layer of paint, the patterned stayed and could be duplicated, again, and again.

Conditioning the clay.

1

Choose the color clay you’d like to work with; I used a mixture of blue, green, pearl, and silver Kato™ clay. Before you can use the clay in the project it must be conditioned. Conditioning makes the clay workable and is important for ensuring strength after baking. To condition the clay, cut the block into sheets 2–3mm thick. Feed one sheet through the pasta machine then fold the sheet in half. Place the folded sheet, fold-first, through the pasta machine again. By placing the sheet fold-first, you’re helping squeeze out any trapped air and reducing the risk of getting air bubbles in your sheet — something you don’t want. Repeat this process 15–20 times for each sheet. Roll all the conditioned clay sheets together, then roll them through the thickest setting of y our pasta machine. Adding a texture.

2

Put the texture form on top of the sheet of clay and run both through the pasta machine again, keeping it at the same setting.

3

Using a paintbrush, apply a layer of paint. Let the paint dry for 45 minutes then assess whether the layer of paint i s thick

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Skill level

What you need . r o h t u a e h t f o y s e t r u o c s o t o h p l l A

• Van Aken™ white Jazz tempera paint

of your choice

• Van Aken™ silver

• Amaco’s Paragana

metallic Jazz tempera paint

• Polymer clay in colors

wire form, 1 ⁄ 16" pattern • Pasta machine

• Paint brush

enough to achieve the results you’re after. Experimenting is the best way to learn what you like. Notice how the pattern is visible even with the paint on the clay; it’s pooled in the indents of the texture and very thin on the surface. The thickness of the paint in the texture yielded the look you see in the photo in Step 4. Allow the paint to dry for 45 minutes. If you think the paint is thick enough, go on to Step 4 — if not, apply additional layers of paint, drying at least 45 minutes between each layer.

4

Once the paint is dry, roll the sheet through the pasta machine, starting at the second thickest setting. Adjust the setting and roll sequentially thinner, turning the sheet a 1 ⁄ 4 turn with each setting, until you reach the #5 setting. You now have a finished sheet of “Fracture Patterned” clay that can be used in the pendant project to follow. 


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patterned polymer pendant Tempera paint crackle effect for polymer clay. BY HELEN BREIL

When tempera paint is applied to polymer clay, then passed through a pasta machine, it becomes “fractured” into a pattern. The focal piece of my pendant was created using this technique. Instructions for the fracture patterned sheet used in this pendant are on page 44. Once you wear your fracture patterned pendant, I guarantee you’ll have friends and family asking “What is that made of?” and “How did you do that?!”

There are four basic components to this pendant:

1. The pendant back — a simple textured circle providing a finished back to the pendant. 2. The ring — a concave form for the focal circle to rest on and a border to set off the focal piece. 3. The center fracture patterned circle — adding drama and interest to the pendant.

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4. A decorative button — the final touch. For an in-depth look at the “Fracture Patterning” technique, including tips and suggestions for specific materials I have found useful, see page 40.

Skill level

What you need •Pasta machine ; s i t n a S . e r D o h t k n u a a r e F h t y f b o e y c s e e t i r p u o d c e h s o s t i n o i f h f p o r e h t o t o o l l h P a

• Small, soft paint brush

• 1 fracture patterned sheet

• Cheese cloth

• Polymer clay: 1 color for

• 1", 11 ⁄ 4" and 11 ⁄ 2" circle

center circle; 1 contrasting color for border and back of pendant — I chose black for both • Flecto™ Varathane® Diamond Wood Finish — Interior, or Liquid Kato™ Clay • Texture sheets More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

cutters • 2 squares of tin, 3" x 3" (cut from an aluminum pie plate) • Plastic wrap • Armor-All® • 400-, 600- and 800-grit WetDry sandpaper

• Small hand drill with 1 ⁄ 16" bit

• O-rings (optional) • Cyanoacrylate (super) glue

• 2mm buna cord in desired length

• Tissue blade • Scissors

• Decorative button or other embellishment

use only) 1

• 2 rod magnets, ⁄ 8"

• Parchment paper

• 2 metal tube beads, a min3

• Toaster oven (for nonfood

1

imum of ⁄ 8" long with a ⁄ 8"

• Square piece of smooth glass or ceramic tile

diameter opening (for magnetic clasp). 45

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Creating the pendant back.

1

Condition the clay you have chosen for your pendant back (I used black). Conditioning makes the clay workable and ensures strength after baking. To condition the clay, cut the block into sheets 2–3mm thick. Feed one sheet through the pasta machine then fold the sheet in half. Place the folded sheet, fold first, through the pasta machine again. By placing the sheet fold first, you’re helping squeeze out any trapped air and reducing the risk of air bubbles getting into your sheet — something you don’t want. Repeat this 15–20 times for each sheet. Roll all the conditioned clay sheets together then roll through the #3 setting (third largest setting) on your pasta machine.

2

Roll the clay through the pasta machine again with a piece of textured, flexible material. I used a piece of wire form mesh, but any relatively shallow texture works well.

3

Cut two 3" x 3" squares from the aluminum pie plates. These squares will keep the clay gr ounded and help prevent it from lifting off your work surface when using the cutters. Place the textured sheet on your aluminum square. Cover the clay with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will help create a soft, beveled edge when you cut through it with the cutter. Using a 11 ⁄ 2" circle cutter, cut a circle out of the clay, working through the plastic wrap . Remove the excess clay from around the circle. Leave the circle on the aluminum sheet for baking, this will help avoid distorting the shape. Don’t worry about any rough edges, they’ll be sanded away later.

tool, carefully remove the clay inside the ring, leaving the ring itself on the aluminum.

8

Decide if you want single or double cording. Lift the aluminum sheet to eye level. Using a s mall drill bit or needlepoint tool, make a small mark on the bottom outer edge of the circle where you want your cording to go. I’ve got my two top cording marks 1" apart. The distance between the top and bottom marks is 1 ⁄ 2". You will be drilling these cording holes later, after baking.

9

Later, to help create the concave form of the centerpiece, you’ll need a weight. If you have a marble, you could use that — otherwise, create a 1" diameter (approximately) ball from a bunch of scrap clay and roll it smooth. Bake the ring, pendant back, and weight in the toaster oven for approximately 35 minutes, using the clay manufacturer’s recommended temperature. While still hot — but toward the end of the baking time, remove the weight. Place a piece of parchment paper, then a piece of smooth glass (or tile) square on top of the pendant back. Place a separate piece of parchment paper and glass (or tile) square on top of the ring. This will ensure all the pieces are perfectly flat when cooled.

4

Drilling the cording holes.

10 Once your pieces have cooled, place the ring flat on your Creating the ring and weight.

5

Roll out the remaining clay on the #1 setting of your pasta machine. Place this sheet on the other piece of aluminum.

6

Cover the clay with plastic wrap and cut out a circle using your 11 ⁄ 2" diameter circle cutter. Be sure not to touch the clay through this process, you might add fingerprints which would then need to be sanded off later — and the less sanding the better. Remove the plastic wrap and excess clay around the circle.

work surface. Using your hand drill, line up the 1 ⁄ 16" drill bit, keeping it flat on your work surface. Drill approximately 1 ⁄ 8" deep into your ring, creating an opening on the back. The 1 ⁄ 16" drill bit is the perfect size for a 2mm buna cord. (The picture shows the ring after baking and sanding in order to show the cording holes.) The pendant back will cover this opening and secure the cording when it’s assembled later on.

7

Center a 1" circle cutter on the circle you’ve just created (no plastic wrap). Spin the aluminum sheet around to make sure the cutter is centered and then make the cut. Using a blade or needlepoint

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Sanding the ring. 11 I’ve found that if the sur face is unblemished and without fingerprints, I can start sanding Kato ™ clay at 600-grit

(sometimes 800). With other clays, or if you have any imperfections on the surface, you’ll need to start at a lower grit. Sand the rough edges, the top portion of the ring that will be visible, and the edges of the pendant backing smooth. Buff both pieces with a cloth to bring out a nice sheen. Wet a soft cloth with Armor-All® and wipe it onto both pieces to bring out a rich or sheen on the surface. Creating a textured backing. 12 The fracture-patterned sheet is backed with a contrasting piece of clay that will show in the split between the two

halves (to be cut in Step 13). Choose the color clay you’d like to use to back your patterned piece and the texture you’d like to add (I used black clay with a ribbon texture). Roll the clay out at the #4 setting on your pasta machine. Place a flexible textured material on the sur face of the clay and roll it through the pasta machine again. Place your textured backing sheet onto a piece of aluminum and cover it with plastic wrap. Cut through the plastic wrap using a 1 1 ⁄ 4" cutter. Set the aluminum sheet aside while the patterned piece is being cut.

Cutting the patterned sheet. 13 Cutting the patterned sheet is done in two stages and involves two different size circle cutters. You might want to use some scrap clay to practice centering the split between the circle halves before you do it on your patterned sheet. For the first and larger cut, put the patterned piece on an aluminum sheet, then cut it using a 11 ⁄ 2" cutter (no plastic wrap). Determine the center point (as best you can) then cut

the circle in half with a tissue blade. Carefully slide your blade underneath the halves, lifting them off of the aluminum sheet. Get the textured backing piece you made in Step 12 (still on the aluminum sheet), and center the two patterned halves onto the backing, leaving approximately a 1 ⁄ 8" gap between the halves (or whatever amount you find pleasing). Gently press the two layers together. Put plastic wrap over the clay, center your 11 ⁄ 4" cutter, and make the final cut. You should More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

have a nice beveled edge, with the top layer wrapping over the bottom layer. There are two benefits for layering the two sheets together and then cutting them in two stages. The first is, the top patterned piece neatly hides the black backing sheet all around the edges; the second, it’s easier to center the split between the 2 patterned halves. Position and bake the pendant. 14 Carefully slide your blade underneath the two-layered centerpiece and lift it from the aluminum sheet. Smooth down any rough edges. Stack the pendant back, texture side down, with the ring on top. These will be glued together later.

