Step by Step Jewelry Polymer, Ceramic, and Metal Clays - Winter 2006

make an
impression
with classic shapes
metal clay
ring
designs
with shine
rock & roll!
faux stone
polymer beads
Enrich Silver Clay with Texture
treasure
14
14
favorite
projects
polymer, ceramic & metal clays polymer, ceramic & metal clays
Winter 2006
make your
own clasps!
create a
silver lentil bead
youll
make an
impression
with classic shapes
metal clay
ring
designs
with shine
rock & roll!
faux stone
polymer beads
make your
own clasps!
treasure
create a
silver lentil bead
youll
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u
s
!
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LJMS-050058-cover 10/4/05 8:41 AM Page CN1
BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN
LJMS-050058-CN2 10/17/05 1:09 PM Page CN2
More Projects @ StepbyStepJewelry.com 3
Seeing Things
Differently
Remember those kids puzzles where
you have to find whats wrong in a
picture? They had something out of
place, hidden or camouflaged. Some-
times whats wrong with a picture is
the best thing about it.
Solving these puzzles makes us see
things in different ways. As we look at
an elegant line drawing of a magnificent
castle, for instance, we suddenly see
the peacock hidden among the stones
and turrets, its swirling tail feathers inte-
gral to the illustration. The artist used
the lines and textures of the bird to com-
plement the detail of the castle. That is
the challenge and the reward of those
kids puzzles to discover the secret by
looking at things in different ways.
So whats out of place in this col-
lection of jewelry-making projects? Compare the silver pendant on
our cover to the same pendant on page 22; the image is reversed. The
characters look Chinese, so one version may seem backwards but
only if you try to read the writing. If you see the writing as line and
texture, then it doesnt need to make sense, it simply looks good. The
picture makes artistic sense either way.
The exotic letters communicate a great deal, whether you can
read them or not. Their Asian influence complements the subdued
elegance of the beads shape, color, and finish. They also suggest a
secret, a hidden message we see but arent meant to know. The char-
acters disappear off the beads edge, giving us only a glimpse of the
whole story, adding not only depth and texture but a sense of mys-
tery to the necklace.
So which picture is actually right? The original text is from an
ancient history of Japan written about 712 A.D., using primarily Chi-
nese characters with Japanese symbols to indicate pronunciation. In
the artists original design, the characters are backwards; the image
on our cover reads correctly. In creating the design, the artist looked
not only to long ago and far away but to her own childhood, in
which her father earned his living drawing word-finds and picture
puzzles for kids books.
When you make this lovely lentil-shaped bead, or any of the other
projects here, look around you for interesting forms and colors, play
with sizes, and let things inspire you for their sheer visual interest.
Never mind what something was intended for: see the everyday ob-
jects around you with the fresh eye and creative spark that lives in
your own sense of design. Its true that nothing is new, and yet the
possibilities are always endless.
Merle White
polymer, ceramic & metal clays
Leslie Rogalski
EDITORIAL
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LJMS-050058-edit 10/7/05 12:52 PM Page 3
4
Beginner: Someone just starting out can
complete this project and be happy with
the results.
Beginner/Intermediate: Someone who
has had experience with the material can
happily complete this project, but will
also learn something newby doing it.
Intermediate: Acomfortable project for
someone who has a good working
knowledge of the material.
Intermediate/Advanced: Aproject for
someone who is ready for a more chal-
lenging approach to a material they have
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.
P R O J E C T S K I L L L E V E L S
10
3
Seeing Things Differently
By Merle White, Editorial Director
6
Metal Clay Appliqu Ring
Create a fine silver ring from metal clay.
By Celie Fago
10
Polymer Clay Pillows
3-D polymer designs.
By Ulrike Schfer
16
Watch This!
Create a metal clay bracelet watch.
By Arlene Hildebrand
22
Silver Lentil Bead
Lentil-shaped bead made with metal clay.
By Celie Fago
28
Silvered Beads
Metal and ceramic clays make a dynamic duo.
By Tonya Davidson
6
Winter 2006
contents
polymer, ceramic & metal clays
28
50
LJMS-050058-TOC 10/11/05 11:47 AM Page 4
Metal clay Silver Lentil Bead
by Celie Fago, page 22.
ON T HE COV E R
32
32
Silver Braided Ring
Setting a stone in a metal clay ring.
By Patricia Walton
36
Bead Caps
Make your own metal clay findings.
By Ginger Seiple
39
Petroglyph Pins
Polymer clay pictures from the past.
By Gwen Gibson
42
Silver Clasps
Metal clay toggle and button clasps.
By Kate McKinnon
46
Pink Granite Beads
A faux stone polymer technique.
By Patricia Kimle
50
Classic Black and White
One polymer cane with many looks.
By Kathy Weaver
54
Reversible Bracelet
Hollow metal clay beads.
By Hattie Sanderson
56
The Complete Guide to Metal Clays
By Suzanne Wade
61
Polymer Clay Hints
By Kathy Weaver
63
Clay Web Resources
46
5
39
www.stepbystepjewelry.com
CHE CK US OUT ON T HE WE B :
63 Advertisers Index
64 The Next Step: Classes Near You
ADV E R T I S E R S S E CT I ON
LJMS-050058-TOC 10/11/05 11:47 AM Page 5
6 Step by Step Jewelry: Clays Winter 2006
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For this project I used PMC
Sheet. It comes in individually wrapped

sheets and has had its moisture content stabilized so it does not dry out like
like lump PMC
. It is made to be used with PMC+
and it opens up a whole

new realm of design possibilities. Paper-cutting tools, such as punches and
edgers, create stylish designs simply and easily and they come in a vast array
of patterns and motifs. You can also make your design unique by cutting free-
hand details such as triangles or arrows or other designs using a craft knife, a
protected tissue blade, or a wavy blade. Try out a design by cutting shapes
from copy paper first. When youre satisfied, proceed to the PMC
Sheet.
Note: If you have trouble with the PMC
sticking to your work surface,

try rolling it out directly onto a piece of Teflon
paper taped to your work sur-

face. Remember to flip the clay over every three or four rolls to help minimize
sticking.
Making the ring form.
Cut a piece of copy paper into a rectangle about 3
1
2" x 1
3
4". Wrap the pa-
per around the middle knuckle of the finger for which you want to make a
ring, then use clear tape to close it. This is the size you want your ring to be
after firing.
Since PMC+
shrinks 12% during firing, its necessary to add a millimeter

of thickness to the ring form. To do this, cut two or three strips of paper and
1 package PMC+
1 or more pieces of PMC
Sheet
PMC+
Slip or Paste
Olive oil
Original Saran Wrap
(I recom-
mend using this brand because
it doesnt cling or stretch)
Tissue blade
Ripple blade (like a tissue blade
but with ripples to create wavy
lines)
Protected tissue blade (glue two
popsicle sticks to the non-cutting
edge of the blade)
Copy paper
Clear tape
Scissors used for paper
Playing cards (to help keep the
height of the clay consistent
during rolling)
Tweezers
Paper punches in assorted
shapes, such as a star, moon,
heart, or spiral
Rolling tool
Small pointed watercolor brush
Teflon
paper (available from

most cooking stores)
Sandpaper (320-, 400-, and
600-grit)
Alumina hydrate (available from
Rio Grande
and ceramic supply

companies)
Dust mask
Ring mandrel (optional)
Rawhide or plastic mallet
1200-grit micron-graded polishing
paper
Brass brush (3" x
3
4" x
3
4", avail-
able from jewelry supply stores)
Liver-of-sulfur (or alternative
antiquing agent)
Kiln that will reliably hold 1650F
for 10 minutes
What you need
Skill level
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Metal Clay
Appliqu Ring
Create a fine silver ring from metal clay.
BY CELIE FAGO
1
LJMS-050058-metlcly 10/6/05 2:19 PM Page 6
Forming the ring.
Wrap a small scrap of paper around your ring
form to measure the circumference then lay the
paper flat on your work surface to use as a length
guide. Lightly oil the work surface, place
1
2 of the
package of PMC+
under the plastic wrap and

place one stack of playing cards, 3 cards high, on
either side of the clay. Using the rolling tool, roll
out the clay.
Using a well-oiled tissue blade, cut the PMC+
into a strip slightly wider than you want your finished

ring to be and approximately
1
4" (6mm) longer than
the paper guide. (The featured ring was rolled out
to the height of 3 cards and cut to a width of
5
8"
[16mm]). Using the tissue blade, cut one end of
the PMC
strip at a blunt right angle.

Wrap the PMC
strip around the Teflon
-covered
paper form and overlap the ends; try not to stretch
the clay. Using an oiled tissue blade, cut through
the two layers of PMC
at an angle in one smooth

motion so that both ends are beveled. Gently lift the
top layer of PMC
, and remove the excess clay from

the bottom layer. Abut the two beveled ends, and
seal the joint with a few drops of water. Smooth the
joint to seal it well using an oiled finger, a brush, or
similar tool.
Drying the ring.
The clay needs to dry to a leather-hard state be-
fore it can be fired. As the clay dries, it will lose
moisture and shrink slightly. Sometimes this is just
enough shrinkage to force open a weak joint. Moni-
tor the drying, and after 15 minutes or so, carefully
slide the ring off the form. The easiest way to do
this is to slide the Teflon
off with the ring in

place. Now, use tweezers to grasp the Teflon
strip
inside the ring and with a half turn inward, pull the
Teflon
out. Place the ring upright in a safe place

to dry. If the joint opens or your ring develops other
wrap them snugly around the ring form and tape them
closed. It will take seven revolutions of copy paper to add
the needed thickness. Next, wrap the whole thing with a
piece of Teflon
paper, then use clear tape to close it. If you

have trouble getting the paper strips tight, try wrapping the
paper form with masking tape (to a thickness of 1mm) in-
stead of paper.
An alternative method for sizing rings made with PMC
and PMC+
is featured in Tim McCreights book, Working

with PMC
.
3
RING SIZING CHART
Ring Size Metal PMC+ PMC
2 44.6 mm 50.7 mm 61.9 mm
2.5 45.8 52.0 63.6
3 47.1 53.5 65.4
3.5 48.4 55.0 67.2
4 49.6 56.4 68.8
4.5 50.9 57.8 70.7
5 52.1 59.2 72.4
5.5 53.4 60.7 74.2
6 54.6 62.0 75.8
6.5 55.9 63.5 77.6
7 57.1 64.8 79.3
7.5 58.4 66.4 81.1
8 59.7 67.8 82.9
8.5 60.9 69.2 84.6
9 62.2 70.7 86.4
9.5 63.4 72.0 88.0
10 64.7 73.5 89.9
10.5 65.9 74.8 91.5
11 67.2 76.4 93.3
11.5 68.5 77.8 95.1
12 69.7 79.2 96.8
12.5 71.0 80.7 98.6
13 72.2 82.0 100.3
2
cracks, fill them with thick slip. Make sure all
parts of the ring are completely dry before
repairing anything.
Perfecting the ring.
When the ring has dried, you may refine the
shape and smooth the surface inside and out.
PMC+
is fragile when leather-hard, so handle the

ring carefully.
To true up your ring, slide it off the paper form,
remove two layers of the paper and then slide the
ring back onto the form there should still be a
snug fit. Position the ring so that it is protruding
slightly off the end of the paper form. Sand it on a
piece of medium-fine sandpaper (400- or 320-grit)
laid on a piece of glass or other flat surface. Sand
both edges in this way, then smooth any flaws in
the rest of the ring. Smooth the inside by rolling up
a piece of 400-grit sandpaper to a size that moves
freely inside the ring. Proceed to 600-grit, and then
to 1000-grit if desired.
Tip: After leveling and sanding, beveling the inside
edges of the ring will allow it to slide smoothly on
and off your finger and will make it look more finished
and more professional. To do this, roll up a piece of
400-grit sandpaper so it can move freely in and out
of the inside of the ring at an acute angle then sand
using a gentle back and forth motion while turning
the ring. Be sure to bevel both ends of the ring.
Decorating the ring.
To decorate rings, I use cutouts from the PMC
Sheet.
You can do this in many different ways. You can use paper
punches in the shape of spirals, hearts, or any of the other
shapes available. You can cut shapes from the sheet free-
hand with a craft knife, or protected tissue blade, to make
your design unique, or cut wavy strips with the ripple blade
to complement your design.
To attach the cut pieces to the ring, lay the shape in the
desired place, then run a bead of water around it using your
pointed brush. Press gently to attach. Another way to attach
the cut pieces is to dampen a spot on the ring and press the
piece onto the wet area. If the PMC
Sheet piece becomes

too moist, or if you try to move it once it has been attached
with water, it will tear.
Firing the ring.
Fire the ring upright on a kiln shelf that has been sprin-
kled with alumina hydrate. The alumina will reduce friction
as the ring shrinks and ensure that it doesnt end up bigger
on the bottom than the top. If it does become misshapen in
the kiln, you can tap it back into shape by slipping it onto a
ring mandrel and tapping it with a rawhide or plastic mallet.
Fire it for 10 minutes at 1650F.
Finishing the ring.
Using the brass brush and a few drops of dish detergent,
scrub your ring under running water until it is gleaming sil-
ver. If you want to patina your ring, dissolve a small piece of
liver-of-sulfur gravel in hot water to get a lemon-colored solu-
tion. Dip your ring, then rinse; repeat until youve reached
the desired color. Wash with soap and water. Wrap a piece
of 1200-grit, micron-graded polishing paper (or alternative
polishing cloth) around a scrap of wood, a tongue depressor,
or a nailboard, and buff your ring until it shines. Use rolled-
up 1000-grit sandpaper to clean the inside of your ring, then
polish with 1200-micron graded paper.
Optional: Freehand designs and texturing.
Cut a strip of PMC
Sheet long enough to encircle your