Center the patterned circle on the ring. Gently pat down the edges (so they sit neatly down on the ring), while keeping your thumb pressed gently down in the center, creating a concave form. Use the round weight you made in Step 9, or place a marble gently in the center to keep the concave form. Bake in the toaster oven for approximately 35 minutes. Let the pendant cool slowly in the oven then remove.

15 Using your tissue blade, carefully separate the tempera patterned circle from the ring. Protecting the surface. 16 It’s important to protect the tempera paint because it’s water-based and will wash or flake off if

unprotected. There are two methods and either works well, depending on the finish you desire. High-gloss: For a high-gloss, no-bake finish, you can use Varathane ®. This method requires several coats that will harden, no baking required. Using your finger, apply a layer of Varathane ® to the 2 circle halves, carefully avoiding the background textured strip. Use a light touch — tempera paint can 47

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dissolve from the Varathane ® . This is only an issue for the first coat. Let dry at least 2 hours before putting on more coats. For subsequent coats, apply the Varathane® with a lightly dampened piece of cheesecloth and concentrate on getting as smooth a finish as possible. Put on a minimum of two coats (and up to four coats), depending on how thick the coats are and what you find pleasing. For this project, I liked the light shimmering effect I got when using only two coats. Matte Finish: For a matte finish, you can use Liquid Kato Clay ™, which requires only one coat, but your piece must be baked again for approximately 15 minutes. The reason I recommend Liquid Kato Clay ™ over other brands is because of its transparency and ability to self-level. Using a small brush (or your fingers), apply a very thin layer of Liquid Kato Clay ™ over the surface of your pieces. Reassemble your pendant and bake it in the toaster oven for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool. Normally, I would apply a very thin layer of Liquid Kato Clay ™ over the surface with a small brush (or my fingers) before the initial baking, but because of the weighted piece used in Step 14, this r equires a different application. Assembling the pendant from the bottom up. 17 Use super glue to secure the pendant back and ring together. Be careful not to let the glue squish out from the edges, and avoid getting glue into the cording holes. Place the patterned circle on top —

circle. Embed your decorative item to secure it, then bake for 20 minutes at the manufacturer’s recommended temperature. You might want to super glue the decorative item in place after baking, just to be sure it’s secure. Cording. 19 To make a double-corded necklace, cut four pieces of buna cord. If you’re making a single cord necklace, cut two pieces. Make sure to cut the cords l onger than you think you’ll want, you’ll be able to trim them later. And it’s better to have a little too much, than a little too little. Super glue the cord(s) into the cording holes. Be careful not to have the

glue squish out of the holes onto the ring.

20 Once dry, try the pendant on to decide what length you’d like. Lay the necklace flat and measure carefully before you make your final cut. If you’re using double cording, the top cord (the one closer to your neck) needs to be cut shorter than the bottom one. By playing with different lengths, you can decide how much slack or tightness you want between the top and bottom cord. I used some large O-rings to secure the cords together as I determined what lengths I wanted.

be sure to line up the circle split carefully between your cording holes. Glue the bottom part of the patterned circle so it touches the pendant back at the point indicated by the arrow.

Magnetic clasps. 21 I’ve developed my own method of creating a magnetic clasp, using a couple of metal tube beads. I love the convenience of a magnetic clasp. Although the 1 ⁄ 8" rod magnets

Decorative element. 18 I have chosen a button with the back loop cut off (I used a Dremel® tool to remove it) as the top-most decorative element. Glue your chosen item in place, or put a little bit of polymer clay in the center of your 48

are very small, they’re powerful enough to hold lightweight polymer clay jewelr y. I’ve even used them for heavier, sterling silver jewelry. The beads should be a minimum of 3 ⁄ 8" long, with a 1 ⁄ 8" diameStep by Step Jewelry: Clays — Winter 2007

ter opening. If using double cording, it’s a tight fit into beads of this size — but it does work. Fill the tube opening with black clay. Push a 1 ⁄ 8" rod magnet into one end of each bead and bake in the toaster oven for approximately 30 minutes. After cooling, the magnets will need to be glued into place to ensure they’re s ecure. Use a more powerful magnet to pull them out of the bead ends. Scratch the sides of the magnets to create a better bonding surface then super glue them back into place. On the other end of each tube, drill a hole into the clay to accommodate the cord(s).

22 Optional: The O-rings are optional; use the appropriate size O-ring depending on whether you’re using single or double cording. Slide the O-rings onto the buna cord, glue the cord(s) into the tube bead, and then slide the O-ring flush against the bead.

EACH QUARTERLY ISSUE FEATURES: Gorgeous Wire Jewelry Projects Tips, Techniques & Tools to Refine Your Art Secrets to Make Your Wire Jewelry Stunning

Here you see the finished clasp, the rod magnet alone, and a side view of the magnet embedded in the metal tube bead.

Extensive Sources for Supplies, Materials, Gems, Stones & Beads

Your necklace is complete, enjoy!  Resources: • 0-rings (optional) available at http://www.shadesofclay.com • 1 ⁄ 8" rod magnets (Rare Earth Brand) available at Lee Valley Tools, product 99K38.00, http://www.leevalley.com

Helen Breil is a mixed media jewelry artist, founding member of the Southern Ontario Polymer Clay Guild and a member of the Canadian national online Clayamies group. She is a contributing writer to PolymerCAFÉ magazine and has been creating jewelry and fine craft items for approximately 8 years. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected].

TO SUBSCRIBE: • CALL 866.836.7865 • VISIT www.stepbystepwire.com For advertising information, contact: Joseph Breck, Publisher Ph: 610.232.5701 • Email: [email protected] To carry this magazine in your store, contact: Donna Kraidman Ph: 610.232.5728 • Email: [email protected]


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Rio OroRiver of Gold Pendant Metal clay and Aura22 ® BY LORRENE J. DAVIS

Skill level


What you need • 2 small pointed paintbrushes • 2 flat medium paintbrushes • Pallet knife/small spatula • 2 grades of fine sandpaper • Needle files — small fine toothed round & flat • Clay burnishers • Clay roller (PVC pipe works) • Balm or oil for hands & tools • Small water spritzer (fine mist) • X-Acto® knife • Sharpie® — black fine point

• Stencil making plastic or clear sheet dividers • Double-stick cellophane tape • Twig of dead wood with an average thickness of 4–4.5mm (3 ⁄ 16") thick and extends 1cm (3 ⁄ 8") wider on each side of pendant body. • Toothpick: wood or plastic • Pin vise with 1mm drill bit • Two 60-watt standard light bulbs • Polymer clay scrap (soft) • Small self-healing cutting board • 20–30 grams of Art Clay 650®

• Design

• Syringe silver clay

• Plastic playing cards

• Container of silver clay

• Hair dryer, food dehydrator

paste • PMC® Aura22® gold

or food warming tray • 2 complimentary texture plates of your choice.

paste • Soft fiber blanket (available at www.artclayworld.

Ah, clay! I started playing with mud at an early age and later my mother taught me how to work with ceramic clays for a Girl Scout badge. It is natural, then, that metal and polymer clays were the mediums in which my art passion lay. The metal clays enable me to utilize the lovely luster of the metals, their malleability allows me to create any shape I dream, and the purity of the material brings joy to my proc ess of creation. I live and work in the Mother Lode area of California, and so it is no wonder that I would want to design a project that reflected the history of our area. In 1848, gold was discovered in our foothills when James Marshall spotted it in the American River. This project is perfect for trying out the new 22karat gold paste, called Aura22 ®, on pure silver metal clay. It is offered for sale through the vendors who market PMC®. I have included several clay-working bench tricks in this article. They help with the processes of design, template construction, firing and finishing of the clay. Use these techniques and tricks as a springboard to developing your own creativity.

Studio prep. I use the light bulbs in this project for forming per-

fectly matched convexed sides of the pendant. With the polymer clay, we’ll make a stand for any light bulb. I call it a bulb-formature.

com)

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1

Roll a piece of scrap polymer clay into a l oaf that is approximately 7" long, 1" thick and 1.5" wide. Figure where the bulb bases will penetrate the clay, poke a hole through the polymer with a pencil, and then widen it a bit with your finger. Screw the bulbs into place and add a snake of scrap clay around the top of the bulb bases if necessary. Carefully unscrew the bulbs and bake the clay at the recommended temperature for the polymer. After the base is cool, simply screw the bulbs back into the clay. I recommend all metal clay/polymer studios to have various sized and shaped bulbs handy. Just screw them into the bulb-formature and they’re ready for use. Design.

Creating a pattern for the artwork will save time, help prevent excess dry clay and help the construction of a jewelry piece that is carefully thought out. I never erase a s ketch when designing jewelry because I never know when I might want to use an element of a previous design in a new work. In my sketchbook, I leave room next to the drawing for a photo of the final piece, weights of the clay, kinds of stones used, prices of all the elements including chains and settings. When the work is finished, I w ill include these price computations, my own inventory number, design name, and when and where it was sold. I call it my “Design Diary.”

2

You’ll make two templates two sheets thick. Use the double-stick tape to hold the sheets together. Make these templates 1 ⁄ 2" larger than the base of the pendant. For the back template, place the template material over the Rio Oro pattern.


With the Sharpie®, trace just the outline of the pendant base. Use the X-Acto ® knife to cut out the inside of the drawing. For a clear visualization, leave the lines in when cutting out the pendant templates. For the front template, draw the “river” on the template material. Before you cut, mark on the template the areas you will cut out. See photo #1. In this step, you will cut out the front pendant piece leaving the “river” in. Construction.

When the twig piece is fired, the wood will burn out and leave a wonderful silver bail for a neck chain to pass through.

3

Use a soft brass brush on the twig to remove any loose bark or dirt. Using the pin vise, drill 1 ⁄ 8" into one end of the twig. Insert the toothpick so it sticks solidly inside. This is a handle to hold the twig while painting each coat of silver paste. Or, if the twig is long enough, mark where the paste is to be applied and hold the unused end as a handle. A very old piece of deadwood manzanita was used for this project. It is very important that the wood is dead and dry. Any moisture may cause some splitting of the clay during firing.

Use a thinned down silver paste. It should be thicker than gravy. Instead of thinning out a whole jar of silver paste, use a spritzer and thin the top layer of the paste while working. The thinner paste enables you to maintain the interesting textures and bumps of the wood. Dry between each layer with the hair dryer (approximately thirty seconds). Paint twelve to fifteen layers. When finished, dry it thoroughly on the hot plate or on the workspace overnight. Pull out the toothpick; file the ends smooth and clean up the ‘twig’ if necessary. The multiple layers are necessary to build up a strong twig bail. Chains have a tendency to wear them out — especially on heavy pendants. When in doubt, paste another layer.

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4

Use the balm to coat your hands, the texture plate, roller, and cutting board. This will prevent the silver clay from sticking to those surfaces. Using about half of the lump clay, roll it into a ball and flatten it into a circle with your fingers. Put it on the cutting board and flatten it, with the roller, into an even circle using the four-card spacers as a guide to thickness. Put the back pendant template over the clay to test for the approximate shape. When the shape is attained, put the template back over the clay, put the three-card spacers on each side, and put your choice of texture plate on top of the clay, stencil and cards.

the pendant will have matching top shapes when they are assembled. Cut out this piece the same as the back.

6

Carefully put the front piece on top of the s econd light bulb and gently pat onto the bulb’s surface shape. Using the syringe, put a couple of “rocks” at the widest part of the river and trace along both the shorelines with a line of clay. Use a damp paintbrush to blend the shoreline into the dirt. Let both halves dry on the bulb. When the clay is leather hard, lift it off the bulb and let it dry, upside down, overnight, or on a warming tray. Finishing.

Carefully press the texture into the clay with the roller. Remove the texture plate and put it and the card spacers aside. Using the sharp X-Acto ® knife, follow the inside edges of the template and cut out the pattern. Lift up an edge of the template using

The rounded edges and top portions are high polish areas.

7

After the clay is dry, clean up all the rough areas on the pendant using the files and/or sandpapers. This will give

the pallet knife. Then, using your fingers, place the clay on the top center of one of the light bulbs. Gently pat it onto the bulb surface. This will give a uniform shape to both halves of the pendant base.

5

Repeat the process for the back, except reverse the template. This enables both halves to match when the project is completed. Use the texture plate you’ve chosen for the front. Important: After the front template is removed from the clay, gently place the back stencil (reversed) over the front clay just to make sure the shapes match. The front and back of

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the piece a finished look. With the rougher sandpaper or file, work the edges of both halves of the pendant. Bevel them on the inside with a slight angle. Do not bevel the top area of the pendant halves. This will be a high polish area. Use the finer sandpaper and then lightly polish with the burnisher. Doing this will cut down on finishing labor after the piece is fired. Use a dry paintbrush to sweep the powdered clay away from the work. Save all these powdered filings w hen working in the dry clay state; they can be reconstituted later into a slurry paste when mixed with water. Important: Do not burnish the textured surfaces or the ‘river’ on the pendant.


Attaching the parts.

Hold both halves of base pendant, back to back, in the non-dominant hand. Spread the top portions of the pendant apart slightly while the bottom stays touching. Set the ‘pasted twig’ onto the pendant top. Adjust the pendant’s top width according to the shape and size of the twig for a balanced piece. Still holding the halves together, take the ‘twig’

8

Note: it

is easier to clean and finish at this stage than to work on it after it is fired.

10 Put the piece onto the food warmer for at least

off and put it aside. Then apply pure silver paste to the inside bottom touching halves of the piece.

Put it on heavy and neat, and then dry it to the white stage with the hair dryer. Proceed to add more paste while all the time keeping the join smooth. Wet a paintbrush and blend this join up the inside back of each side. With the hair dr yer, dry to the white stage while still holding the piece.

9

Wet a paintbrush and dampen the four top outside edges of the pendant. Add a small amount of paste to those same points. Lightly spritz water on the bottom side of the twig. Set it gently on the pasted area on the top of the pendant. After blending the paste up to the twig, use the hair dryer to set the paste. Then, neatly add more paste while smoothing and blending it into the shape of the work. Use a wet paintbrush to blend the joins into the previously burnished areas if necessary. Take time with this process. These connections are going to hold the parts together and will create a professionally finished pendant.


another hour to ensure everything is thoroughly dry. Set the work on a fiberboard. Cut the fiber cloth, called Soft Fiber Blanket, into strips and wrap them underneath the raised edges of the piece. This will help maintain the cur ved shape of the pendant. This fiber offers soft support to the piece during firing. It helps the piece to retain its s hape.

Firing. Personal note— I

like to fire longer and hotter than recommended for the PMC3 ® or Art Clay 650®. The silver clay seems to sinter better and wil l produce harder and tougher silver jewelr y.

11 Fire at 1550°F for thirty-five minutes. This will ensure a strong and durable work. The pendant may be fired at a lower temperature and time, but be sure to use the package firing instructions if you do so. After the work has cooled, look over the pendant very carefully. Are there joins that need more paste? Did the twig split? Don’t fr et … just go over the area with more paste, dry and re-fire. The twig will split if the paste wasn’t applied evenly or thick enough. The beauty of this metal clay is the ability to fire it over and over again.

53

Se

Se

T P by

T P

Adding the Aura22®. Keep the jar of Aura22 ® upright so the clay paste

stays settled to the bottom of the jar. Stir the contents before each use.

12 When the work has cooled or quenched and dried, it is time to add the gold paste to the river. Do designate this paintbrush for Aura22 ® only. This prevents future cross contamination between metals. Be careful not to touch the areas to be ‘painted’ — hands leave oils on the silver that could inhibit a strong bond between the gold and silver. With a fine point brush, paint the Aura22 ® around the rocks and up the riverbed. Be careful not to get the gold paste on the top of the shoreline. Thoroughly dr y the piece between layers. The Aura22 ® paste has a tendency to dry dr y quite quickly. quickly. A hair dr yer is not recommended, but some artists use them. Paint a second and third layer over the first being careful to stay on top of the first layer. The river can have an unequal coloring if the paste is not applied evenly. If you like that look, leave it or add more Aura22 ®.

Finishing. 14 Use a soft brass brush with soapy water on all surfaces. Then burnish the points of interest. N ext, give a high polish to all the beveled edges and the shoreline with the burnisher. Give the higher texture on the front and back a light burnish. Tumble with steel shot for a bright finish, if desired. But note that the tumbling lowers the lovely color contrast between the warm gold and the cool s ilver. Tr Tr y a black patina on the inside of the pendant and maybe a diluted patina on the branch to make it look more woodsy.

Personal note — note — I don’t use the stainless steel brushes recommended by the clay vendors for finish work. I find them harsh and abrasive on the fine metals. Soft brass brushes can be found in most all jewelry tool catalogs. Also, small mandrel-handled brass brushes can be found and used with a Dremel® or flex shaft. They are incredibly efficient tools. An alternate to soapy water is the marvelous product, Super Sunsheen Burnishing Compound ®, available from Rio Grande™. I mention this because it is also wonderful for removing tarnish and discoloration that sometimes appears after using the tumbler. It is the only “soapy water” I use.

15 Wash, dry, thread the chain through, and enjoy!!!



13 Dry Rio Oro thoroughly, keeping it warm on a food warming tray or a coffee cup warmer. Fire in the kiln at a preheated 1560°F, for ten minutes. The work can also be torch fired. Please follow the Aura22® package directions to ensure success every time. Do not quench after firing. Sometimes I get inspired to make changes after the first firing. On this piece, I chose to give the twig extra texture. Note the color dif ference between the fired base and the fresh clay on the ‘twig’. (See photo 12) When dry, the new silver additions will fire perfectly during the Aura22 ® firing.

54

The Rio Oro design, of course, is copyrighted. Build it for your own personal use or to give away, but not for resale.

Lorrene Davis graduated as a jeweler from the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco. She and her hus band, Phil, owned and operated a gallery of jewelry & fine art in El Dorado Hills, CA, for 11 years. She was fortunate to take the first workshop on PMC® that was offered in the Western United States in 1996 and has taught introductory classes in it since 1997. She has attained level II artisan certification from PMC® Connections and is a senior instructor with Art Clay World. She loves teaching the benefits of all the clay products including the polymers. Her workshops are held at U Bead It, in Sacramento, California, and in her home studio. This awardwinning artist resides in Placerville, California, with her husband and two cats. Contact her at: www.ubeaditsacramento.com or art [email protected], jewelry@sbc global.net, 530-391-1969. Step by Step Jewelry: Clays — Winter 2007

the complete guide to

metal clays

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET STARTED WITH THESE REVOLUTIONARY NEW PRODUCTS.