leather-hard ring. Using a craft knife with a new blade, cut
out a pattern of interior shapes. The featured ring on the top
(photo on page 9) shows a pattern of leaf shapes that were
cut using this method. You can practice your design on a
sheet of paper. If your rings circumference is greater than
the length of the PMC
Sheet, use two or more sections to

encircle the ring, making the seams part of the design. Or,
abut the ends of the sheet on the leather-hard ring, letting it dry
and carefully fill in the seams with slip until they are invisible.
Follow the directions for making the ring described in the
main project. Then, to adhere the strip to the leather-hard
ring, first quickly paint the ring with thin, lump-free slip. Let
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dry and reinforce any
gaps as necessary
with thick slip. Fire
and finish as de-
scribed in Step 7.
The cut-out
shapes on the bot-
tom ring in the pho-
to above were
placed over a
leather-hard textured
ring. Once fired, the
cutouts fused to and took on the shape of the rings surface,
adding an additional element of texture and dimension.
Tip: By laminating sheets of PMC
Sheet together, you can

make thicker sheet to help create a more dramatic relief in your
designs. To make thicker sheet, unwrap 2 sheets and place
them on a piece of copy paper. Spray one sheet with a fine mist
of water then gently and quickly smooth across the surface with
your finger so that the sheet is uniformly wet. Carefully place the
second sheet on top and immediately fold the copy paper over
it. Roll across the paper with your roller to push out any air bub-
bles (you can also use a pasta machine at this point). Place a
weight (like a dictionary) on top for 10 to 20 minutes.
To make a 4-sheet laminate, make 2 sets of 2 sheets
laminated together. Let them dry for 10 to 20 minutes,
then laminate the two sets together using the above
method. To make a 3-sheet laminate, join a set of two
sheets to a third sheet using the method above. Store
these in a plastic bag and use as you would any PMC
Sheet. Up to, and including, 4 sheets laminated togeth-

er will fit in conventional paper punches. N
This project has been adapted from Polymer Clay Explo-
rations, by Georgia Sargeant and Celie Fago with Livia
McRee, published by Rockport Publishers, 2002; reprinted
with permission from Rockport Publishers, Inc.
Celie Fago
is a Vermont-based jewelry artist who
works in metal clay, metal, and polymer
clay. She is one of eight Senior Instructors
with the Rio Rewards Certification Pro-
gram. In addition to her numerous articles
published on PMC
and polymer, she also

worked with Tim McCreight on the video
Push Play for PMC
: Intermediate Techniques. Celies latest

book is Keum-Boo on Silver. For more on Celie and her work,
visit her Web site, www.celiefago.com.
LJMS-050058-METCLY 10/19/05 8:38 AM Page 9
LJMS-050058-pillows 10/18/05 2:54 PM Page 10
4 blocks of polymer clay,
2 oz. each, your choice
of colors. I recommend
using FIMO
for this pro-

ject because it retains
crisp lines when creating
canes. When selecting
your colors, make sure
they are high in contrast.
The canes will be re-
duced to a very small di-
mension; you want to
make sure the patterns
are still clearly visible
when reduced.
Tissue blade
Brayer/roller
Latex gloves
Pasta machine (optional)
What you need
Skill level
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For me, the true joy, the true challenge of working with polymer clay
is to create very fine and intricate designs using the millefiori technique.
When I took my first class at the Princeton YWCA with Liz Mitchell in
1994, I originally set out to create only non-jewelry items, such as picture
frames and eggs. My complex millefiori pattern worked well for these
projects. But how can you work with polymer clay without creating jew-
elry? I was looking for something that would show my intricate designs
better than beads, yet still have a soft, three-dimensional look unlike
plain flat slices. So I decided to make what I call pillows.
Conditioning the clay.
Before you begin making the canes, you need to condition your clay. 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 its 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 condition your clay using a pasta machine, work with 12 ounces of
clay at a time. Soften the clay in your hands, then place it on your work
surface and flatten using a brayer or other rolling tool. Set the pasta ma-
chine on the widest set-
ting. Feed the flattened
clay through the rollers
of your pasta machine
while turning the handle.
Never force a sheet of
clay that is thicker than
the roller openings as
this could damage the
pasta machine. Fold the
clay sheet in half and
feed it through the open-
ing, folded side first, again. Repeat 1520 times.
After conditioning your clay, roll it out evenly into flat sheets to the thick-
est setting on your pasta machine or 3mm.
1
3-D polymer designs.
BY ULRIKE SCHFER
pillows
polymer
clay
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The pattern for my pillows consists of 4 individual
canes, approximately 5cm long x 2.5cm in diameter.
Jellyroll.
The first pattern (Cane #1) is a simple jellyroll
pattern and a nice warm-up to familiarize your
hands with the clay. Cut out 1 sheet of a light color
and 1 sheet of a darker color, measuring approx.
2.5cm x 10cm each. Stack both sheets together,
bevel-cut on one of the short sides, and then flatten
this slightly with a brayer. Start rolling the 2 sheets
up firmly, beginning with the slanted, flattened side.
Bulls-eye.
Cane #2 is a simple bulls-eye cane. Roll the clay
out into a snake about 5cm long. Wrap with 1 or
2 layers of another color. The diameter of this cane
should be the same as the jellyroll.
Diagonal cross.
Cane #3 has no name, so lets call it a diagonal
cross. Shape some clay into a square piece 5cm
long. Make sure the corners are clearly pronounced.
Slice the square diagonally. Put 1 flat sheet of clay
on this diagonal, and reassemble back into a square. Repeat
this process for the other diagonal.
Checkerboard.
Cane #4 is a standard checkerboard pattern. Roll out 2
sheets in contrasting colors and stack them up. Tip the
stack so the stripes are facing you. Now cut in 4 even
lengths, flip alternating lengths, and reassemble. Cut again
into slices that are as thick as the stripes themselves. Re-
assemble the slices, alternating the colors forming the
checkerboard pattern.
FLIP
2
3
4
5
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Once you have your 4 individual patterned canes, its time
to start reducing. Apply gentle and even pressure on the
canes (and square out the two round patterns jellyroll and
bulls-eye with the brayer/roller) and reduce them gently
but firmly until they are about 20cm long. Cut them into even
5cm lengths. All 16 pieces should be about the same size.
Assemble the 16 pieces into 4 rows with one pattern in
each row but a different sequence of pattern in every
row. It might be helpful to make a quick sketch first.
You now have a big square cane, which is ready for anoth-
er reduction. Again, using a roller and pulling, apply pres-
sure until the cane is about 20cm long, then divide in four
5cm lengths. Reassemble these 4 canes, and reduce one
more time until the face of the cane is about 2cm x 2cm.
Youre ready to cut a slice, bake it, and glue a pin
back to it. Or, you can make a pillow!
Making a pillow.
From scrap clay, roll out a flat sheet of clay and
cut slightly smaller than the cane, approximately
1.9cm x 1.9cm. Bevel cut on all sides towards the
center of the scrap piece. You will be able to remove
a small triangle of clay on each side.
Cut 2 thin pieces from your pattern and lay them
over both sides of the scrap piece, covering it fully.
Put on latex gloves and press the 4 sides togeth-
er, making sure there is no lip. The seams should be
smooth and, ideally, the pattern should match, too.
6
7
8
9
10
Shape the pillow according to your preference and pierce
it according to its future use.
I use my pillows as individual pendants, or in combination
with twists and precious metal beads for a full
necklace.
I hope you will enjoy these designs as much as I do! N
Ulrike Schfer,
a native of Germany, was first introduced to poly-
mer clay in 1993. A year later, she began working
with clay on a regular basis, employing and fine-
tuning her complex cane and mosaic techniques.
Ulrike works in her studio near Princeton, NJ,
where she lives with her husband and daughter.
Ulrike can be contacted via her Web site,
www.finepolymerclaydesigns.com.
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LJMS-050058-015 10/17/05 1:28 PM Page 15
Watch This!
Create a metal clay bracelet watch.
BY ARLENE HILDEBRAND
I admit it! I love watches! Maybe it has to do with not having
enough hours in a day. I always want to know how time is flying by.
Or maybe it has to do with the beautiful jewelry that is created to go
with a timepiece. Whatever it is, I have always collected watches. Now
at least half of my collection includes watches that I have made.
This project has multiple steps, but is not difficult. If this is your
first try, you might want to keep the project simple and leave out the
faceted stones. The instructions create a watch bracelet 7
1
2" long. The
size can be adjusted in one of two ways. The simplest method is to use
more or fewer jump rings or chain to connect the bar of the clasp. The
other way is to adjust the dimension of the templates used to create
the watchbands.
For a curved surface, instead of a bracelet mandrel, I use a half
round plastic shape originally made to use in cake decorating. The
ones I have found are called Flower Former Set and they are made by
Wilton Industries. You can find them in any well-stocked craft store.
Watch face with center hole for
stringing, 1
1
4" long
40g Art Clay
34g Art Clay
syringe type
34g Art Clay
paste type
24 faceted stones (3mm)
57 jump rings (3.5mm) or 12"
of chain
5" 21-gauge sterling silver wire
48 seed beads
Acrylic or glass work surface
Teflon
sheets (approx. 4x5")

Acrylic roller
Snake rolling tool
Thickness guides (1mm)
Toothpicks
Paintbrush
Index cards
Spatula tool
X-Acto
blade or tissue blade for

cutting straight lines in the clay
Texture plates
Circle template (
3
8" diameter)
Stepped metal bracelet mandrel
or other curved surface
Small needle files, sandpaper
(600 grit), other sanding sur-
faces
Steel bristle brush
Silver polish
Needle nose pliers
Angel hair pasta (very thin
spaghetti)
Olive oil or Badger Balm
Hot plate, food dehydrator, or

hair dryer
1" thick fiber blanket
Burnisher
Kiln
What you need
Skill level
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LJMS-050058-watch 10/5/05 12:39 PM Page 16
Find a watch face made for beaders with a center vertical
hole at either end of the face. There are so many beautiful
watches on the market, in craft catalogs, or at your favorite
bead store, so have fun finding one that really jazzes up the
beautiful bands you will create.
Templates.
Create templates for this watchband project using index
cards. For a 7
1
2" bracelet, you will need one template that
measures 2
1
4" by
7
8". This template will be used to make
both halves of the bracelet. You will need two templates for
the clasp. The first is 1" x
7
8", this is the ring side of the tog-
gle clasp. I've chosen to curve the end for design and com-
fort reasons. The second template is a spacer for the bar
side of the clasp and should be cut to
1
2" x
7
8".
To create a 7" bracelet, decrease the watchband template
by
1
8" on each side. Also reduce the ring side of the clasp
template by
1
8". To create an 8" bracelet, increase the
watchband template by
1
8" on each side. Also increase the
ring side of the clasp template by
1
8". Remember you can
still adjust the bracelet size when you complete the project
simply by adjusting the number of jump rings used to attach
the bar of the clasp.
Bracelet halves.
My work surface consists of an acrylic underlay for firmness
and a piece of Teflon
on top of the acrylic to prevent the

clay from sticking. This surface works well; the acrylic pro-
vides the firmness needed for rolling out the clay and the
Teflon
allows for easy transport to the drying area. Cover

the curved surface used to shape the watchbands with a
Teflon
sheet also.
Knead 15 grams of Art Clay
Silver to soften it. Using the

acrylic roller and 1mm thickness guides, roll it into a rec-
tangle shape a little larger than the template for the watch-
bands. Lay the template over the piece of clay and trim it to
the size of the watchband template using an X-Acto
knife or
tissue blade.
Place a texture plate on top of the clay. Leaving the thick-
ness guides in place, roll over the plate creating texture on
the watchband. If you prefer, rubber stamps, but-
tons, or other items may be used to create the de-
sired texture in the clay.
Using the blunt
end of a paint-
brush treated with
a small dab of
olive oil, gently
push in on the
long sides of the
watchband to
create a ruffled
and curved look.
On one end of
the watchband,
use a toothpick to
create two small holes in the clay for jump rings that
will connect the band to the clasp. To do this, gently
push the toothpick into the clay and twist until you can
feel the toothpick touching the work surface. Continue
gently twisting the toothpick until the hole is nice and
round. Dont overdo the holes at this point. They can
be smoothed and enlarged later with a small file if
needed. The holes should be placed
1
4" from the long
side of the band and
1
8" from the short side of the
band.
If you want to
put gemstones
in the bands of
the watch, use
the method above
to create small
holes in the clay
where you want
the stones. The
stones will be set
in the clay after
the bands are dry
and in the leather-
hard state.
1
2
3
4
5
Remove the band from the Teflon
. The wet clay

may lift off easily or you may have to pick up the
Teflon
with the clay on it and gently pull the sheet

from the wet clay band. Center the watchband on
the curved side of the bracelet mandrel or other
curved surface and set aside.
Repeat Steps 18 to make the other half of the
bracelet. When both bands are on the mandrel,
place them on whatever drying surface you are us-
ing. You can use a food dehydrator, a hot plate, or a
hair dryer. Alternatively, you can allow them to air dry
for at least 24 hours.
Once theyre dry and leather-hard, sand the watch-
bands and clean up any rough surfaces. Use a
round needle file to clean and further ream holes
made for jump rings and stones.
Setting the stones.
With a round needle file, make sure the holes cre-
ated for the stones are large enough that the bot-
tom facet fits in the hole.
Use the Art Clay
syringe to create a bezel by

putting three layers around the outside of the top
of the hole created for the stone.
With tweezers, pick up
each stone and place
the pointed facet into the
center of each bezel. Us-
ing a toothpick, gently
guide the stones into the
bezels. Sand and smooth
the bezels. Make sure the
bottom facet is sitting
nicely in the hole, and set
aside to dry.
Watchband tabs.
Knead 2 grams of clay and using 1mm thickness guides
roll out a strip that is
1
8" wide and about 1" long.
Take a small piece of angel hair pasta, wet it, and lay it
down at one end of the strip of clay. Using the spatula
tool, lift up on the end of the clay and guide the clay up and
around the pasta one full rotation. There will be two thick-
nesses of clay under the pasta. Secure the clay rolled over
the pasta to the rest of the strip with some Art Clay
paste.
Trim the strip of clay leaving a
1
4" tail from the bottom of the
pasta roll and repeat the process to make all four. Place
tabs on the drying surface and when theyre leather-hard,
sand and smooth as needed.
Using a small paint-
brush, take a generous
amount of paste and ap-
ply to the tail of the tab.
Attach the tab to the end
of the watchband that
does not have connector
holes. Tabs should be
placed on the back of the
watchband as close to
each corner as possible.
The rolled part of the tab
should be touching or
resting on the end of the
band. Allow them to dry.
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6
7
8
12
13
14
9
10
11
With the syringe, go
around the outside of
the tabs. Use a paint-
brush to help push the sy-
ringed clay around the
outside of the tab. This
will help secure the tab to
the band and eliminate
any air pockets that may
have formed.
Toggle clasp.
You will be making the ring side of the toggle clasp first
with the 1" by
7
8" template. Using the acrylic roller and
1mm thickness guides, roll out 10 grams of clay into a rec-
tangle shape a little larger than the template for the clasp.
Lay the template over clay and trim to the size of the clasp
template using an X-Acto
knife or tissue blade. As I men-

tioned, I rounded one end of this piece.
Create the same tex-
ture on the clasp as in
step 2 on the watchbands.
Using your
3
8" diame-
ter circle template, cut
a hole in the clasp to cre-
ate the ring. Place the
hole at the rounded end
of the clasp, centered on
the curve with the closest
end of the hole about
1
4"
from the edge.
Create two small holes
on the other end as you did in step 4 of the watchband.
These holes are for jump rings that will connect the band to
the clasp. Set aside on your drying surface.
When the piece is dry and leather-hard, sand and smooth
as needed. Clean out both the large and small holes with a
round needle file if necessary.
The bar.
There are two sections to the bar side of the clasp. The con-
nector that will attach to the watchband, and the bar that will
be attached to the connector with the needed length of jump
rings or chain. You will make the connector first and use the
1
2" by
7
8" template.
Using the acrylic roller and 1mm thickness guides, roll out
5 grams of kneaded clay into a rectangle shape a little larger
than the template for the clasp. Lay the template over the
piece of clay and trim to the size of the clasp tem-
plate using an X-Acto
knife or tissue blade.

Create the same texture on the connector as in
Step 2 on the watchbands.
Create holes on the connector piece using the
same method used on the watchbands in Step 4.
The holes will be made on the
7
8" side. Create two
holes on one end matching the placement of those
on the watchbands. Create one hole on the other
7
8"
side. This hole should be centered between the 1"
sides and
1
8" from the end of the
7
8" side. Set
aside on your drying surface.
When the piece is dry and leather-hard, sand and
smooth as needed. Clean out holes with a round
needle file if necessary.
To make the bar, I use my snake rolling tool al-
though you can use your hands. This is a tool that I
made myself. I use a 3" x 4" x
1
8" piece of acrylic.
On one side of the acrylic I attach an acrylic knob or
drawer pull with E6000 adhesive. The knob becomes
the handle for the tool. To use the tool, I take the need-
ed amount of clay, knead it and shape it into a hot dog.
I lay the hot dog on my Teflon
sheet and then with my

snake rolling tool, I use a quick back and forth motion
to roll the clay into a long snake. The final thickness of
the snake should not be thinner than 1mm.
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Roll out a snake that is 1mm thick and
5
8" long
and set aside on your drying surface.
Use
1
4 gram of clay and make a ball. Lay the ball
on your work surface and flatten slightly. Using a
toothpick, create a hole in the center of the ball to
make a ring. Use a straight edge tool to cut off the
curve at one point of the ring, creating a flat surface.
Set aside on the drying surface.
When both the bar and the flattened ring are dry,
sand and smooth as needed. Clean out the hole
with a round needle file if necessary.
Using a small paintbrush, take a generous
amount of paste and apply to the flat end of the
ring. Attach the wet part of the ring to the center of
the leather-hard snake. Allow the bar to dry.
Fire and polish the watchband.
Use the fiber blanket to create a curved support
for each watchband. The curve of the watchband
should be completely supported by the fiber blanket.
Place all pieces in the kiln and ramp it to 1600 as
fast as it will go, hold for 10 minutes and turn off
the kiln.
Take the pieces out of the kiln and allow them to
cool.
Clean off the white residue with a steel brush, exposing
the silver finish.
Tumble the pieces in a magnetic or vibrating tumbler to
create a beautiful shine on the silver. Another way to create
the shine is to highlight the raised portions of the textured
design by using a burnisher.
Polish the pieces with a silver polish. I use Wenol
for the
shine and protection it provides to the silver.
Putting it all together.
Start with the right side of one of the watchbands facing
you. Using 2
1
2" of sterling silver wire, insert the wire
through one of the tab holes on the watchband.
Add one or two seed
beads as needed and
then thread the wire
through the hole at the
top of the watch face. Add
one or two more seed
beads as needed. Take
the wire through the hole
in the second tab on this
watchband and bend the
wire around to the back of
the tab and up through
the space between the
watchband and the watch
face. Trim the wire closely
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26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
so no raw end protrudes. Finish the opposite end in the
same manner.
Repeat Steps 17 above to connect the other watchband to
the other side of the watch face.
Using 3.5mm jump rings, connect both sides of the clasp.
Using a series of jump rings or length of chain, connect
the bar to the watchband. This is where you can customize
the size of the watch by adding more jump rings. N
Arlene Hildebrand
is a Master Instructor for Art Clay
World USA
and a fused glass artist. She teaches throughout
the San Francisco Bay area. Arlene can be contact-
ed by e-mail at Arlene@amcollection.biz.
36
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LJMS-050058-watch 10/17/05 9:27 AM Page 21
LJMS-050058-slentil 10/5/05 12:47 PM Page 22
1 28-gram package of PMC+
Slip; home made (PMC+
and water)
or prepackaged PMC
Paste
Plastic circle template (up to 2")
Texturing material, your choice
2 light bulbs (to use as forms for dry-
ing the bead halves)
A cup or bowl with foam rubber, bub-
ble wrap, or paper towel accordian-
folded in it to hold the light bulbs up-
right while the clay dries
A piece of Teflon
paper, available
from cooking stores a similar prod-
uct, known as Non-Stick Teflon
Pressing Sheets, are available from

fabric stores. If you cant find either,
oil a piece of heavy plastic (approx.
2"x3"), such as a sheet protector to
use as a portable palette.
Olive oil
Water
2 watercolor brushes I recommend
a small pointed brush for applying wa-
ter and slip, and a square tipped
brush known as a bright for clean-
ing off excess slip
Playing cards
Pin tool
Optional: miniature circle cutters
(available from polymer clay and craft
suppliers)
Sandpaper; 320-, 400-, and 1000-grit
Round needle file
Brass brush and dish detergent or
brass brush wheel on a polishing
lathe, flex shaft, or Dremel
Kiln capable of holding 1650F for

10 minutes
Kiln shelf
Unglazed terra cotta dish like those
used under potted plants
Vermiculite or alumina hydrate
Dust mask
Optional: Liver-of-sulfur or other pati-
nating solution
1200-grit micron graded polishing pa-
per, polishing cloth (rouge or Sun-
shine
), or steel wool
Flat stick or salon board, to wrap
paper or cloth around
Baking soda
Pledge
spray, butchers wax, or clear

spray fixative
Pacific cloth
What you need
Skill level
P
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Lentil-shaped beads made with metal clay.
BY CELIE FAGO
Precious Metal Clay Plus (PMC+
) enables you to make large, light-

weight hollow forms that dont require interior support during firing;
just some creative planning in the fresh clay stage. The lentil beads pic-
tured were made by cutting two circles of textured PMC
and drying
them on light bulbs. Once dried, the two halves were lightly sanded and
then attached with slip. Ive successfully made lentil beads, without fir-
ing cores, with circles ranging in size from 1" to 2
3
8".
Light bulbs come in many shapes and sizes and are ideal for drying
symmetrical curves. If you are making several small lentils you can clus-
ter several on one light bulb. Using the same principle, you can make
your own custom forms from polymer clay or mold materials such as
Protoplast. Other interesting forms (door knobs, flower vases, marbles)
can be found around your home. Make sure the form you are using can
be oiled before you put PMC
on it.
Office supply stores carry plastic templates in a variety of shapes and
sizes. This project uses two 2" circles, dried to leather hard on globe
light bulbs, and yields a 1
5
8" diameter lentil bead after firing. During fir-
ing, the water evaporates, the binder burns up, and the silver particles
fuse into a pure silver object that has shrunk by 12%. The project bead
has a hole toward the top edge that a jump ring can pass through when
its finished. Some alternative hole placements are described at the end
of the article.
Most supplies can be found in art, jewelry, and fabric supply stores,
and around the house.
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Texturing the clay.
Have ready oiled texture, oiled light bulbs, a
coffee cup stuffed with paper towels or a folded
piece of foam to hold the bulbs upright, and two
stacks of 2 or 3 cards each (taping the stacks to-
gether keeps them from sliding around). If youve
picked a low-relief texture for your beads, roll the
clay out to a thickness of 2 cards. Texturing with a
rubber stamp, or other deep relief, will require a clay
thickness of 3 cards or more.
Roll out
1
2 of a 28-gram package of PMC+
to a
height of 2 cards (or more) on an oiled work surface
(or on piece of Teflon
taped to your work surface).

Rolling your clay under a plastic sheet protector or
under a piece of plastic wrap will delay drying, and
flipping the clay over every 2 or 3 rolls will prevent
the clay from sticking to your work surface.
If youve rolled the clay on your work surface,
transfer it to a piece of Teflon
now. Be sure to
keep the clay on the Teflon
until you transfer the

circle to the light bulb in Step 5. The Teflon
will
keep the clay from sticking to your work surface
while you texture and cut the clay, keeping it
portable.
Roll the texture onto the clay. For flexible tex-
tures, like screen, roll the oiled texture onto the
clay. For rigid textures, like a rubber stamp, its eas-
ier to roll the clay onto the texture. Remove the tex-
turing material and place the lightly oiled circle tem-
plate on top of the textured clay.
Cutting out the circles.
Hold the template firmly in place and, keeping
your pin tool perpendicular to your work surface,
cut around the circumference of the circle in one
smooth motion.
Use a straw or tube to make a 6mm hole, ap-
proximately 10mm from the top. If you dont have
either tool, make a small hole with your pin tool and
enlarge it later with your needle file. See alterna-
tives at the end of the project for other hole place-
ments and alternative methods.
Transfer the circle to the oiled light bulb, taking
care not to stretch or distort the clay. The easiest
way to accomplish this is to pick up the Teflon
and
flip the clay, texture side down, onto your palm. Now
gently peel the Teflon
away and position the circle

on the oiled bulb. The only function of the oil on the
bulb is to make initial positioning of the clay circle
easier.
1
2
3
4
5
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Using your fingers and gentle pressure, so as not to dis-
tort the texture, smooth out the folds in the circle so the
clay accommodates the curve of the bulb. Press any air bub-
bles outward to the edge of the circle. Once dry, the clay will
detach easily from the glass.
Repeat to make a 2
nd
textured circle, but without a hole,
and dry it on the second bulb.
Note: Although PMC+
is stronger than Standard PMC
after firing, while its leather hard its extremely fragile and
must be handled very gently. Sand the edges of the circles
by placing fine sand paper (320- or 400-grit) on a perfectly
flat surface, such as glass. Sand very gently in a circular or
back and forth motion until you have a clean, slightly mitered
edge. Sand both of your circles until they fit nicely together.
In addition to improving the fit, sanding the edges in this way
broadens them, creating more surface area. This will make
gluing the pieces together with slip that much easier.
Assembling the bead.
You may want to add a couple of light pencil marks to
show exactly how you want the 2 halves to go together be-
cause once youve glued them with slip, readjustment is
difficult.
Mix up thick, lumpless slip by adding small amounts of
water to your clay and mixing until its the consistency of
frosting, or use prepackaged PMC+
paste. If youre using