BY SUZANNE WADE

ORIGINAL PMC®

etal clay is a great introduction to incorporating precious metal into your jewelry work. Unlike traditional silver- and goldsmithing, metal clay requires a minimum amount of tools and equipment to get started, and the final product is pure precious metal. Artists working with ceramics or polymer clay are often attracted to the medium because of its familiar properties, while jewelers find that metal clay allows them to work in metal in a totally new and exciting way. Metal clay isn't a "true" clay: it's a man-made substance that the manufacturers called "clay" for its working properties, not its relationship to pottery. As Tim McCreight, author of The Complete Metalsmith and a consultant for Mitsubishi, notes a more accurate name might be, “Precious Metal Pliable Moldable Substance,” but that's a mouthful! Metal clay consists of extremely fine, precious metal powder, suspended in an organic binder. When heated to a high temperature, the binder burns off and the metal powder sinters together, leaving behind a solid piece of pure silver or gold. There are two brands of metal clay currently available in the United States: Precious Metal Clay (PMC ®) produced by Mitsubishi Materials Corp., and Art Clay®, sold by Aida Chemical Industries, both headquartered in Japan. Both brands work in basically the same way, although small differences in the binder formulas produce slightly different working characteristics. These differences lead some artists to prefer one brand or another, but which brand you choose is largely a matter of personal preference. The first metal clay marketed in the United States was Mitsubishi's original Precious Metal Clay, followed shortly afterward by Art Clay ®. Both companies have since introduced several versions of their product to meet different needs. Below is a quick primer on the different clays available, and when you might choose one over another.

m


This is the original metal clay formulation. Soft and pliable, it's easy to work and has the most claylike feel of the Mitsubishi products. Although it can shrink up to 30% during firing, many artists find this can be an advantage, since fine details can be created at a larger, easier-to-work size. Original PMC® is fired by holding it at 1650°F for two hours. Because of original PMC®'s relatively lengthy firing time, and low tolerance to variations in temperature, a digitally controlled electric kiln is typically recommended for firing. PMC+®

Developed by Mitsubishi after the introduction of Art Clay®, PMC+® is designed to offer lower shrinkage, a faster, lower-temperature lower-temper ature firing sequence, and a denser final prod® uct. PMC+ can be fired at 1650°F with a hold time of 10 minutes; 1560°F for 20 minutes; or 1470°F for 30 minutes. The existence of several firing options means PMC+ ® can be fired either in an electric kiln or with a jeweler's torch. It is worth noting, though, that PMC+ ® has a little less water incorporated into the raw clay, and dries out a bit faster than original PMC®. PMC3®

PMC3® offers the lowest shrinkage and fastest firing times of the PMC ® family. PMC3® can be fired at 1110°F for 30 minutes; 1200°F for 20 minutes; or 1290°F for 10 minutes. This fast, low-temperature firing makes PMC3 ® the best choice for torch firing, and it can even be fired in small, inexpensive gel-fueled mini kilns. The lower firing temperature also makes PMC3 ® a good choice for firing with stones and glass in place, since the lower firing temperature increases the variety of stones that can survive the firing process. The greater density of the finished product also makes this version more suitable for high-wear applications, such as rings. Because it contains the smallest amount of binder and water of any PMC® product, PMC3® also dries out fastest, and some artists find it's less pliable and a little harder to work than original PMC®.

55

metal clays

Beads by Georgia Ann Waller. Photo by Jim Work.

ART CLA CLAY Y ® SILVER

The first metal clay product introduced by Aida Chemical Industries, the original formulation of Art Clay ® offers 8-10% shrinkage and a firing temperature of 1472°F for 30 minutes or 1600°F for 10 minutes. Its low shrinkage rate makes it highly appealing to artists who find the relatively high shrinkage rates of PMC ® and PMC+® frustrating. The lower firing temperature and times also means that all forms of Art Clay® (except overlay paste, due to the limitations of the materials it is fired with) can be fired with a simple butane torch, as well as with an electric kiln. ®

ART CLA CLAY Y ® SILVER OVERLAY PASTE

Overlay paste is best used on the surface of ceramic, porcelain, and glass. The paste is usually thinned with water and then painted onto the surface, and the entire piece fired by slowing ramping up the temperature to 1200°F and above, and allowing the piece to cool slowly before opening the kiln. Because a steady rate of heating and cooling is necessary to prevent the porcelain or glass from breaking or cracking, an electric kiln must be used to fire overlay paste. GOLD METAL CLAY

ART CLAY CLAY SILVER 650/LOW FIRE

Clay®

Art 650 shrinks the least of any of the metal clays currently on the market, at just 8-9%. It also boasts a range of firing temperatures and times, including a fast fire at 1435-1600°F with a hold time of just five minutes, down to a firing temperature of 1200°F with a hold time of 30 minutes. The manufacturer claims that this lower temperature permits firing on a gas cooking stove, as well as with a gas torch or an electric kiln. The low firing temperature and short firing times also make this an excellent choice for firing stones or findings in place. ART CLA CLAY Y ® SILVER SLOW DRY

Because water is a major component of all metal clays, the clay will dry out and become crumbly fairly quickly, limiting the working time. In response, Aida Industries introduced Art Clay® Silver Slow Dry. This moister formula is designed to give the artist five times as much working time in the clay's pliable state, permitting such time-consuming activities as braiding and weaving. Because the clay dries so slowly, however, the manufacturer recommends unfired clay pieces be no more than 3mm thick, or designed in layers, such as flower petals. Additional time should also be allowed for drying, prior to firing.

Both PMC® and Art Clay® also offer a gold version, as well as the more familiar silver version. Gold PMC ® is 24K gold after firing, while Art Clay ® Gold is 22K gold (91.7% gold, 8.3% silver). Either metal clay can also be mixed with the manufacturer's silver clay to create other karats of gold, such as 18K green gold. Because gold metal clays are relatively expensive, a popular method of working with gold is to mix the clay with water to form a thin paste, often called "slip." Several coats of slip can be painted on unfired silver metal clay to form a surface layer of gold. This method is ideal for adding gold accents to silver metal clay pieces. FORMS OF CLAY

Most of these metal clay products are available in several forms. LUMP CLAY is the standard chunk of clay, which can be rolled, shaped, and even thrown on a potter's wheel.

ART CLA CLAY Y ® SILVER OIL PASTE

This silver paste is designed to join fired silver clay elements, to fix cracks, and act as a substitute for soldering. It fires at 1470°F for 30 minutes or 1560°F for 10 minutes. It works only on silver metal clay, however, not gold. 56

Photo by Robert Diamante. Courtesy of the PMC Guild.


SYRINGE CLAY is

a more liquid formulation designed for use with a narrow tip: it's typically used for "drawing" designs on an unfired metal clay piece, like

decorating a cake. PASTE is thicker than syringe formulations, and can be used to fill cracks and joints, join parts, and "frost" the surfaces of organic models for a reproduc-

the kiln, leaving behind pure silver (or gold) reproductions.

Mitsubishi and Aida have also experimented with versions of metal clay in 18K white and red gold and platinum, but these are not commercially available in the United States. All require a kiln with an inert atmosphere for firing, limiting their potential market. BASIC TOOLS

Plastic tube to use as a roller, toothpicks, a paintbrush, straws (to shape beads around), a knife, and a ruler (with millimeter measurements).

tion of organic forms in silver. METAL CLAY PAPER is a thin sheet that can be folded like paper for origami, creating a draped look, or other folding techniques.

FOR FINISHING:

Sandpaper, files, burnishers, and buffs can all be used to give the piece a mirror polish.

HOMEMADE SLIP,

made by crumbling leftover dry metal clay into water, can be used like a glue, to join together pieces of unfired metal clay. It can also be used like paste, by painting several layers over delicate organic forms. The piece is allowed to dry, and the organic item burns out in


57

metal clays “Grande Fleur de Lis” Necklace by Shahasp Valentine. Photo by Hap Sakwa.

KILN OR TORCH

An electric kiln is essential for working in original PMC ®, because it must be held at 1650°F for two full hours in order to completely fuse. A kiln is optional for most other versions of Art Clay ® and PMC®, however, since either a jeweler's torch or a butane torch purchased in a hardware store will reach a high enough temperature to fire the later versions of metal clay. Digitally controlled programmable kilns are the ideal choice for firing metal clay, since they assure complete firing every time, and also help reduce thermal shock, which can break or crack glass, or stones incorporated into your work. Several companies, including Sierra and Paragon, make kilns designed specifically for use with metal clay. These kilns can also be used for working with enamels and dichroic glass. Ceramics kilns, although they reach high enough temperatures for firing, are normally unsuitable for firing metal clay because there can be variances of as much as 100ºF inside the chamber. These variances mean that even though the temperature controller might read 1650ºF within the kiln, there may be spots where the temperature is 1750ºF, a temperature hot enough to melt the silver. Other kiln options include casting burnout ovens, annealing kilns sold for glasswork, and inexpensive, unregulated kilns such as the Ultralite or Hot Pot. These latter two are suitable primarily for low-fire metal clays, since they do not attain a sufficiently high temperatures for firing original PMC ®. In addition, torch firing is a viable option for most types of metal clay. Virtually any torch adequate for jewelry work will serve to fire metal clay, including a butane torch available at a hardware store. To torch fire, set the work on a soldering block, in a dimly lit space, and heat until it glows red. Hold at this temperature for the time recommended by the metal clay manufacturer.

a few drops of olive oil. Some artists find an olive oil-based hand lotion, such as Badger Balm ®, equally effective and less messy. THICKNESS MEASURING TOOL

You will often find references from PMC ® users to work that measures one card, two cards, or three cards thick. This measurement refers to the thickness of standard, plasticcoated playing cards. A piece of clay rolled to "three cards thick" is the thickness of three playing cards stacked together. Art Clay ® also offers a plastic tool specifically for measuring thickness. Other artists have successfully used such items as photo matting to achieve uniform thicknesses.