prepackaged slip, its helpful to thicken it up by leaving the
lid off so some of its moisture can evaporate. Apply a line of
slip continuously around the edge of one of the halves. Put
the 2 halves together and press gently so they make good
contact. Clean up any excess slip with your finger or a clean
brush. I put the slip on with my small, pointed brush and
clean off the excess slip with my square tipped brush.
6
7
8
9
10
You can smooth the edge of the bead with 1000-grit
sandpaper, once the bead is dry.
Now its time to make the hole in the other half of the
bead. Using a flex-shaft or a drill press, drill gently, going
straight through the existing hole, making a new hole on
the other side. If you dont have a flex shaft, see Alterna-
tives on page 27.
To see if your bead will hang straight, put a pin tool
through the holes and hold it out in front of you. Make ad-
justments with the needle file until it hangs straight.
To make the donuts, the decorative rimI place around
the holes, roll the remaining clay to a thickness of 2
cards. Cut out 2 circles. I used a
3
8" (approximately 10 mm)
brass circle cutter, but you can also use your circle tem-
plate. Cut a hole out of the circle using the straw or tube you
used to cut the hole in the bead. Using your brush, dampen
the immediate area around the hole, on one side of the
bead. Place the donut so it rests around the hole and press
gently into place. Wick a few drops of water fromthe end of
your brush into the seamwhere the donut and the bead
meet. Let that side of the bead dry, then repeat on the other
side. Let the bead dry completely.
Firing.
Nestle the bead into vermiculite (or alumina hydrate) up
to the edge where the 2 sides unite. Fire for 10 minutes
at 1650F. After the cycle is finished, turn off the kiln and
crack the door open. When the red glow has subsided (5-
10 minutes), carefully remove the bead from the kiln with
tongs, and air cool or quench in water.
Finishing.
Burnish the bead with a brass brush and soapy water.
You can also use a brass-brush wheel on a polishing
lathe. Continue brushing until you have a uniform luster on
the silver and all appearance of white is gone.
11
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14
15
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Patinate, if desired, by dipping the bead in a weak solution
(cloudy, no discernable color to the water) of liver-of-sulfur.
Use 1 or 2 crumbs of gravel (approximately 1x2mmcrumb) to
1
2 1 cup mediumhot 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.
Polish off high points in the design with 1200-grit polish-
ing paper or a rouge cloth wrapped around something
rigid, like a ruler, or piece of lath. You can also use steel
wool. If you want to slow the natural aging of the patina, wax
the bead with Pledge
, paste wax, or spray it with a clear fix-

ative spray. Any of these coatings will dull the colors slightly,
especially the blues, but by keeping air and moisture out, it
will also minimize the natural dulling of the patina. Wrapping
the finished piece in Pacific cloth (cloth treated to prevent
tarnish) will slow the dulling of the patina.
ALTERNATIVES
Putting a hole in the center of your bead.
Before you move the template, use the quadrant guides to
find and mark the center of the circle with your pin tool.
When the circles are dry you can enlarge the holes with a
needle file.
Depending on how you intend to use the bead, you may
want to put the holes on the edge of the circle, where the
2 halves join, so that the cord passes horizontally through
the bead. To do this: after you cut the circles out, use the
quadrant guides on the circle template to make 2 tiny
marks, half-way around the bead at opposite points along
the equator. To assemble the bead, follow Steps 1011.
Once youve put the 2 halves together, enlarge the holes
with a needle file.
To finish your bead follow Steps 1417.
What to do if you dont have a flex-shaft or Dremel
.
You can enlarge a starter hole, very gently, with a
needle file. It helps to have made a tiny starter hole
with your pin tool in the fresh clay after you cut out
the circle. You can also make both holes in the clay
while its fresh with a brass tube or straw, but its
easier to make 2 holes that match perfectly by wait-
ing and drilling them together. N
Celie Fago
is a Vermont-based jewelry artist who
works in metal clay, metal, and polymer
clay. She is one of eight Senior Instructors
with the Rio Rewards Certification Pro-
gram. In addition to her numerous arti-
cles published on PMC
and polymer,
she also worked with Tim McCreight on
the video Push Play for PMC
: Intermedi-
ate Techniques. Celies latest book is Keum-Boo on Silver.
For more on Celie and her work, visit her Web site,
www.celiefago.com.
16
17
Ceramic beads (bisque
or glazed)
PMC3
paste
PMC3
syringe
PMC
Sheet
Punches
Tweezers or chain nose
pliers
Medium and detail
brushes
Chenille pipe cleaners
Styrofoam
8001000-grit
sandpaper
Water
Kiln or torch
Stilts and nichrome wire
for firing glazed beads
What you need
Skill level
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Working on several beads at one time, assembly line style, is the most ef-
ficient way to make these silver beads. A Styrofoam
block with standing

chenille pipe stems is a great tool to use while painting the beads with the
PMC
. By the time you paint the last bead, the first bead is usually dry
enough to coat again.
Coat the end of a ceramic bead with PMC3
paste, going just inside

the lip of the hole. Coating the end of the bead, down into the hole,
will keep the silver from shrinking back, exposing the edge of the hole
when the clay shrinks during firing. You dont need to coat it all the way
down into the hole, but I do. Repeat this process 5 times on each end of
the bead.
1
PMC
is an incredible and revolutionary product. Unfortunately, a solid

PMC
bead can be costly in materials and time, making it hard to sell or mark
up for a decent profit margin. So, for a couple of years I searched for an arma-
ture that would allow me to make a custom silver bead that would have a
good markup. It would need to be easy and fast, yet look great.
After collaborating with a manufacturer, and testing lots of beads, we
came up with a line of clay beads that are sturdy, consistent, inexpensive, and
work well with PMC3
products. Working with these beads has saved me a

lot of time and money. Whether you sell your work or just create for yourself,
Imsure youll enjoy making these beads.
Metal and ceramic clays make a dynamic duo.
BY TONYA DAVIDSON
LJMS-050058-silvered.qxd 10/6/05 12:52 PM Page 28
The silver around the hole should be dry before inserting
the bead onto a chenille stem. Make sure to use a che-
nille stem, because they are soft. A regular pipe cleaner is
rough and might remove what you applied to the hole in
Step 1. Apply 5 coats to the entire bead, drying between
each coat. If youre making several beads at one time, which
I recommend for efficiency, your beads will dry by the time
you get back to the first bead. Its good to paint the PMC3
in one direction on one coat, and then switch directions for

the next coat; this assures full coverage and also covers
brush strokes. Applying more coats will give you a smoother
finish and pre-sanding the clay beads with an emery board
will yield an even smoother finish.
Sand the dried, paste-covered beads with 8001000-grit
sandpaper. Use care not to file more than 1 layer of
PMC3
off. If youre going to do heavy sanding, apply 6

coats of paste to your bead. If after firing, you notice that
you have sanded off too much in any area, simply reapply
the PMC3
and fire again.

Working with the sheet in a single layer works very well and
yields a nice look but you can laminate multiple sheets to-
gether to get a more 3-D look from your punch outs. To
laminate sheets, take a brush, slightly damp with water,
and paint the surface of the sheet. Then take a second
sheet and lay it on top of the first sheet. Repeat to make a
laminate of 4 layers. Apply something heavy on top of
these laminated sheets and wait about 10 minutes.
After Ive cut out my shapes, I prefer to prefire them
(see Step 5) before applying to the bead. This isnt com-
pletely necessary; however, theyre easier to apply and
retain a more pristine shape after tumbling.
To conserve the sheet, I find that working upside down
with the punches helps me have less waste. Im able to
work very closely to the areas that are already cut out,
keeping the shape Im working on very close to the
edge. If you work from the top of the punch, you really
cant see the sheet underneath very well.
The waste you have from making cutouts in your sheet can
also be used to help futher the conservation effort. The
scraps can be added to your scrap jar to make paste; be
fired and then used as collage pieces; or after firing, cut
and applied to your pieces when the design requires this
look. You can also use the sheet, after youve made as
many cutouts from it as possible, by cutting it in a pleasing
way and using the negative space as a design element.
TIPS FOR USING
THE PMC

SHEET
2
3
You can also decorate the beads using PMC
Sheet. I like to use paper punches in all different

shapes. Choose the punch you want to use and
punch out a shape from the PMC
Sheet.
Prefire the cut-out shapes. To fire the punched-out
sheet shapes, you have 2 choices. One is to fire
them with the torch for about 30 seconds at the or-
ange glow stage. Be careful not to get too close, as
the sheets are so thin that theyll melt down very easi-
ly. Or for efficiency, fire a whole load of them in the
kiln. PMC
Sheet is fired at 1650F for 10 minutes.

To apply shapes, hold your shape with tweezers
and use a small detail brush to paint a line of
paste onto your shape. Apply the shape (paste side
down) to your bead, applying pressure with your fin-
ger. This is a quick press and release movement. Ex-
cess paste will be extruded from underneath the
shape, allowing the paste to act as glue. Remove
the excess paste on the surface of your shape after
it dries by carefully sanding those areas.
If your design calls for other embellishments, you
can apply stones and casting grains to the bead using
the PMC3
syringe.
Let the bead dry and then fire to 1650F for 10
minutes. Allow the beads to cool down to 300F
and then crack the kiln an inch to cool more quickly
to room temperature.
Once the beads have cooled, they need to be fin-
ished. Insert the chenille stick back into your bead.
Using chain nose pliers or tweezers, curl the ends of the
pipe cleaner. This will prevent the shot from getting
stuck inside your beads when theyre being tumbled.
Add mixed stainless steel shot, burnishing compound,
and the beads into the tumble. You can also finish
these beads using a brass brush instead of tumbling.
Tumble for an hour.
If you want, you can patina or enamel the finished
beads. You can also apply PMC3
to beads that have

already been glazed and fired. Glazes are fired at 1823F
or cone 06, a higher temperature than PMC
can handle
so be sure you add PMC
after the glazing is done. To

embellish glazed beads with PMC3
, apply shapes,
paste, or syringe as described earlier. But before firing
4
5
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them they need to be stilted, due to the glazing. Glaze is
glass frit made for ceramic applications. When heated to
1650F it becomes liquid and will stick to any surface it
touches except nichrome wire. Stilting is the process of rais-
ing a glazed piece off any surface in the kiln by using a
nichrome high-fire wire, which comes in different shapes.
Most stilts have the nichrome wire sharpened to a point and
fired directly in porcelain shapes.
Fire the beads at 1650F for 10 minutes. Allow the kiln
and the beads to cool as in Step 8. When removing the
beads from the wires, there will often be stilt marks left be-
hind. Stilt marks are small deposits of glass which will need
to be sanded down by hand using either a stilting stone, or a
dremel with a grinding stone attached.
You can also torch fire these clay beads with PMC
ap-
plied either on the bare bisque or glazed bead. Just remem-
bertorch firing is not as good as kiln firing. I recommend
concentrating your torch fire on the bead for at least 510
minutes. You can also torch fire preglazed beads with
PMC3
applications. The glaze doesnt start to move at

that temperature, and they dont need to be stilted while
torch firing.
Your beads are now complete and ready to be incorporat-
ed into your next bead creation. N
Tonya Davidson
is an international award-winning silver clay artist
and a Senior Instructor for PMC Connection. She
is also a bead artist, lampworker, and owns a
paint-it-yourself pottery studio in Tucson, AZ.
Tonya specializes is setting up and certifying
shops and studios in PMC
across the US. See

more of Tonyas work, as well as other great
PMC
tools, on her Web site at www.wholelottawhimsy.com. Tonya

can be contacted via e-mail at Tonya@wholelottawhimsy.com.
11
Silver Braided Ring
Setting a stone in a metal clay ring.
BY PATRICIA WALTON
10 grams Slow Dry Art
Clay
Silver
Art Clay
Paste (small
amount)
Fine silver, 5mm round
four-prong setting
5mm round faceted
stone
Non-stick work surface
Empty syringe
Craft knife
Paper clip
Small round tip brush
Flat brush
Ring-sizer set or ad-
justable plastic strip
sizer
Ring mandrel
Teflon
sheet, 1"x 3"

Small, hand-held bu-
tane torch
Butane fuel
Firing brick
Small half round file
Tweezers
Stainless steel wire
brush
Burnisher
Rubber block
Rawhide mallet
Makeup sponge
Wet wipes
Wet/dry sandpaper,
600-, 1200-, and
2000-grit
Hair dryer or dehydrator
Fine point, half round
jewelry pliers (jewelry
pliers dont have teeth)
Wenol
metal polish
and soft polish cloth
Small amount of olive
oil for lubricant
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Skill level
This project was created using Art Clay
Silver and fine silver findings. Art

Clay
Silver is a relatively new material on the market. It is comprised of fine

precious-metal particles, an organic binder, and water. When fired at a high
temperature, the binder and the water burn away and the metal sinters to create
fine silver (99.9%) or gold (22K). There are 2 brands currently on the market,
PMC
and Art Clay
. The artist who created this project works in Art Clay
and
recommends using it for this project due to its slow-drying nature.
Art Clay
Slow Dry is a unique metal clay product which can be easily ex-
truded through a syringe to create uniform ropes. These ropes are then quickly
braided into this wonderful ring project. Art Clay
Paste, a thinner version of Art Clay
, is used to fill in
any gaps or cracks. Using an Art Clay
, fine silver,
four-prong setting allows you to set a faceted stone in
minutes. And if you think you need a kiln to create
this ring, think again! A small, hand-held butane torch
transforms the dry Art Clay
ring into 99.9% fine silver

in minutes. The entire project, start to finish, can be
completed in 2 to 3 hours.
Setting up.
Determine your ring size by finding the ring sizer that
fits the finger your ring will be worn on. Then, choose
the ring sizer that is 1
1
2 sizes bigger. (For example, if your
finger measures a size 6, make the ring a size 7
1
2.) The
additional size will compensate for the approximate 10%
shrinkage that occurs when the binder and water burn off.
Roll up a Teflon
strip approximately 1
1
2" wide and
tape it closed so it can slip inside the appropriate larger
ring sizer. Next, slide the Teflon
strip onto the ring man-

drel and tape it directly onto the mandrel. The appropri-
ate-sized ring sizer is then slipped on over the Teflon
strip. With both the Teflon
strip and ring sizer in place

on the mandrel, make a pencil mark all the way around
the ring sizer along both edges onto the Teflon
strip.
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1
What you need
LJMS-050058-BRAID 10/6/05 2:35 PM Page 32
These marks will act as guides when making the ring. Now
you can remove the ring sizer, leaving the correct ring size
marking in pencil on the Teflon
strip.
The opening at the end of the syringe should be about
2mm. If the syringe opening is too small, cut about 1mm
off the end with a craft knife to create a larger opening. You
are now ready to open the 10 grams of Art Clay
Slow Dry
Clay. Divide the clay in half and store one half in a small, air-
tight container for later use.
Slow Dry Clay needs to be kneaded with your fingers until
soft and warm before you can use it. Knead the clay, then
hand-form a rope that is small enough to fit easily into the
empty syringe.
Remove the syringe plunger. Place the straightened end of
a paper clip into the tip of the syringe and add the rope of
clay. Replace the plunger and slowly depress to compress
the clay in the syringe. The presence of the paper clip will
prevent any air pockets from forming. Remove the clip when
the clay begins to extrude through the opening. Tip: Always
keep the tip of the filled syringe in a container of water when
not in use. This will prevent air from drying the clay while it is
in the syringe. Once the project is complete, remove any left-
over clay and clean the syringe.
You will need 5 extruded ropes, 3 for braiding and 2 to at-
tach to the edges of the ring. I advise extruding only the 3
for braiding at this point. Press the plunger slowly and ex-
trude 3 equal ropes, side by side, onto a non-stick
work surface. 4" ropes will easily create a ring up to
a size 6. For each additional half size, add 2mm to
the length of each rope. Return the syringe to the
container of water.
Moisten the extruded ropes with a damp brush.
Braid to the end, keeping the ropes damp as you
go. Secure the ends by pressing with your finger or
sculpting tool to flatten the last
1
8" of the braid. Add
paste to keep the ends together if needed.
Dampen the braid and transfer it to the ring man-
drel, positioning it over the pencil marks on the
Teflon
sheet. Let the ends overlap, and using a

craft knife, remove the excess. Line up the ends and
join using the paste applied with a brush.
2
3
4
5
6
Place the excess clay in the airtight container for lat-
er use.
Using tweezers, place the fine silver, 5mm setting
over the joint area. The setting should be pressed
into the wet clay up to the second wire. Add paste,
if needed, to fill the area up to the second wire, se-
curing the setting in place. Leaving the ring on the
mandrel, dry it using a hair dryer or dehydrator for at
least 15 minutes. The clay will turn a lighter gray
when dry Slow Dry takes five times longer to dry
than regular Art Clay
.
When dry, extrude 2 more ropes using the remain-
ing Slow Dry in the syringe. Attach one rope to
each side of the braid using paste applied with a
small brush.
Cut the ends of the ropes at an angle and join
each on the back of the ring, opposite the 5mm
stone setting. Dry again until the added ropes are
completely dry.
Remove the Teflon
sheet and the ring from the

mandrel. Carefully remove the Teflon
sheet from
the inside of the ring. If it sticks, dry the ring off of
the mandrel for a few more minutes. Once the
Teflon
is removed from inside the ring, check all

contact points on the inside and outside of the ring,
adding paste to fill in any gaps or cracks. Dry com-
pletely before refining.
Refine the ring by filing with small files or sanding using
600- and 1200-grit dry sandpaper. All seams and joints
should be invisible. Save all the filings as they can be added
to your paste jar. Any and all unfired Art Clay
, wet or dry,
can be reconstituted and reused, so dont dispose of any of
it. You can further perfect your ring by smoothing with a wet
wipe or a damp makeup sponge. Let dry again.
Once you are pleased with your final clay shape, you are
ready to fire your creation using a small hand-held butane
torch. Since there are many torch brands available, be sure
to read the instructions included with your torch on filling the
torch with fuel, igniting it, and flame adjustment. Firing
should be done in a well-ventilated area clear of any flamma-
ble materials.
Place the ring on a firing block. Have a timer or a watch
with a second hand available to time the sintering. Light the
torch and direct the end of the flame about 1" from the ring.
The flame should be directed at a 45 angle and kept mov-
ing in a circle around the ring. The ring will begin to smoke
and flame for a few seconds as the non-toxic binder burns
away. The larger the piece, the more smoke and flames will
occur. You can successfully fire clay creations that weigh
less than 26 grams and have an area smaller than the size
of a half dollar. Continue to circle the ring until it begins to
glow orange dimming or turning out the lights will make it
easier to see the glow. The color you are watching for is the
same one metalsmiths use for annealing metal. Adjust the
distance and speed of circling to maintain that rosy/peach
color for 2 minutes. Timing begins only after the orange glow
is achieved. During the firing time, the micro particles of the
clay sinter to create a solid ring. After 2 minutes, turn off the
torch and allow the ring to cool.
Using metal tweezers, you can place the ring on a metal
surface to help draw off the heat, or use the cool setting on
a hair dryer to help bring the temperature down.
All fired fine silver clay will be white, whether kiln or torch
fired. When heated to the proper temperature the clay
goes through a process called sintering. The resulting topog-
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raphy of the surface is one in which the micro particles of sil-
ver are randomly positioned producing the white appearance.
When finished via wire brushing, tumbling, burnishing, or pol-
ishing, the beauty of 99.9% pure silver is revealed.
To finish the ring, support it on a rubber block and brush
with a stainless steel fine-wire brush. The silver will become
noticeable immediately and will have a satin finish. You can
stop at this point or you can continue by highlighting areas
with a polished steel burnisher. If you filed, sanded, and
smoothed your ring in the clay state, very little effort will be
needed to finish the ring. If you want to take the finishing
process further, you can: sand the ring using dampened
wet/dry 600-, 1200-, and 2000-grit sandpaper to create a
mirror finish; use a metal polish such as Wenol
on a soft
cloth to achieve a high polish; or use any traditional metal-
smithing finishing techniques including tumble finishing.
If your ring is not round, place on a steel ring mandrel and
tap lightly using a rawhide mallet, being careful to avoid
the four-prong setting.
The four-prong setting has a small notch near the top and
on the inside of each prong as a seat for the girdle of the
stone. Place the stone into the setting. Adjust the prongs us-
ing pliers or tweezers until the stone sits perfectly in the
notches. Secure the stone by placing fine-point half round or
flat nose pliers on opposing prongs. Slightly rock the pliers
back and forth until the tips begin to lie over the girdle of the
stone. Place one face of the pliers under the edge of the ring
and the other face on the prong and gently press the prong
onto the face of the stone. Work on opposite prongs
until all four prongs are tightened. Check to make
sure the stone will not move in the setting and that
the stone is level. Place the ring onto the mandrel
and carefully burnish the tips smooth. Your ring is
now ready to show off, wear, and enjoy. N
Patricia Walton
Before creating jewelry with Art Clay
products six years

ago, Patricia Walton spent the last three decades as a tradi-
tional metalsmith, jewelry artist, and instructor. She is an
Art Clay
Master Instructor. Patricia calls Utah home but

spends about two weeks each month traveling, demon-
strating, and teaching as Western Education Director for
Art Clay
World, USA. She can be contacted by e-mail at

waltons@windance.net. Check out the Art Clay
Web site
at www.artclayworld.com for classes as well as product
information.
12
13
START WORKING ON THE PROJECTS YOU WANT TO MAKE! START WORKING ON THE PROJECTS YOU WANT TO MAKE!
PROJECT PLANS
PROJECT PLANS
Jewelry.com Jewelry.com
From the Editors of Lapidary Journal
Choose the projects that interest you, purchase on-line and
well e-mail the project directly to your computer.
No waiting! Start today!
Carving Alabaster Sterling Silver
Scrap Bracelet
Garnet Bracelet &
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Choose from over 40 projects online. Most priced at $4 each
(multi-part projects are $5 each).
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From the Editors of
300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100, Malvern PA 19355
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What you need
Bead Caps
Make your own metal clay findings.
BY GINGER SEIPLE
When working with metal-based clay [the author used Precious Metal
Clay (PMC
) for this project] you should make sure you have a good work
surface. I use a PVC board with a piece of clear, flexible plastic over the
board for easy removal of small components. The plastic sheets used for
report covers work well.
In this project, you will be using Styrofoam
as a base for your beads. It

is important to have a well-ventilated space for firing; when the Styrofoam
burns up, noxious, toxic fumes are released. It is very important that you
not inhale these fumes.
Before beginning, organize all of your equipment and work-
space. Also plan your texturing design and gather
all texturing tools/items.
Prepare Styrofoam
balls for bead cap forms

by first piercing them with the awl or sharp-point-
ed tool. Create a hole that is large enough to allow
the large drinking straw through snugly. Place the
Styrofoam balls onto the straw, leaving 1" of
straw sticking out.
2 Styrofoam balls, 1" in
diameter
White glue
2 drinking straws plus 1
cocktail straw
Awl or tool with sharp
point
PMC+
in both lump
form and slip
Olive oil
Texturing tools and
items with texture
Tissue blade or X-Acto
knife
Water
Paintbrush
Sponge
Dry sanding sponge
Color shaper (available
at most art supply
stores)
Playing cards
PVC rolling tool
Plastic wrap
Liver of Sulfur or silver
blackening agent of your
choice
Sagger box or red clay
flowerpot saucers along
with vermiculite for
support during firing so
shape is maintained
Kiln with good pyrometer
Brass wire brush
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1
Skill level
LJMS-050058-beadca 10/7/05 12:58 PM Page 36
Dip the straws in the large jar of glue until the entire ball is
well-coated. (Most any glue would do; I use Sobo because
the container has a wide mouth, allowing me to dip easily.)
Allow excess glue to drip back into the jar; this not only de-
creases the mess but also prevents too much glue from
pooling on the bottom of the form and distorting the shape.
Put the forms aside to dry. Empty PMC
boxes work great for

this. It is also a good idea to place the PMC
box on top of a
disposable plastic lid while drying, in case glue drips from
the straw.
Cut 34" off the long end of the straw, leaving enough to
use as a handle when creating the bead cap. Lay the straw
across the empty box, allowing the roundness to rest in the
empty box cavity. This also allows any excess glue to drip
into the box. Any distortion from pooled glue on the bottom
of the form can be easily molded back into round with light
pressure from your fingertips.
You will need to allow 24 hours for drying time.
One more thing can be done at this time. This project
uses decorative plugs that are also created out of
PMC+
. They need to be dry when used to embellish the

bead caps. Because air-drying the clay is preferred over
forced drying, which sometimes warps or curls the PMC
, it
is a good idea to prepare them now.
Oil your hands very lightly and roll out a small amount of
PMC+
between 2 stacks of 7 playing cards. (PMC
dries out
very quickly; it is important to rewrap the clay as soon as pos-
sible.) Using the large drinking straw, cut out 8 circles, blow-
ing them gently out of the straw if need be. Try not to distort
their shape. Set these aside on a piece of clear plastic wrap,
then fold the plastic over on itself to keep the PMC
moist.
Now use the small
cocktail straw to
cut another 8
circles.
Because
they are some-
times hard to
blow out without
mistakes, quickly re-
ball them to a round
shape. Rewrap any ex-
cess PMC
.
Gently make a dimple
into each of the small
circles with a ball-ended
clay tool or design of your
choice. You should not press
so hard that the edges crack. Set these
aside to dry. Now texture each of the larg-
er circles the same way. Try not to distort the
shape of the original circle.
My design shows matching textures for symmetry,
but a confetti or patchwork design would be just as
attractive. Also, if you are a lampwork artist, you can
duplicate or complement the design of your focal
bead. (I originally developed this project for a PMC
class I taught to lampwork artists and the levels they

took it to were breathtaking.) Set these aside to dry
as well. Note: These plugs will be thicker than the
wall of the bead cap, but dont worry. Your finished
bead cap will have more dimension because of the
plugs thickness. When both the Styrofoam
balls
and the embellishment plugs are dry, you are ready
to create your bead cap.
Lightly oil hands. Roll out a 5-card thick-
ness of PMC+
. Should you desire a

thicker base for dry carving, use a 6- or 7-
card thickness. Cut out a 1
3
8" circle. Use a
compass for accuracy. Cut out the center of the
circle with the cut-off end of the large drink-
ing straw (6mm hole). Then slice through
the clay from inner circle to outer edge.
Wrap the clay loosely around the pre-
pared Styrofoam form, like a cape,
evenly overlapping the excess. Cut
off the excess. Important: Cut
straight down, as from north to
south. You will be cutting some ex-
cess off of both edges of the cut
circle. By cutting the excess this
way, the circle shape will be main-
tained and your bead cap will
be uniform.
Now rewrap clay around the
form, not loosely this time, and cut
off any excess over 23mm.
Repackage any excess clay. Use
your rubber-tipped color shaper to
smooth the overlap until the
seam is
invisible. If the clay is not
fresh, you may need to
slightly moisten the rubber
tip of the shaping tool.
2
3
Mark 4 symmetrical areas on the PMC
-covered bead
cap. Wet each area well with your paintbrush, then
press the larger dried plugs into the wet clay.
Push well into the clay to ensure a good
moisture bond. Add a drop of water to the
edge of the plug to help suck them to-
gether. The water should not run all
over the piece dab up any excess
with your sponge. Repeat the process
with the smaller plugs, evenly spacing
them between the larger ones. You
will notice they extend a little out of the
wet PMC
, which will give your piece di-

mension. If you have properly moist-
ened the area and pushed it in well,
they will fuse without any problems.
Texture all surfaces around the plugs. Texture while
wet or let dry and carve.
Roll out a 3-card thickness of PMC+
and cut out a