TUMBLER

Because fired metal clay is more porous than other forms of fine silver, many artists prefer to tumble their finished pieces with steel shot. Tumbling with steel shot burnishes the surface and leaves a high polish, as well as preparing the piece for additional work, such as soldering. Any type of tumbler capable of tumbling with steel shot can be used, including tumblers made for rock tumbling. OLIVE OIL

Unfired metal clay is slightly sticky. To prevent the clay from sticking to your hands or work surface, rub them with

58

TEXTURING AND SHAPING TOOLS

One of the primary appeals of metal clay is its ability to take textures. Texturing metal clay before it is dried or fired is as simple as pressing an item with an interesting texture into the clay. RTV molding compounds such as Mega-Sil™


Brooch by CeCe Wire. Photo courtesy of the artist.

or Belicold® can also be used either to create push-molds of a successful metal clay piece, or of an attractive texture that you might otherwise have difficulty bringing into the workshop, such as bark from a living tree or the floor pattern on a construction vehicle. Your imagination is the only limit for possible texturing tools. TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

• Remember to take out only a small amount of clay at a time, since most metal clays will dry out quickly and become difficult to work. One exception is metal

achieved through tumbling, burnishing, or other standard jewelry polishing methods. • Fired metal clay can be soldered, but it's slightly more porous than other forms of fine silver. For best results, burnish the piece prior to soldering, and use slightly more solder than you normally would. See our Web Clay Resources on page 62. Suzanne Wade

is a freelance writer and editor who has been writing about gems and jewelry for more than a decade. She is currently the editor of Studio PMC ®, the member magazine of the PMC ® Guild.

clay paper, which contains little to no water, and will maintain its workability for long periods of time. • If your clay does dry out, it can usually be rehydrated by kneading water into the dry clay, and then setting the clay aside to allow the water to penetrate. However, it can be difficult to get dried clay back to its original condition. • Be sure to dry your piece completely before firing. Excess water can cause cracking, or other problems, if the temperature rises too quickly before the water has had a chance to escape. You can use a hair dryer, hot plate, food dehydrator, toaster oven, or 300°F kiln to dry your pieces, or simply leave them in a dry spot overnight. • Dried but unfired pieces can be worked further, with chisels and other carving tools, and finished using sandpaper and files. The more work you do in this greenware (or leather hard) state, the less you'll have to do on the finished piece. • Weakness or brittleness in a finished piece is often a symptom of under firing. Be certain that your clay pieces are being held at the recommended temperature for the full hold time. • Just-fired pieces will be white and matte, due to the crystallization of the silver. A bright finish can be More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com

59

polymer clay hints

WORK SURFACE

For your work surface, you can use a sheet of Plexiglas ® cut to the size you require, a piece of marble, ceramic tile, or any smooth, solid surface that is handy. CUTTING TOOLS

BY KATHY WEAVER

For cutting, you can use craft knives or wallpaper scraper blades, but for best results, try the thin tissue blades that are made especially for use with polymer clay.

p

olymer clay is a colorful, versatile, manufactured product suitable for making unique jewelry, wearable art, and decorative items by people of all ages and skill levels. There are many different brands of clay on the market, each offering different qualities. To find a brand of polymer clay that works best for you and the project you’re working on, it’s to your advantage to try them all. Experiment with small packages of clay to discover which is easiest to work with and gives you the results you’re looking for in color, durability, and surface finishes. You may find that you like different clays for different pro je ct s or tech ni qu es. All of the brands are excellent so the choice is yours. As you become more involved in this medium, you’ll see how everyday household items make useful polymer clay tools. However, once you’ve used something for clay, you can’t use it for food preparation again — but who uses kitchen tools for cooking these days?

ROLLING TOOLS

For rolling out the clay, you can use a rolling pin, a brayer made of Plexiglas®, an acrylic rod, a heavy drinking glass, vase, or jar. A pasta machine can also be used to roll out the clay. When I first started out I didn’t use a pasta machine, but now I couldn’t live without it. Using a pasta machine enables you to create sheets of clay in different thicknesses and it’s also a valuable tool for conditioning clay and mixing colors (more on conditioning in a minute).

Necklaces by Kathy Weaver. Photos of finished pieces by Donna Chiarelli.

60


Another optional tool you might find sitting idle in your kitchen (or at a yard sale) is a food processor, which can be wonderful for rolling and conditioning. OVENS

To cure the clay, you’ll need an oven. You can use a special kiln or oven, but most people simply dedicate a regular toaster oven or a small convection oven to polymer clay. Although the directions that come with the clay may suggest using your home oven if you bake clay only occasionally, it’s best to have a special oven dedicated to polymer clay use, as is the case with the other tools. Be sure to have adequate ventilation for fumes. Preheat your oven and bake your piece(s) on card stock paper; I use old file folders. THERMOMETERS

Whatever oven you choose, be sure to check your oven with a thermometer. This is very important because oven temperature dials are often inaccurate. Most clay pieces bake at 265°F or 275°F for 20 to 25 minutes, but you should always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines listed on the packaging. CONDITIONING

All polymer clays require conditioning, even if your clay comes soft from the package. Conditioning distributes the polymer particles and strengthens the clay. To condition by hand, knead the clay until it’s soft and pliable. Roll the clay into a log about 12 " long. Fold it back up into a ball and roll it out again. Repeat this process about 15 times. To conditionyour clay using a pasta machine, work with 1–2 ounces of clay at a time. Soften the clay in your hands, then place it on your work surface andflatten using a brayer

or other rolling tool. Set the pasta machine on the widest setting. Feed the flattened clay through the rollers of your pasta machine while turning the handle. Note: Never force a sheet of clay that is thicker than the roller openings because this could damage the pasta machine. Fold the clay sheet in half and feed it through the opening, folded side first, again. Repeat 15–20times. REVIVING CLAY

If you are using stiff or old clay, try chopping the clay into small pieces. Add a few drops of mineral oil or Sculpey® Clay Softener and place the clay in a plastic bag for several hours to soften. Once softened, proceed with conditioning. For another option, mix your stiff clay with soft, fresh clay. Or you can chop the clay into small pieces and place them into a food processor dedicated for polymer clay use only, add mineral oil or Sculpey® Clay Softener to the clay, and then process for a few minutes. The food processor not only chops the clay up more finely, the friction also heats the clay, which aids in the softening process. Once the clay is finely chopped, remove it from the food processor, place it on your work surface, flatten it with your rolling tool, and then proceed with conditioning as described above. SAFETY Safety is always important no matter what material you are working with and polymer clay is no exception. Polymer clay is non-toxic, but the tools and equipment used with the clay must be dedicated to polymer clay use only . Be careful not to burn the clay during the curing process; fumes emitted from burnt clay are toxic. If you do burn your clay, air out the room, and leave immediately — until the fumes are gone. Never put polymer clay in a microwave. Remember to wash your hands after using polymer clay and do not eat while you’re working with the clay. As you advance and begin using other tools and equipment, other safety issues will arise. Be sure to follow all manufacturers’ guidelines. Always work smart. 

For more Polymer Clay Basics, I suggest the following reading: New Ways with Polymer Clay and The Next Generation of Projects and Techniques by Kris Richards.

Kathy Weaver is a jewelry designer whose main focus is in beading and polymer clay. She is a founding member of the Ohio Lakeshore Polymer Clay Guild, a demonstration artist for Polyform® Products, and teaches polymer clay techniques and beading nationally. You can contact her at [email protected]. 61

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS!

web resources Polymer Clay

N E W

! L o c a t i o n

BEAD EXPO

April 11-15, 2007 Oakland Convention Center Oakland, CA www.beadexpo.com

JEWELRY ARTS EXPO

April 20 - 22, 2007 Greater Reading Expo Ctr. Reading, PA www.jewelryartsexpo.com N E W

S H O W !

BEAD FEST MIAMI

May 4 - 6, 2007 Sheraton Miami Mart Miami, FL www.beadfest.com

WIRE JEWELRY FEST

July 20 - 22, 2007 Chase Ctr. on the Riverfront Wilmington, DE

F st

www.wirejewelryfest.com

BEAD FEST ATLANTA

Aug. 10 - 12, 2007 Georgia Int’l Convention Ctr. College Park, GA

A A T TL LA AN NT TA A

www.beadfest.com

Amaco®, www.amaco.com Blick Art Materials, www.dickblick.com Boston Clayworks, http://polymerclayprojects.com/ Brickyard Ceramics & Crafts, www.brickyardceramics.com Clay Art Web Guide, http://vickihardin.com Clay Factory Inc., www.clayfactoryinc.com Cool Tools, www.cooltools.us Creative-Wholesale, www.creative-wholesale.com Eberhard Faber, www.EberhardFaber.com Fimozone (aka Accent Import), www.fimozone.com Jacquard Products/Rupert Gibbon, www.jacquardproducts.com Kemper Tools, www.kempertools.com MisterArt.com, www.misterart.com Polymer Clay Central, www.polymerclaycentral.com Polymer Clay Express, www.polymerclayexpress.com Polymer Clay Your Way, www.polymerclayyourway.com Poly-Tools, Inc., www.poly-tools.com Prairie Craft Company, www.prairiecraft.com Puffinalia, www.puffinalia.com Sculpey®, www.sculpey.com Shades of Clay, www.shadesofclay.com The Clay Alley, www.clayalley.com The Clay Factory, www.clayfactoryinc.com The Clay Station, www.theclaystation.com The Clay Store, www.theclaystore.com The Polymer Clay Pit, www.polymerclaypit.co.uk The Polymer Clay Spot, www.jaedworks.com/clayspot Van Aken®, www.Katopolyclay.com

BEAD FEST PHILADELPHIA

Oct. 4 - 7, 2007 Greater Reading Expo Ctr. Reading, PA www.beadfest.com N E W

! L o c a t i o n

BEAD FEST MEMPHIS

Nov. 16 - 18, 2007 Agricenter Int’l Memphis, TN www.beadfest.com

JEWELRY FEST

Dec. 1 - 2, 2007 Chase Ctr. on the Riverfront Wilmington, DE www.jewelry-fest.com EVENTS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

LAPIDARY JOURNAL Jewelr y

SA VE

62

$2.00

OFF ADMISSION WHEN YOU PRESENT THIS COUPON AT ANY OF THESE EVENTS!

Metal Clay: Art Clay Nation, www.artclaynation.com Art Clay Silver, www.art-clay.com Art Clay Supplies.com, www.artclaysupplies.com Art Clay World, USA, www.artclayworld.com Bead Hub, www.beadhub.com/shopping.aspx BeadFX, www.beadfx.com/catalogue/artclaysilver.jsp Blick Art Materials, www.dickblick.com Clayzee, www.clayzee.com/index.html Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®, www.firemountaingems.com/artclay.asp JEC Products, Inc., www.jecproducts.com Kitiki, www.kitiki.co.uk MetalClay, www.metalclay.com Metalliferous Inc., www.metalliferous.com New Mexico Clay, www.nmclay.com Paragon Industries, www.paragonweb.com/index.cfm Pinzart, www.pinzart.com PMC Connection, www.pmcconnection.com PMC Guild, www.pmcguild.com Rio Grande®, www.riogrande.com Silver-Clay.com, www.silver-clay.com Sundance, www.artglass1.com/silver-art-clay.htm Whole Lotta Whimsy, www.wholelottawhimsy.com


e B aD ShoPs

Jump on the bead wagon at your local bead shop or plan your vacation with some exciting side trips. A visit to these fine bead shops is always worth the trip! For shop listing information, please contact Scott Stepanski at (610) 232-5729; Fax (610) 232-5750 or email [email protected].