5
8" circle. Cut the cen-
ter out of the circle with a drinking
straw. Wet the bead cap around the
straw area, also wet the inner circle of
the
5
8" circle, then slide the donut-
shaped piece over the straw and press to seal it to the
bead cap. If needed, use a paintbrush with a little water
or slip on it to help seal the collar to the bead cap
body. Make sure your seal is complete all around. Tex-
ture collar if desired.
Once you are satisfied with your texturing, you must prop
your bead cap sculpture to allow complete drying. I prefer
air-drying to decrease the chance of splits and cracks in
rounded forms. Periodically check for cracks. Use slip to fill
minor cracks or separation. Homemade slip works, but if it is
a fair-sized crack, it may take several applications. If a crack
is significant, its better to fill in with lump PMC+
or syringe
PMC+
rather than slip. Use a damp sponge or a sanding

sponge to smooth all of the edges. Retexture if need be. To
allow even drying, you can use the same method to dry as
you did with the glue: lay the straw across an empty plastic
PMC
box, cradling the bead cap in the empty well of the

box. Repeat steps 3 through 7 for a matching bead cap.
When the bead caps are thoroughly dried and crack-free
and you are satisfied with your textured effect and finish-
ing, cut off the excess straw. Sand the inner diameter of the
bead cap collar until it is smooth. If any piece of the straw is
left, it will be burned out during firing.
Prop the bead caps on a
bed of vermiculite, in a
clay saucer or a sagger
box. Add vermiculite
around bead caps
for support.
Place in a kiln
and fire at 1650F
for 10 minutes. Ac-
tively ventilate (remem-
ber those Styrofoam
fumes). Allow the kiln to cool to 400F before opening.
Use the brass brush and detergent, under water, to clean
off binder residue, or tumble-polish to remove the residue
and to burnish. Use Liver of Sulfur or a patinating agent of
your choice to show off your texturing. Make sure that Liver
of Sulfur is prepared with gloves and used with good ventila-
tion.
Burnish to give shine and contrast, or brush for matte ef-
fect. String it on either side of your favorite PMC
, glass, or
stone bead and wear it with pride. Suggestion: try scalloping
or undulating the edges for variation or a unique look. N
Ginger Seiple
is a metalsmith who is passionate about Precious
Metal Clay. She is guild-certified and teaches
PMC
classes in Ohio. She is President of the Ohio

Chapter of the PMC
Guild, the largest and most

active state chapter in the nation. Her work can be
found in galleries, museums, juried art venues, or
on her Web site at www.wildindigo.net. Ginger
can be contacted by e-mail at wildindigo@peoplepc.com.
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Clay paper collage is stylistically and technically unique.
This painterly technique is capable of creating rich colors
and spatial illusion. Multicolored clay adheres to the
black background of photocopies that become clay pa-
pers. Once baked, the clay papers are torn and glued
onto baked clay to make a collage. Here we will borrow
images from ancient aboriginal rock art.
Condition the clay, starting with a wad about the size of
2 walnuts (1 oz. or so), by rolling it into a snake be-
tween the palms of your hands, then doubling it. You can
also condition clay by
rolling it through a pasta
machine until pliable.
Twist the doubled snake.
Repeat the process of
rolling the twisted piece
into a snake, then dou-
bling and twisting at least
10 times or until the clay
is soft and pliable. Al-
though some brands of
clay are already soft when
they come out of the
package, they still need
conditioning for strength.
Petrograph Pins
Polymer clay pictures from the past.
BY GWEN GIBSON
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What you need
Skill level
2 oz. white clay
4 oz. black clay
2 oz. turquoise clay (or
1 oz. bright, multicol-
ored scrap clay in lieu
of gold, blue, and
turquoise)
2 oz. each metallic
gold and blue clay
Red ochre, turquoise,
and/or yellow ochre
acrylic paint
Work surface
Tissue blade
Bone folder (a tapered
bone used in book-
making)
Large wedge-shaped col-
or shaper (a neoprene-
tipped tool used to
blend color)
Cyanoacrylate glue gel
Sobo glue
Sharp scissors
Plexiglas roller or pasta
machine
Waxed paper
Paper towels
Water jar
Hair dryer
Photocopies of white im-
ages on a black back-
ground; gray tones dont
work (a positive black-
on-white image can be
reversed to white on
black on a color photo-
copier and then photo-
copied on a copier that
uses standard toner)
LJMS-050058-PETRO 10/5/05 1:31 PM Page 39
Create a 3" x 3" multicolored pad of clay by marbling to-
gether turquoise, metallic gold, and blue, or flatten a col-
orful wad of clay scrap into a pad. Your pad needs to be a
little larger than your photocopied image.
Cut out your photocopied image, leaving a small section
for a pull-tab. Fold up the pull-tab and place the photo-
copy face-down on the clay. Firmly stroke the paper with
the bone folder to ensure good con-
tact with the clay. Blow with the
hairdryer (set on warm) for about
30 seconds.
Allow the clay to stand with
the photocopy attached for
about 15 to 30 min-
utes (youll
have to ex-
periment
with the tim-
ing). Again,
blow with the
hairdryer for about 30 seconds.
Grasp the tab and pull the paper from the clay in one
smooth, firm motion. It takes a little experience to know
just how fast too slow and the ink remains on the clay,
too fast and the clay tears off in chunks. The clay should
adhere in a thick layer to the black areas of the paper,
leaving a white image. If the prepared clay pad is free of
ink, it can be used again, the previous image showing
faintly as a ghost image. Older photocopiers work the best,
and some clays work more easily than others. It might
take a few tries before you find the perfect clay and toner.
Make several clay papers.
Prepare a 2" x 2" base for the collage by rolling black
clay on the thickest setting of the pasta machine, or use
the roller to flatten it to
1
8" thick. Bake along with the clay
papers according to the clay manufacturers directions.
Once the paper is baked, color the white image by applying
a thick layer of acrylic paint to the back of the clay paper.
Soak the paper in water for a minute, then blot. With a col-
or shaper, push the paint into the paper behind the white
areas. By working from the back, the paint wont get on
the clay, but the white areas will absorb just enough color
to be tinted.
When the clay papers are dry, tear them into random
shapes. Affix them to the clay base with Sobo glue to
create an interesting juxtaposition of shapes and images.
Being careful to avoid air pockets, press the paper down
into the damp glue with your thumbs, working from the
center to the edges. Once the glue is dry, trim the collage
to suit your design. A sharp pair of scissors should cut
through the paper and the clay.
To begin the black-and-white striped border, roll out a
thin layer of black clay (#5 on most pasta machines) a
bit larger than the collage piece and place it on a piece of
waxed paper. (Its easier to remove waxed paper from clay
than it is to lift the clay from the table.) Apply glue around
the edges and the back of the baked collage pin. When
the glue is dry, place the collage on the thin layer of un-
baked clay, leaving a
1
4" border. This forms a base for the
striped border.
Make a 2" x 2" layered block of black and white clay,
rolled so the stripes are approx.
1
16" wide. Cut the block
into vertical slices approx.
1
8" thick, then cut the slices
into strips approx.
1
4" wide, perpendicular to the stripes.
Lay the strips on the thin border, pressing them firmly
against the sides of the collage piece.
Use a tissue blade to trim the top edge of the border so
that its flush with the collage; the blade should be angled
slightly to prevent it from slicing into the collage. Trim the
border to a desired thickness with straight
downward cuts of the blade.
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Peel the waxed paper off the back and bake the clay
according to manufacturers directions. Place under a
telephone book to cool. If the clay papers have come
unglued during the baking, apply tiny dabs of glue with a
toothpick and press down carefully to avoid smearing glue
on the top or clayed side of the paper.
Sand the area where the pin-back will be attached, then
glue the pin-back with cyanoacrylate glue gel. N
Gwen Gibson
has been working with polymer clay for more
than 16 years and has taught and exhibited the
medium for 14 years. She also studied painting
at the University of Michigan and the School of
Visual Arts in New York. Her interest in recre-
ating artifacts in polymer clay is explored in
the video Ancient Images. She can be contacted
via e-mail at gwengibson@gwengibson.com or on the Web at
www.gwengibson.com.
9
J
ewelry
A
rts
A
wards
Current Winners Online Now! Current Winners Online Now!
Christine Marie Noguere,
2004 Bead Arts Awards winner,
Best of competition Japanese cylinder
beads, pearls, rubber rings, brass and ultrasuede.
Photo: Phil Pope.
Richard P. Homer, 2004 Gemmys
winner, Best of competition
Nautilus cut 31.37-ct. citrine.
Photo: Robert Weldon.
Application online January 2006!
Deadline: July 1, 2006
Application online October 2005!
Deadline: April 1, 2006
Application online September 2005!
Deadline: March 1, 2006
WIN THE RECOGNITION YOU DESERVE
Enter Our Contests at www.lapidaryjournal.com/contest
Marie Scarpa, 2005 Jewelry Arts Awards
winner, Best of competition
18K yellow gold and platinum,
blue-green tourmaline,
3-4mm ruby, lavender,
yellow, and blue
sapphire,
amethyst,
aquamarine,
blue-green
tourmaline,
and
spessartite
garnet.
PROJECT PLANS
PROJECT PLANS
Scrap Bracelet
Garnet Bracelet &
Cluster Earrings
From the Editors of
The variety of metal clays now on the market allows one
to instantly make almost anything in fine silver or gold. No
molds, no casting, just form it with your fingers and a few
simple tools or stamps, let it dry out, fire it, finish it, and its
ready to use. This is an incredible boon for all jewelers, but es-
pecially those of us without casting studios.
To make this clasp, you can use any flavor of metal clay that
you like. I use PMC+
for several reasons I like the texture (it

reminds me of working with porcelain or terra cotta clay) and
the 12% shrinkage factor is just right for me. Each brand and
version of metal clay offers a different texture and has its own
recommended firing schedule. The directions that follow are
for 1 oz. of silver PMC+
. You will achieve best results with a

proper work surface Teflon
baking sheets are wonderful.

I work on a plastic/resin table that I lightly coat with olive
oil. I use a thin sheen of olive oil on my hands and on my
rubber stamps as well, so the clay wont stick.
To make a large toggle bar, cut off
1
4 of your ounce of clay
and compress it into an elongated shape.
Put the remaining
3
4 of the clay under a lit-
tle plastic cup, or wrap it in plastic wrap
right away so it doesnt dry out. I can keep
the clay fresh on a lightly oiled tabletop, un-
der a plastic medicine cup, for a full day.
Its important to use compression to
lengthen your bar, rather than pulling on it,
1 oz. of PMC+
, or a
comparable amount of
your favorite formula
2" of 18-gauge wire, or
an 18-gauge head pin, to
wire a bail on the button
1
2" of 14-gauge fine sil-
ver wire to form a bail for
the toggle bar (optional)
Olive oil (a few drops to
lightly coat your hands,
tools, and work surface)
Digitally controlled kiln,
suitable for firing metal
clay
Drinking straw or metal
pick to make holes in
the clay
Stamps or tools for
texture (optional)
Roller, flat block or oiled
rubber stamp to com-
press the clay into a
sheet for the toggle ring
Round canape cutters or
sharp craft knife to cut
out toggle ring
Round nose pliers, to
bend toggle bar bail
(optional)
1
What you need
Skill level
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Silver Clasps
Metal clay toggle and button clasps.
BY KATE McKINNON
LJMS-050058-CLASPS 10/5/05 1:36 PM Page 42
because you want to minimize porosity and
dont want to trap any air bubbles inside. Re-
member: its going to shrink between 530%, de-
pending on the clay you choose.
When your bar is formed, texture it however you like. I love
using rubber stamps for background texture.
When youre satisfied with the shape and youve com-
pleted your surface decoration, either insert a bail or
make a hole. I use 14-gauge fine silver wire to make my
bails because it can be fired along with the clay. If you
choose to use a different type of wire (sterling or copper), in-
sert it into a hole after firing. Bend a little length of wire with
your round nose pliers and then insert the wire gently into
the finished toggle bar. When the clay fires, the shrinkage
brings the clay tightly around the wire bail. Spreading the bot-
tom of the bail a bit before inserting it into the clay helps
trap the bail in the bar during firing.
A hole works just as well, if you dont want the bail. When
making holes in metal clay, youll get good results if you use
a small drinking straw, or if you gently drill the hole by twirling
a metal pick or an oiled toothpick. You dont want to push
through the clay because you might distort the shape and the
texture that youve created. Remember that the hole will
shrink, too, so make it a little bigger than you need.
Sometimes I fire my pieces with a little place holder
of steel rod in the hole to control its diameter. Wood-
en toothpicks work too, but they burn up in the kiln.
I like to minimize fumes and toxicity in the studio
so I dont use paper, clay, wood, styrofoam, or other
burn-out materials. If Im going to make a hollow
form, I prefer to make halves, as Celie Fago teaches,
and attach them with slip when theyre leather hard.
To make the toggle ring and button, roll out or
compress the remaining
3
4 of your ounce of clay.
Try to keep it round to minimize waste. Most people
prefer to roll the clay, using little stacks of cards or
small flat bars on either side to keep the sheet of
clay even. I just compress a round ball of clay with
rubber stamps or flat pieces of wood and touch it up
with an oiled roller. Whichever way you choose to
flatten your clay, dont make your sheet too thin. If
youre using cards, keep it at least four cards thick.
To cut out my ring, I use a canape cutter. If you
dont have a suitable cutter, use a plastic circle tem-
plate and a craft knife. First, cut out the outside di-
ameter and smooth the edges with a moistened fin-
ger. Take the small amount of waste from the out-
side of the circle, roll it into a little ball, and set it
aside under plastic or put it in your slip jar. Next,
take a smaller circle cutter, or your craft knife, and
cut out the middle. Smooth all of the cut edges and
set the inner disc aside under plastic. It will become
the button for our second clasp.
With metal clay, the biggest difficulty that youll prob-
ably have is the speed with which the clay dries as
soon as you remove it from the package, it begins to
dry. Some people work with their clay under plastic
wrap, others mist it lightly with water. I choose to work
quickly on the shape and finish the edges the second I
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cut them. I quickly get my form, smooth my cuts, and
then I take my time with the detail.
Detail and texture your ring, make a hole in it,
and set it aside with the toggle bar to air-dry. If you
want to shape your ring into an oval, just gently dis-
tort it into that shape with your fingers as it lies flat
on the table, then let it dry that way.
Take the disc of clay that youve set aside and
make sure the edges are smooth. Next, texture it
as desired, and make 2 holes in it one in the mid-
dle and another near the edge. This will allow for a
center loop to attach to your piece and another one
to attach a clasp weight. For a regular button, just
make 1 or 2 holes in the center of the disc. Air-dry.
Before firing, inspect your air-dried pieces. Be careful
with them, as the unfired clay is fragile.
You have several opportunities to finish and carve your
metal clay pieces. There are many stages in between fresh,
wet clay and completely bone-dry clay. Some people choose
to detail their pieces after theyve dried to a state referred to
as leather-hard. This is the point when there is still some
moisture in the clay, but the surface is dry and the clay feels
cool and smooth. This is a nice stage to do carving, but
some people also choose to inscribe or file the clay when
its bone-dry. I dont like to file the clay after it begins to dry
because I dont want to breathe fine particles of metal dust.
If youre going to carve or file bone-dry metal clay, I advise
that you use proper ventilation and a fine particle respirator
meant for metalwork.
To avoid the dust issue completely, I choose to finish all
of my metal clay pieces while the clay is fresh and wet. This
is why I pay close attention to smoothing my edges immedi-
ately, so that I wont have to go back and file them later.
When your pieces are completely dry, place them in the
kiln and fire them. Although many of the newer metal clays
can be fired for very short amounts of time, I recommend fir-
ing at the full temperature and for the full time because
short firings at lower temperatures result in more porous
pieces.
When you fire the metal clay, youre burning out the organ-
ic binders, and allowing the particles of metal to fuse togeth-
er. Firing PMC+
for 10 minutes will definitely burn out the

binder and fuse the metal into the form that you modeled,
but it will not result in the strongest molecular bond. Firing at
full time/full temperature is the best way to ensure the
strongest possible result and when making clasps, you
need all of the strength that solid metal offers.
I fire my PMC+
for 2 hours at 1650F, then metalwork

and tumble the pieces, ending up with essentially solid,
hard, fine silver. You can break a poorly fired, porous, metal
clay piece with your hands a properly fired, hammered
piece is extremely strong and durable.
When the silver comes out of the kiln, your pieces will ap-
pear white on the surface. Place the pieces on a flat sur-
face (an anvil is ideal, but a concrete floor or metal tabletop
works too) and tap them with a hammer. Rotate the pieces
so youre sure to lightly hammer all sides. Feel free to ham-
mer strongly enough to add extra texture, if their shape can
take it. Next, brush them with a wire brush or pop them in a
tumbler until they have the finish you like best. You can
achieve a mirror finish by tumbling for an hour or more with
mixed stainless steel shot. Or, to get a nice matte brushed
finish, just brush the surface with your wire brush.
Patina the pieces, if you like, with liver-of-sulfur, Black
Max, or your favorite dip.
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Your toggles and clasps are now ready to add into your
stringing project. String the Lotus Pod beads with your
choice of any mix of beads.
To use the toggle and bar, attach your beaded strands to
a wrapped wire loop and then wrap a loop onto the toggle.
To use the button as a clasp, I suggest wiring a bail onto it.
You can use beading wire, waxed linen, silk, or whatever you
like to dangle the weight off of the button. I made mine with
size .019 Soft Flex
wire and glass beads. Its a classic look

thats beautiful on a bare back.
The possibilities for using these components are
endless. We hope these techniques add to your
beading repertoire and that you find lots of alterna-
tive uses for them to suit your needs. N
Kate McKinnon
teaches and exhibits internationally, and is
a frequent contributor to Lapidary Journal
and Step by Step Beads. Her classes focus
on design, construction, and clever solu-
tions to typical jewelry design problems.
She has authored two books on jewelry
design, and lives and works in Pacific
Grove, California.
9
10
PROJECT PLANS
PROJECT PLANS
Scrap Bracelet
Garnet Bracelet &
Cluster Earrings
From the Editors of
LJMS-050058-clasps2-p45 10/12/05 8:08 AM Page 45
1 oz. pearl, 1 oz. translu-
cent, and small amount of
silver polymer clay (I like
Premo!
because of its col-

or and durability)
Metallic bronze paint (I use
Lumiere
by Jacquard be-
cause its nice and thick,
resulting in good coverage)
Liquid Sculpey
(I prefer
this brand because of its
translucent quality)
Accent beads (I used an-
tique gold patterned beads
and 4mmhematite beads)
Bead end caps
Clasp
Bead thread
4" of 20-gauge gold wire
2 French wire earrings
Cheese grater devoted to
polymer clay use only
Slicing blade
Roller or brayer
Needle tool
Beading needle
Round nose pliers
E6000
Glue or Crazy Glue

What you need
Skill level
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A faux stone polymer technique.
BY PATRICIA KIMLE
My 6- and 9-year-old sons are budding rock-
hounds. Doing laundry was getting very noisy as
they kept bringing home treasures in
their jean pockets and forgetting
them until Id hand them back,
clean and rescued from the
bottom of the dryer. Instead of
fighting them over this situa-
tion, I decided to engage their
interest. We started looking
over their treasures and trying to
identify them. Id explain the types
of rock, how theyre formed, and we
often pored over the various stone cabo-
chons and bead strands in my supply cata-
logs. This Christmas, theyre probably going to get
a rock tumbler.
As a polymer clay artist, Ive often done imita-
tive techniques like faux ivory or faux jade. So, I
decided to see if I could come up with recipes and
techniques for other stones, including granite. My
oldest son recently picked up a faux granite
piece and said, Wow! Whered you get this cool
rock? I figured I was successful.
LJMS-050058-PINK 10/5/05 1:39 PM Page 46
Making the beads.
Using a hand-held cheese grater, shred the polymer clay
into a pile on a small tray or piece of aluminum foil. Toss
the bits to mix up the colors.
Add about
1
2 teaspoon of acrylic paint to the pile of clay
and thoroughly mix with your fingers or a palette knife. Let
the pile stand for a few minutes until the paint is mostly dry
or just slightly tacky.
Gather the bits of clay back together and compress into a
loaf without folding or twisting. Do not marble or blend the
color. Form a loaf approximately 1" W x 1" H x 2" L. Pack
the loaf tightly to eliminate as many air pockets and gaps as
possible by alternately pressing with your hands and rolling
with the brayer, or roller, to maintain the shape.
Slice the block lengthwise into 4 quarters. Slice
each quarter in half. This should yield 8 pieces
1
2"
x
1
2" x 1" long.
Pinch the ends of each piece into a football
shape, but try to maintain the squared corners. If
there are any deep fissures between the clay bits,
spread a bit of Liquid Sculpey
into the crevices.

Pierce the bead end to end.
Bake according to the manufacturers directions
on the package.
Sand with wet/dry sandpaper beginning with 320-
grit and progressing through 400- and 600-grit. Fin-
ish with 2 or 3 coats of a water-based varnish.
1
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LJMS-050058-PINK 10/5/05 1:40 PM Page 47
Finishing.
Measure the beads, or arrange on a beading tray,
to determine the length. The number of accent
beads at the back can be varied for a longer or short-
er necklace. Add 6" to the desired measurement and
double the total for the bead thread length needed.
Thread the needle and double the thread. Tie a
knot and add the bead end cap. String the beads
as arranged. Add the second bead cap and tie a
knot. Add a drop of E6000
or Crazy Glue to the

knots and trim the thread ends.
Using round nose pliers, close the loop on the bead
end caps. Attach clasp findings with jump rings.
Making earrings.
Cut 2" of 20-gauge gold wire. Form a tiny loop at one
end, string 1 hematite bead, 1 faux granite bead, and 1
hematite bead. Add a second loop. Open the top loop and at-
tach French wire. Close the loop.
Blue granite necklace.
The only change required to make the blue granite bead is
in the paint. Instead of metallic bronze, use metallic olive
green and pearl blue. Thats it! N
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 poly-
mer techniques around the country. More exam-
ples of Pattis work can be found at www.kimle
designs.com.
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LJMS-050058-PINK 10/5/05 1:40 PM Page 48
For subscription information, go to www.stepbystepwirejewelry.com and click on subscribe today,
or call 1-866-836-7865. For advertising information, call Karen Nuckols,
Ad Director at 610-232-5724 or e-mail, Karen.Nuckols@Primedia.com
AN EXCITING MAGAZINE LOADED WITH PROJECTS
FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE WIRE AND WIRE JEWELRY.
For subscription information, go to www.stepbystepwirejewelry.com and click on subscribe today,
or call 1-866-836-7865. For advertising information, call Karen Nuckols,
Ad Director at 610-232-5724 or e-mail, Karen.Nuckols@Primedia.com
AN EXCITING MAGAZINE LOADED WITH PROJECTS
FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE WIRE AND WIRE JEWELRY.
Step by Step Wire Jewelry is published four times a year.
LJMS-050058-049 10/17/05 12:41 PM Page 49
The long necklace shown at bottom right is a combination
of techniques learned from many artists. The necklace above
right combines caned clay beads with Bali silver and
hematite cubes. The shorter necklace, shown far right, is
17" and uses a larger focal bead embellished with plat-
inum-colored leaves, chunky hematite beads, and Bali
silver. The Memory Wire necklace, shown left, uti-
lizes a flower cane, two leaf canes, Bali silver,
hematite, and liquid silver.
Since the day I began working in polymer
clay, black and white canes and necklaces have
been a signature of my work. I still love the look
of always-elegant black and white, and I love to
work on updating the look of black and white in the
canes that I make. There are a couple of people that
have influenced me and the direction Ive taken in my art.
One of those people is Marie Segal, a pioneer in the art of poly-
mer clay. Marie is a very giving and sharing artist, who showed me
a variation of this cane about seven years ago. I have since changed it
and taken it in a direction that creates many different focal beads
with just one technique.
Most of the beads shown in these necklaces all started with this
one technique, a simple stacked cane that grades from black to
white, and were created by altering this simple stacked cane. A ba-
sic knowledge of polymer clay, Skinner blends, and reducing canes
is required to begin this project. I have found that working with
Premo!
polymer clay works for the canes that I make. There are a
lot of other brands of clay out there; you might want to try and see
which one works best for you.
Optional embellishments
for your beads:
Pearl polymer clay
Silver polymer clay
Darlin Designer Disks
(Large Leaves)
Clay gun or Sugar Craft
Gun
Your premade canes