ARIZONA Double Joy Beads 7131 E. Mercer Lane Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Ph. (480) 998-4495 Mon.-Fri. 10am-5pm; Th. until 6pm; Sat.11am-4pm. The best in semi-precious beads – always unique and unusual. Large selection of sterling silver, glass, vintage, seed beads. Swarovski crystals, tools, books, supplies. Great selection of gold and silver findings.

The Bead Museum 5754 W. Glenn Drive Glendale, Arizona 85301 Ph. (623) 930-7395 Website: www.beadmuseumAZ.org Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm; Thur. until 8pm; Sun. 11am-4pm. The Bead Museum Store features a unique selection of beads from all over the world. Also bead supplies, a large selection of books, classes, workshops, museum events, permanent and changing exhibitions. Minutes from Phoenix.

CALIFORNIA Full Circle Bead & Crystal 850 N Rose Dr., Suite B Placentia, CA 92870 Ph. (714) 854-9366 Fax (714) 854-9458 Email: [email protected] Website: www.fullcirclecrystal.com Unique selection! Assortment of sterling, gold-filled findings & wires, vintage Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones, lampwork, glass, seed beads, tools, books. Evening/weekend classes, birthday/bridal shower parties. Accept jewelry repair. Hours: Mon. Fri. 10am-8pm; Sat. 10an-6pm; Sun. 11am-5pm.

COLORADO

CONNECTICUT Hammered Edge LLC Studio & Gallery 14 Main St. PO Box 494 Chester, CT 06412 Ph. (860) 526-1654 Website: www.hammerededge.com NEW LOCATION: A gallery setting in the heart of Chester Village offering: jewelry, beads, buttons, repairs, world artifacts, custom design, accessories, textiles, international music, classes, pearl knotting, new, vintage & antique, netsuke, ojime, unusual & one of a kind objects.

The Bead Hive 115 State St. Guilford, CT 06437 Ph. (203) 453-6681 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadhive.net Exceptional, ever-changing selection of semi-precious and glass beads, silver, findings, seed beads, delicas, pendants, charms, pearls. Classes and individualized lessons. Open daily 10am-5pm; Sun. 12pm-5pm; Th. Until 7pm. Visit our other shop at 71 Audubon St. in New Haven.

DELAWARE Sparkles Bead Shop & Gallery #2 Liberty Plaza Newark, DE 19711 Ph. (302) 368-3944 Website: wwwsparklesbeadshop.com Sparkling Swarovski crystals (including vintage), fire polished and pressed glass, lampwork and naturals, Bali silver, tools, supplies and whatnot! Classes. Open Tues., Thurs., Sat. 10am-5pm. Wed., Fri. 10am-8pm. Custom bridal jewelry and minor repairs. Finished jewelry.

FLORIDA

Luna’s Beads & Glass, Inc. 416 Main St. (5th & Main) Frisco, CO 80443 Ph./Fax (970) 668-8001 Email: [email protected] Website: www.lunasbeads.com Vast assortment of beads & supplies. Delicas, seeds, triangles, cubes, drops, bugles, lampwork, Swarovski, Czech glass, semi-precious, Bali & sterling silver, findings, books, tools, hemp, wire. Friendly, knowledgeable assistance.

Baskets By Baker 743 N. Courtney Parkway Merritt Island, FL 32953 Ph. (321) 453-1101 Fun new full-service bead store. Complete selection of quality beads. Sterling silver, glass, tools, books, Swarovski crystals, fusing and lampwork. Friendly staff. Classes available for kids of all ages. Tues.-Fri 10am6pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; Sat. 12-5pm. Sun. & Mon. closed.


Bead Dreams 849 Sand Lake Road Orlando, FL 32809 Ph. (407) 251-5050 Fax (407) 251-5060g Email: [email protected] Website: www.beaddreamsinc.com Bead classes everyday! Full line of beading supplies and books. Helpful creative staff. Contemporary designs, unusual beads. Mon.-Sat. 10am-8pm; Sun. 12pm-6pm. Across from Florida Mall. Close to attractions.

Crystal Creations – Beads Gone Wild 4058 Forest Hill Blvd. West palm Beach, Fl 44506 Ph. (561) 649-9909 Email: [email protected] Website: www.crystalcreationsbeadinstitute.com Go Wild in 2300 Sq. feet of Beads. Florida’s largest most complete bead shop since 1990. Leaders in beading education. Over 100 different classes. Excellent monthly Guest /Teacher workshops from national recognized teachers. Open 7 days.

ILLINOIS Adelia’s Closet 9227 Waukegan Rd. Morton Grove, IL 60053 Ph. (847) 966-2323 Email: [email protected] Website: www.adeliascloset.com FULL SERVICE bead store. Worktables/tools available. Large selection of Czech Glass, Laura Liska, Swarovski, Gem Stones, findings, watches, freshwater pearls. Classes and parties. LUXE CONSULTANTS. Great selection & prices. Mon., Wed.. Fri. 10am-6pm; Tues., Thur. 10am-8pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; Closed Sun.

Ben Franklin 341 W. State Street Sycamore, IL 60178 Toll Free (866) 895-3011 Website: www.bencrafts.com Quality beads, largest color selection of Swarovski Crystals, pearls, Bali silver, precious gemstones, Czech. Findings in sterling & gold filled, chain by the inch. Over 900 charms in stock. We are worth the trip! Open Mon.-Fri. 9am-7pm; Sat. 9am-6pm; Sun. 12pm-5pm.

MAINE The Beadin’ Path 15 Main St. Freeport, ME 04032 Ph. (207) 877-92beads toll free Website: www.beadinpath.com One of the largest bead stores in the country. Check out the pictures of our newly expanded (4400 square feet) store online at www.beadin path.com or come and see us. We’ll bring out the bead lover in you! Open daily 10am-6pm.

MARYLAND Accents Beads 12112 Nebel St. Rockville, MD 20852 Ph. (301) 881-2003; Fax (301) 881-5680 Email: [email protected] Website: www.accentsbeads.com 5000 Sq-Ft. showroom. “Known for the unique and unusual.” Greater DC’s largest selection of semi-precious beads, Swarovski Crystal, delicas, seed beads, Czech glass pearls, Bali silver, 14kt, SS/GF beads-findings-chain, SS/stone clasps, PMC, 30 plus CLASSES monthly, Open Mon.Sat. 10am-5pm; Thurs. 6:30pm.

Bead Bungalow 105-B Annapolis Street Annapolis, MD 21401 Ph. (410) 268-4774 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadbungalow.com Enjoy friendly service & oodles of gemstone, glass, crystal, Bali & Thai silver beads, unique pendants, charms & findings. All kinds of PMC supplies, too. Classes, parties, worktables. Hours: Tue., Wed., Fri., Sat. 10am-5:30pm; Thur. 10am-8:30pm; Sun 12-4pm.

K & K Gems and Beads 615 S. Frederick Ave., #300 Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Ph. (301) 330-7320 Email: [email protected] Website: www.kkgemsandbeads.com A world of color and beauty. Beads of all sizes and styles glisten all around the shop.... mesmerizing beads from Bali, Thailand, Tibet, India and Nepal. No store in the Washington metropolitan area offers such beautiful beads for LESS. Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm.

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BeaD ShoPs MASSACHUSETTS

continued

NEW JERSEY

OHIO

classes. Girls night out; parties-bridal & birthday.

BeadCache

Extraordinary Beads

1

374 N. Main St., Mansfield, MA 02048 Ph. (508) 339-3330 Toll free: 866-749-BEAD (2323) Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadcache.com Full service shop with a fine, upscale selection of beads, findings, wire & tools. Original lampwork beads also offered and custom orders accepted. Classes, parties, workspace, and artistic support offered. Come in and express yourself! Open Tue.-Sun.

2 East Main Street Clinton, NJ 08809 Ph. (908) 735-6797 New, full-service shop offering quality beads and supplies. Inspiring selection of Swarovski crystal, Miyuki beads, Czech and Venetian glass and more. Design your own fabulous jewelry and accessories! Classes/parties/work table. Wed.-Sat 10am-5:30pm; Sun. 12pm-5pm.

2752 Festival Ln. Sawmill & 161 in JoAnn’s Center Columbus, OH 43017 Ph. (614) 573-6452 Email: [email protected] Website: www.1stopbeadshop.com New Store! Come bead with us! Central Ohio’s largest selection of Czech glass and Japanese Miyuki and Toho seed beads. Silver, Swarovski, semi-precious and much more! Classes in bead stringing, bead weaving, wire-wrap, lampwork, and PMC by experienced teachers.

Beaders’ Paradise 32 Masonic St. Northampton, MA 01060 Ph. (413) 586-3885 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadersparadise.biz Explore your creative spirit at Beaders’ Paradise. Seed beads, books, variety of semi-precious, glass, silver, bone and other beads, findings, tools, stringing materials, work table, classes, parties. Open 7 days, Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 12pm-5pm.

SMP Designs Bead Studio & Workshop 619 Main St. #1 Centerville, MA 02632 Ph. (508) 862-0228 Fax (508) 862-0229 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadworkshop.net Specializing in vintage glass beads, pendants and unique findings. Large selection of Japanese seed beads, contemporary lampwork, Thai Hill tribe silver, tools, supplies and more. Private lessons and workshops available in our beautiful studio located in a historic Cape Cod village, just a short walk from the beach!

MICHIGAN Brighton Beads & More 9850 East Grand River Brighton, MI 48116 Ph. (810) 844-0066 Fax (248) 544-0728 Email: [email protected] Website: www.brightonbeadsandmore.com Expect the Unusual & the Usual. Innovative beginning to advanced classes in “Simple Soldering,” wire wrapping, PMC, metalsmithing, embellishment, beading techniques, fused glass & lampwork from staff & visiting accomplished teachers. Open everyday.

World of Rocks 42 North Huron St. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Ph. (734) 481-9981 Website: www.worldofrocks.com We don’t charge to play – come and have fun. Classes-beginners invited. Beads, findings and tools. Also charms and rock specialties. Open 11am-5pm Mon.-Thurs; 11am-7pm Wed.; 10am7pm Fri; 10am-6pm Sat. I-94, exit 183.

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Jubili Beads & Yarns ® 713 Haddon Ave. Collingswood, NJ 08108 Ph. (856) 858-7844; Fax (856) 858-7846 Email: [email protected] Website: www.jubilibeadsandyarns.com Creative Paradise! No other store has great beads, fabulous yarns, spinning, weaving, PMC, polymer clay, rubber stamps, and a state-of-the-art lamp work studio, all in one amazing place! Classes, parties, workshops, and superb customer service! 10 minutes from Philadelphia.

Montclair Beadworks 43 Church St., Montclair, NJ 07042 Ph. (973) 744-3202 Fax (973) 744-3231 Website: www.montclairbeadworks.com Child friendly full-service bead shop and studio. Beads galore – Czech glass, Swarovski crystal, Bali silver & stones; findings, tools, books & gifts. Work table, classes, birthday parties, girl scout jewelry badge, restringing & gift certificates. www.montclairbeadworks.com.

The Bead Cellar 6305 Westfield Avenue Pennsauken, NJ 08110 Ph. (856) 665-4744 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadcellar.com Creator of THE BEAD CELLAR PATTERN DESIGNER SOFTWARE the most versatile beading software for the PC. Specializing in Toho Japanese seed beads, accent beads, books, supplies, and Classes. Located just minutes from Philadelphia and Cherry Hill. Tue.-Fri., Noon-7pm; Sat.-Sun. 11am-5pm.

NORTH CAROLINA Bead Boutique 2312-A Mathews-Township Pkwy. Matthews, NC 28105 Ph. (704) 845-2848 Fax (704) 845-2878 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadboutiquenc.com Full service bead store with the largest selection in the Charlotte area, sterling silver, semi-precious, Swarovski, Pearls, Czech, tools, findings, Pandora, etc... Classes, parties, custom wire, repair. Open Mon.-Sat. Bead Boutique, everything you need to bead.

Stop Bead Shop

Beads ’N More 1809 Lincoln Way East Massillon, OH 44646 Ph. (330) 834-1981; Fax (330) 834-1982 Email: [email protected] Website: www.beadsnmore.biz Wonderful selection of Swarovski, seed beads, gemstones, beading supplies & books. Classes in jewelry making, including classes by Vickie Star. Friendly & knowledgeable staff to help with designing & all of you beading needs.

Meant to Bead

Isabelle’s Bead Shoppe 109 S. Pugh St., State College, PA Ph. (814) 234-1060 Website: www.isabellesbeadshoppe @yahoo.com *UNUSUAL selection of beads/supplies. OFFERING: ALL Silver Clay, wire, seed bead & fused glass classes. Rio/PMC Conn. Level II Certified owner/goldsmith-Kathy St.Martin— Instructor. **NEW KIST GOLD/ GLASS Tech Kit by Kathy St. Martin now available. Hrs: Tue.-Sat. 12-6pm.

The Bead Garden 2122 Darby Road Havertown, PA 19083 Ph. (610) 449-2699 Email: [email protected] Website: www.thebeadgarden.com The Bead Garden is a friendly, full-service bead store located in the heart of Havertown, PA. Large selection of Miyuki seed beads, semi-precious, Czech glass, pearls, sterling silver alphabet beads, Swarovski and much more. Classes offered as well as parties for all ages. Our staff is always available and happy to help you with your projects. Beginners are welcome.

Garmer Jewelry & Bead

6536 W. Central Ave. Toledo, OH 43617 Ph. (419) 842-8183; Fax (419) 842-9893 Email: [email protected] Website: [email protected] Come see our wonderful selection of seed beads, Swarovski crystal, delicas, Bali, pearls, semi-precious stone, art beads, charms, findings, books, etc. We offer design help, classes and parties in a fun atmosphere. Mon.-Thur. 10am-8pm, Fri. & Sat. 10am-6pm, Sun. 1-5pm.

4033 Freeport Road Natrona Heights, PA 15065 Ph. (724) 230-2434 Email: [email protected] Website: www.garmerjewelry.com Jewelry, beads, findings and classes are available for beginners as well as more experienced beaders. Stop by to work on your own projects at our center training table. Polymer clay bead classes. Parties and women’s groups welcome. Visa/MC www.garmerjewelry.com.

OREGON

RHODE ISLAND

Ginia’s Beads 4906 River Rd. N. Keizer, OR 97303 Ph. (503) 390-4593 Email: [email protected] Website: www.giniasbeads.com 3 miles north of Salem, we’re Keizer’s only bead source. We feature Swarovski, stone, pearls, silver, books, magazines & findings, but our real selection is in Czech glass. Remember, no sales tax in Oregon, so come on by!

PENNSYLVANIA

The Bead House 11 Constitution St., Bristol, RI 02809 Ph. (401) 253-1188 Fax (401) 253-5559 Email: [email protected] Website: www.thebeadhouse.com HUGE SELECTION! Over 8,500 items in stock. Specializing in Czech glass, seed beads, stone, pearls, crystals, SILVER and gold findings. Workshops in PMC, Beading, Polymer, Wire and Metal Work. Designer discounts.

WASHINGTON

Blue Santa Beads 18 North Pennel Rd. Media, PA 19063 Ph. (610) 892-2740 Fax (610) 892-2847 Email: [email protected] Website: www.Bluesanta-beads.com Tues, Wed., Fri. 10am-6pm; Thurs. 10am-9pm; Sat. 10am-5pm. Seed beads, Czech, Swarovski, Kazuri, Greek, findings & tools; books &

The Bead Factory 3019 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA Ph. (888) 500-2323 Website: www.TheBeadFactory.com Experience a bead store like no other- highest quality bead shopping in our 5,000 sq. ft. shop. Glass – diamonds & everything between. We offer 50+ classes each month. 15% off 1st purchase.


The NexT STep: Jewelr y and Lapidary Classes Welcome to “The Next Step.” You can begin a new hobby in the lapidary arts or further refine your existing talents with these fine schools, studios and workshops. Just pick up the phone or log on to find out even more information about these exciting programs. If you would like to list your school or workshops, please contact Scott Stepanski at (610) 232-5729 or email [email protected].

CALIFORNIA

California Institute of Jewelry Training

Country. By the Bead Blue Sea- An enchanting beadwork retreat along Californiaís coastline.

5805 Windmill Way Carmichael, CA 95608 Ph. (800) 731-1122; Fax (916) 487-1189 Email: [email protected] Website: www.jewelrytraining.com

The San Gabriel Bead Company

Courses available: Jewelry repair, Gemology Certificate Program, F.G.A., MasterValuer Appraisal program www.mastervaluer.com, Jewelry Retail sales. Short courses specializing in all forms or Jewelry arts and Gem Identification, numerous workshops including gemstone carving, weaving and cloisonnÈ. Evening and Saturday courses and lab time available. Authorized by Fed. Government to enroll International Students. Placement assistance.

Come visit us at our location! We are fully equipped with three classrooms. On-going instruction in basic and advanced beadwork, soldering, Precious Metal Clay, glass beadmaking and fusing, gourds, mosaics, and other craft workshops. Over 100 classes each quarter. Call us for a current workshop schedule.

Farrin O’Connor Design Studios 146 W. Bellevue Drive Pasadena, CA 91105 Ph. (626) 796-5300 Website: www.farrinoconnordesign.com

Comprehensive techniques and project oriented workshops: jewelry fabrication, stone setting, ring making, wire work, hydraulic press, soldering techniques and micro-torch, many other bench techniques, wax modeling, PMC, designing with beads & natural stones, handmade clasps. Creative, professional instructors. Jewelry supply store on premises for all your needs.

Precious Metal Arts 2510 Main Street, Suite C Santa Monica, CA 90405 Ph.(310) 581-4844 Fax (310) 581-5144 Email: [email protected] website: www.preciousmetalarts.com

A unique combination of introductory classes (8 students), workshops, and small group tutoring sessions (2-4 students) allows customized education from beginning to advanced. Instructor Peter Solomon brings 25+ years of colorful and varied experience in wax carving, production management, stone setting, custom design, and fabrication. Visit website for current schedule

School of Beadwork P.O. Box 4625 San Luis Obispo, CA 93403 Ph. (805) 440-2613 Email: [email protected] Website: www.schoolofbeadwork.com

Upcoming retreats. Teachers include: Carol Wilcox Wells, Cynthia Rutledge, Laura McCabe & Melanie Potter. Beadwork Celebration – A beading vacation in Celebration, Florida. Beads on the Vine- An extraordinary beadwork retreat in Californiaís Wine


325 East Live Oak Ave. Arcadia, CA 91006 Ph. (626) 447-7753; Fax (626) 447-7455 Website: www.beadcompany.com

DELAWARE

Jewelry Fest, a Lapidary Journal, Step by Step Beads & Step by Step Wire Jewelry Special Event Chase Center on the Riverfront Wilmington, Delaware Ph. (610) 232-5700 Website: www.jewelry-fest.com

Expo and Classes: December 1 & 2, 2007. Shop for spectacular finished jewelry or come and make your own - perfect for holiday gifts giving. Gemstones, silver, artisan pieces and more will be featured at the Expo. Classes are just 3 hours each and beginners are welcome. Leave class with a finished piece to keep or give as a gift. For information and registration, please visit website.

Wire Jewelry Fest, A Step by Step Wire Jewelry Special Event Chase Center on the Riverfront Wilmington, DE Ph. (610) 232-5700 Website: www.wirejewelryfest.com

Expo and Classes: July 20-22, 2007. Two days of shopping and classes devoted to wire jewelry making! Classes offered on wire wrapping, wire crochet, Chain Maille, weaving with wire, designing and much more. Shop for all your wire jewelry making supplies – wire, findings, tools, beads, books. Look for details and class registration on our website!

FLORIDA

Bead Fest Miami, A Step by Step Beads Special Event Sheraton Miami Mart Miami, FL Ph. (610) 232-5700 Website: www.beadfest.com

Expo and Classes: May 4-6, 2007. 75+ hands-on jewelry and bead-making classes taught by expert instructors. Courses include bead stringing, wire

working, jewelry making with the revolutionary new metal clays, marketing and selling jewelry. Shop for findings, wire, materials, beads, tools, equipment, books, videos, supplies and finished jewelry. Look for details and class registration on our website.

Crystal Creations – Beads Gone Wild 4058 Forest Hill Blvd. West Palm Beach, Fl 33406 Ph. (561) 649-9909 Email: [email protected] Website: www.crystalcreationsbeadinstitute.com

Leaders in beading education. Over 100 professional classes and monthly guest teachers that you know & love. Discover the Ancient Art of Beading in our 3400 sq foot facility, packed full of beads and classes. See why people say Crystal Creations is one of the top ten bead shops in the USA!

GEORGIA

Bead Fest Atlanta, A Step by Step Beads Special Event Georgia International Convention Center Atlanta, GA Ph. (610) 232-5700 Website: www.beadfest.com

Expo and Classes: August 10, 11, & 12, 2007. Learn to make your own beautiful beaded jewelry in classes taught by industry experts.. Shop for beads, wire, tools, silver, findings, books and more at the Expo. Look for more details and class registration on our website!

William Holland School of Lapidary Arts P.O. Box 980 230 Lapidary Lane Young Harris, GA 30582 Ph. (706) 379-2126 Email: [email protected] Website: www.lapidaryschool.org

We offer classes in beading, cabochons, silver, gold, wirewrappings, glass bead making, chain making, channel, faceting, gem ID, mineral ID, intarsia, glass fusing, opals, silver clay casting, jewelry repair and gem trees from May through October each year. Check out our website.

ILLINOIS

Nature’s Creations, Ltd. 40W541 IL Rt. 64 P.O. Box 360 Wasco, IL 60183-0360 Ph. (630) 377-0197 Email: [email protected] Website: www.dichroic.biz

“HANDS ON” instruction, Small Classes, & Flexible Scheduling. Specializing in Dichroic Glass Jewelry, we

65

Jewelr y and Lapidary Cla sses continued are a working studio and rock shop offering classes in beginning-advanced fusing, beginning-advanced PMC & Art Clay Silver, Cabochons and Silver Jewelry. Wholesale/Retail: Designer Cabs, Beads, Bullseye, C.B.S. & Navitar Dichroic Glass, Moretti Rods.

MARYLAND

Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore 3600 Clippers Mill Rd., Suite 116 Baltimore, MD 21211 Ph. (410) 467-9838 Website: www.gemcuttersguild.com Offering beginner to advanced classes in the jewelry arts including lapidary, faceting, gold and silver smithing, wire wrap, PMC, polymer clay, fused glass and much more! One day workshops to eight week sessions offered throughout the year. Talented local instructors as well as visiting nationally known artists. Check our website.

MICHIGAN

Brighton Beads & More 9850 East Grand River Brighton, MI 48116 Ph. (810) 844-0066 Email: [email protected] Website: www.brightonbeadsandmore.com Expect the Unusual & the Usual. Innovative beginning to advanced classes in “Simple Soldering,” wire wrapping, PMC, metalsmithing, embellishment, beading techniques, fused glass & lampwork from staff & visiting accomplished teachers. Open everyday.

MISSISSIPPI

Trinity Art Design Studio 110 Country Drive Brandon, MS 39042 Ph. (601) 955-3941 Email: tr [email protected] Website: www.trinityartdesignstudio.com PMC & Beading Classes: PMC Level II Certified Instructor Laura Tarbutton and Guest Instructors teach fun “low-keyed” classes. PMC Classes include: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Beading classes include: Basic Techniques, Beadweaving, Right Angle Weave, Peyote, Brick Stitch, Fringe, Bead Crochet Coming soon: Lampwork, Chainmaking, Wirewrapping. Call or email for more information.

NEW MEXICO

Hazeltine School of Fine Jewelry Santa Fe, NM Ph. (505) 400-3274 Mr. Hazeltine brings 36 years of professional jewelry making and 23 years of teaching experience to his school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The classes are limited to six students. You will learn professional time tested techniques that are safe, efficient and economically sound. Enjoy and gain confidence with this wonderful profession. Call 505-400-3274 for more information.

Taos School of Metalsmithing and Lapidary Design PO Box 3005 Taos, NM 87571 Ph. (505) 758-0207 Email: [email protected] Website: taosjewelryschool.com Taos Jewelry School offers beginning through advanced classes in jewelry and lapidary design

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throughout the year taught by internationally recognized designer, Marilynn Nicholson, known for her unusual techniques in cutting and setting stones and innovative designs for catches and mechanisms. Individual and small classes emphasize personal attention in an artistically stimulating atmosphere.

NEW YORK

JCC in Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street New York, NY 10023 Ph. (646) 505-5708 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.jccartstudios.org The Jewelry Studio offers classes and workshops in jewelr y making , wax, ename ling, glass fusing, and beadwork. Contemporary Glass Jewelry with Melissa Terman: Cover the basics of fusing vibrantly colored glass to make ‘stones’ for earrings, pendants, and small objects. 6 Thursdays, Mar. 23-May 11 (except Apr. 13 & 20), 6:30-9:30pm.

Studio 34 Bead and Jewelry Arts Center 34 Elton St. Rochester, NY 14607 Ph. (585) 271-8160 Website: www.studio34beads.com SERIOUS FUN! Classes in all jewelry media, beginner to advanced. PMC/ArtClay, chain maille, wire, metalsmith, polymer, seed bead, woven sterling, glass beadmaking, glass fusing, cold connection, repair, design, legal and marketing. 16 instructors for private classes and parties. Monthly guild meetings. Complete public access studio, learning center and retail store. JEWELRY CLASS CENTRAL!

NORTH CAROLINA

Earthspeak Arts 55 Lee’s Creek Rd. Leicester, NC, 28748 Ph. (828) 350-9019 Email: [email protected] Website: www.earthspeakarts.com Earthspeak Arts is located in Asheville, NC. We offer classes in beginning and intermediate Silversmithing, casting, advanced techniques, and work space. Coming workshops; Fold Forming, Chasing and Repousse, Tool Making, Anticlastic Raising, Gravers, and Texturing. Visit our website for the class schedule and descriptions or call for a brochure.

OHIO

TAP STUDIOS Art Jewelry Workshop 1667 East 40th Street #3B Cleveland, Ohio 44103 Ph. (216) 773-8277 Email: [email protected] TAP STUDIOS offers professional classes in jewelry making, metalsmithing, stone setting and wax carving. Classes limited to 3-5 students per class for a high attention and individualized teaching atmosphere. Students are encouraged and able to work on their own design ideas. Instruction in small motor skills which improve tool use.

PENNSYLVANIA

Jewelry Arts Expo and Mineral Market, A Lapidary Journal Special Event Location to be announced, near Fort Washington, PA

Ph. (610) 232-5700 Website: www.jewelryartsexpo.com Expo and Classes: April 20-22, 2007. Make your own jewelry in classes taught by experts. Learn metalwork, wirework, metal clay, stringing, design, and marketing. Shop for tools, supplies and finished jewelry. Mineral Market will feature gems, minerals, fossils and lapidary supplies. For information and registration, please visit website.

TENNESSEE

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738 Ph. (865) 436-5860; Fax (865) 430-4101 Website: www.arrowmont.org Email: [email protected] Arrowmont offers beginning to advanced workshops that cover a variety of jewelry making techniques, as well as PMC, enameling, polymer clay, lampworking, fused glass and beads. One, two-week and weekend sessions in the beautiful Smoky Mountains during the spring, summer and fall. Housing and meals available on campus. Register online.

Bead Fest Memphis, A Step by Step Beads Special Event Agricenter International Memphis, TN Ph. (610) 232-5700 Website: www.beadfest.com Expo and Classes: November 16 - 18, 2007. 75+ hands-on jewelry and bead-making classes taught by expert instructors. Courses include bead stringing, wire working, jewelry making with the revolutionary new metal clays, marketing and selling jewelry. Shop for findings, wire, materials, beads, tools, equipment, books, videos, supplies and finished jewelry. Look for details and class registration on our website!

TEXAS

Wired Designs The Shops @ Artisansí Alley 555 W. Bitters, Suite 107 San Antonio, TX 78216 Ph. (210) 495-4495 Email: [email protected] Website: www.wireddesignsstudio.com Dichroic beads and pendants are our specialty! We are a working glass studio offering one-day workshops in glass fusing/slumping, Precious Metal Clay, mosaics, lampworking/beadmaking, metalsmithing, soldering/setting, and jewelry design & construction. You donít need experience, just a desire to have fun! Call or visit our website for complete workshop schedule!

WASHINGTON

Pouncing Rain Jewelry and Metalworking School Bellingham, Washington Ph. (360) 715-3005 Website: pouncingrain.com Offering classes in beginning and intermediate jewelry making, as well as workshops in metalworking, enameling, copper and brass engraving, wire working and beading. We will introduce you to the wonderful world of metalworking and jewelry making. Our retail store carries jewelry making tools, supplies and findings. Studio memberships are available.


Step by Step Jewelry~Polymer, Ceramic, and Metal Clays - Winter 2007

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