reduced very small for
embellishing
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What you need
Skill level
To create the focal bead:
Black polymer clay
White polymer clay
Clay slicing blade
Pasta machine
Brayer, or smooth rolling
tool
Heavy duty magnet or
wooden block
Needle tool or rotary tool
for drilling
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Classic
Black and
White
One polymer cane with
many looks.
BY KATHY WEAVER
LJMS-050058-5051 10/6/05 1:00 PM Page 50
Creating a narrow Skinner blend.
Condition your black and white clay. Roll out the
clay into sheets on the number 1 (or thickest) setting
on the pasta machine. Cut rectangles out of each col-
or, approximately 2
1
2" x 5
1
2". Cut right-angle triangles
out of these rectangles and separate them. To start
the Skinner blend, take 1 triangle from each rectangle
and press them next to each other to form a 2-color
rectangle. Press them together at the seam so they
stay together.
1
It is useful to have a heavy-duty magnet or
block of wood to set on one side of your pasta
machine while rolling the clay through. It will
help control your blend by keeping it in the orig-
inal narrow state (2
1
2" x 5
1
2"). Run your black
and white rectangle through the pasta ma-
chine, placing the 2
1
2" side through first.
LJMS-050058-5051 10/6/05 1:01 PM Page 51
Fold the sheet in half and pass it through the ma-
chine again on #1. Continue folding and rolling the
clay, being sure to do it in the same direction each
time, until you have a blend you are happy with.
The simple cane.
Once the narrow blend is complete, set your pasta
machine on #4 or the middle setting on the dial and
run the blend through, 2
1
2" side first. You should
then have a longer, thinner, narrow blend of color.
Using your clay blade, cut off one end of the strip
to square up the edge. Measure up the blend and
cut off a 2" piece. Flip the cut piece over and lay it
directly on top of the end you just cut from. You will
be laying the white edge on top of the black edge.
Continue cutting and flipping until you get to the end
of your blend. You now have a cane that you can use
to create different focal beads.
Reducing the cane.
Reducing a cane can be tricky, and everyone has a way
that works best for them. This is what I recommend for re-
ducing this cane. Press your fingers into the sides of the
block, then pull and stretch the clay, using both hands. You
may want to use your brayer or rolling tool to smooth out
your rectangular cane as you continue to press and pull the
cane. Continue to reduce until your cane measures about 1"
by
2
3". It is at this point that we will cut the cane and re-
arrange it to create different canes and focal beads.
Basic focal bead.
To start the basic focal bead, take a piece of scrap clay
and roll it into a log. The diameter of your log will deter-
mine the size of your focal bead.
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LJMS-050058-classic 10/5/05 1:00 PM Page 52
Another option would be to re-
duce the cane and wrap it with a
sheet of black clay, rolled through
the pasta machine on the #4 or mid-
dle setting. Reduce the cane further and cut it
into 6 pieces. Put them together, surrounding a thin
black log to create a flower bead.
A third option would be to shape
your stacked blend into a round
cane, then cut it into 5 pieces.
Form a black log and place
each of the 5 cut pieces
around it, forming a different
type of flower bead. They all
work! Reduce one of these
flower canes further to use as
an embellishment. If you plan on
doing this, you have to be patient and
let the cane rest before slicing.
Embellishing the focal bead.
You can use your focal bead as it is or embellish
it with cane slices or clay extrusions. To create the
platinum-colored leaves, mix 1 part silver with 1 part
pearl, a blend I learned from Mike Buessler. Place it
into the clay gun and extrude the clay using a Darlin
Designer Disk
leaf shape. Cut off thin slices from

the extruded leaf log. Then apply the uncured slices
to the uncured focal bead.
You can also embellish the focal beads using
small slices of your reduced canes. To apply the
slices, be sure to apply uncured to uncured as you
did with the leaves.
At this time, you can put holes in your beads with
a needle tool or wait until after they are baked and
drill them.
Once you are happy with your beads, place them in
a preheated toaster or convection oven and bake ac-
cording to the clay manufacturers recommendations.
Once the beads have cured and cooled, they are
ready for stringing. You can string them with as
many different types of accent beads as you like.
Ive always liked sterling silver and hematite with
black-and-white caned beads, but of course the
choice is yours. N
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 poly-

mer clay techniques and beading national-
ly. You can contact her at Clay57@aol.com.
Cut 24 very thin slices off your rectangular cane and layer
them around the log, matching the seams. Make sure that
you have completely covered your scrap clay. Gently roll the
covered log on your work surface to smooth the seams. With
your clay blade, cut the logs flush at the edges of your cane.
With your thumb and fingers, gently squeeze and smooth the
edges of the log to bring in the edges of your cane around
the exposed ends of the scrap cane log. When you have fin-
ished you should only see your cane work, not any of the
scrap log.
There are many different shapes that you can create by
playing with your covered log. I will often roll the bead out
longer, then flatten it with the lower portion of your hand, cre-
ating a paddle type bead. Other options include rolling the
bead thinner and longer or twisting it to create a very differ-
ent bead altogether. These are only a few options; the possi-
blities are endless. Have fun experimenting!
Taking the basic cane a step farther.
You can take this basic
stacked blend a step
further to create different
canes (and different focal
beads!). One option is to
reduce the cane and cut
it into 4 even pieces. Put
the 4 pieces together to
create a basket-weave
like cane.
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LJMS-050058-classic 10/5/05 1:00 PM Page 53
Reversible
Bracelet
Hollow metal clay beads.
BY HATTIE SANDERSON
Use a cork clay
armature to create
hollow, fine silver beads
that are light in weight yet
substantial in size. Decorate
the beads on both sides to create
your own unique reversible bracelet.
Using graph paper, draw your bracelet design, leaving room for the
spacer beads and clasp of your choice. The bracelet length including
the clasp should equal 7".
Make the bead armatures out of
cork clay according to the size of
your drawing. Push 2 toothpicks
into each end of the cork clay ar-
mature to allow for the bead holes.
Let dry overnight in a warm, dry
area. The cork clay needs to be re-
ally dry or it will expand during fir-
ing and crack the PMC+
.
PMC+
will shrink 1012% dur-

ing firing, but the several coats of PMC+
paste will increase the size of

12 jars PMC+
paste
1 pkg. cork clay
#3 round synthetic paint
brush
Spray bottle or bowl filled
with water
3mm sterling spacer beads
Magnetic bracelet clasp (or
clasp of your choice)
Size 11 blue seed beads
.024", 40-lb. beading wire
Crimp beads
Toothpicks
Dremel
tool
3M
radial bristle disk

(400-grit)
Metal files
Graph paper
Kiln
Patina of your choice
Emery board
Styrofoam
scrap
1 PMC+
syringe
(optional)
1 pkg. PMC+
clay
(optional)
Fine silver shot (optional)
Crimping pliers or chain
nose pliers
Wire cutters
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LJMS-050058-reverse 10/5/05 2:14 PM Page 54
the bead armature by about 10%, so the fired bead will be
approximately the same size of your cork clay armature.
For my bracelet I made 4 cork clay armatures
5
8"W x 1"L
and a larger center bead 1"W x 1
3
4"L with a curved shape.
Open the jar of PMC+
paste. Youll need to add

1
2 tea-
spoon of water to a new container of paste and stir it well.
Paint a layer of PMC+
over the entire surface of each piece.

Stick the toothpick end of the armature into a scrap piece of
Styrofoam
and allow to dry.

The drying process may be hastened with a hair dryer or by
placing the work directly under a light bulb. When dry, apply
another coat of paste and let dry. Repeat this process until
you have built up 12 layers of PMC+
paste.
While in the leather hard state, use an emery board to re-
fine the beads as much as possible. Decorate both sides
of the beads as desired, allowing the first side to dry
before moving on to the other side. On one side, I
used the PMC+
syringe to make squiggly lines and

small flowers with fine silver shot pressed into
them.
For the other side, I made donut shapes out of
PMC+
clay and let them dry to leather hard. I then

attached the donuts to the beads with a little paste.
Let everything dry completely.
Be sure your kiln is in a ventilated area. Lay all of
the beads on a kiln shelf and fire at 1470F for 30
minutes. The toothpicks and the cork clay will burn
up in the kiln leaving beautiful, hollow, fine silver
beads.
File down any rough edges and refine the bead
holes with metal files and an emery board. Paint
your patina over the entire surface of the beads to
blacken. Rinse beads well and pat dry.
Use a Dremel
tool with a 3M
radial bristle disc

(400-grit) to remove excess patina and polish the
beads to a beautiful sheen at the same time.
Cut a piece of beading wire approximately 10"
long. Add a crimp bead, spacer bead, and half of
your clasp to each end. Loop the beading wire back
through the spacer bead and crimp bead. Using the
crimping or chain nose pliers, compress the crimp
bead so it grips the beading wire. Trim the excess
bead wire with wire cutters. I used a magnetic clasp
in this bracelet. N
Hattie Sanderson
is a PMC
Senior Instructor and award-

winning metalsmith from Clare, Illinois.
She holds classes regularly at The Fine
Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles,
Illinois, and Womanspace Center in
Rockford, Illinois, as well as private stu-
dio classes and guild workshops.
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LJMS-050058-reverse 10/5/05 2:21 PM Page 55
metal clays
the complete guide to
ORIGINAL PMC
This is the original metal clay formulation. Soft and pli-

able, it's easy to work and has the most claylike feel of the
Mitsubishi products. Although it can shrink up to 30% dur-
ing 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 1650F for two

hours. Because of original PMC
's relatively lengthy firing

time, and low tolerance to variations in temperature, a digital-
ly 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 firing sequence, and a denser final prod-
uct. PMC+
can be fired at 1650F with a hold time of 10

minutes; 1560F for 20 minutes; or 1470F 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 in-

corporated 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 1110F for

30 minutes; 1200F for 20 minutes; or 1290F for 10 minutes.
This fast, low-temperature firing makes PMC3
the best
choice for torch firing, and it can even be fired in small, in-
expensive 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 fin-
ished 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
.
EVERYTHI NG YOU NEED
TO GET STARTED WI TH
THESE REVOLUTI ONARY
NEW PRODUCTS.
BY SUZANNE WADE
m
etal clay is a great introduction to incor-
porating precious metal into your jewelry
work. Unlike traditional silver- and gold-
smithing, 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 jew-
elers find that metal clay allows them to work in met-
al in a totally new and exciting way.
Metal clay isn't a "true" clay: it's a man-made sub-
stance 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 accu-
rate name might be, Precious Metal Pliable Mold-
able 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 avail-
able in the United States: Precious Metal Clay (PMC
)
produced by Mitsubishi Materials Corp., and Art
Clay
, sold by Aida Chemical Industries, both head-

quartered in Japan. Both brands work in basically the
same way, although small differences in the binder
formulas produce slightly different working charac-
teristics. 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, fol-
lowed shortly afterward by Art Clay
. Both compa-
nies 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.
LJMS-050058-basics 10/5/05 1:55 PM Page 56
ART CLAY
SILVER
The first metal clay product introduced by Aida Chem-
ical Industries, the original formulation of Art Clay
of-
fers 8-10% shrinkage and a firing temperature of 1472F
for 30 minutes or 1600F for 10 minutes. Its low shrinkage
rate makes it highly appealing to artists who find the rela-
tively high shrinkage rates of PMC
and PMC+
frustrat-
ing. 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 CLAY
SILVER 650/LOW FIRE

Art Clay
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
1435-1600F with a hold time of just five minutes, down to
a firing temperature of 1200F with a hold time of 30 min-
utes. 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 fir-
ing stones or findings in place.
ART CLAY
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 in-
troduced 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-con-
suming activities as braiding and weaving.
Because the clay dries so slowly, however, the manufac-
turer recommends unfired clay pieces be no more than 3mm
thick, or designed in layers, such as flower petals. Addition-
al time should also be allowed for drying, prior to firing.
ART CLAY
SILVER OIL PASTE

This silver paste is designed to join fired silver clay ele-
ments, to fix cracks, and act as a substitute for soldering. It
fires at 1470F for 30 minutes or 1560F for 10 minutes. It
works only on silver metal clay, however, not gold.
ART CLAY
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
1200F 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
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 sev-
eral forms. LUMP CLAY is the standard chunk of clay,
which can be rolled, shaped, and even thrown on a pot-
ter's wheel.
Beads by Georgia Ann Waller.
Photo by Jim Work.
Photo by Robert Diamante. Courtesy of the PMC Guild.
SYRINGE CLAY is a more liquid formulation de-
signed 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 formula-
tions, and can be used to fill cracks and joints, join parts,
and "frost" the surfaces of organic models for a reproduc-
tion of organic forms in silver. METAL CLAY PAPER is a
thin sheet that can be folded like paper for origami, creat-
ing a draped look, or other folding techniques.
HOMEMADE SLIP, made by crumbling leftover dry
metal clay into water, can be used like a glue, to join togeth-
er 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
the kiln, leaving behind pure silver (or gold) reproductions.
Mitsubishi and Aida have also experimented with ver-
sions of metal clay in 18K white and red gold and plat-
inum, 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).
FOR FINISHING:
Sandpaper, files, burnishers, and buffs can all be used
to give the piece a mirror polish.
metal clays
KILN OR TORCH
An electric kiln is essential for working in original
PMC
, because it must be held at 1650F for two full

hours in order to completely fuse. A kiln is optional for
most other versions of Art Clay
and PMC
, howev-
er, 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 ther-
mal shock, which can break or crack glass, or stones in-
corporated 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 tem-
peratures for firing, are normally unsuitable for firing met-
al clay because there can be variances of as much as 100F
inside the chamber. These variances mean that even though
the temperature controller might read 1650F within the
kiln, there may be spots where the temperature is 1750F, a
temperature hot enough to melt the silver.
Other kiln options include casting burnout ovens, anneal-
ing kilns sold for glasswork, and inexpensive, unregulated
kilns such as the Ultralite or Hot Pot. These latter two are suit-
able 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 avail-
able at a hardware store. To torch fire, set the work on a sol-
dering 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.
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
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, plastic-
coated playing cards. A piece of clay rolled to "three cards
thick" is the thickness of three playing cards stacked togeth-
er. Art Clay
also offers a plastic tool specifically for mea-

suring thickness. Other artists have successfully used such
items as photo matting to achieve uniform thicknesses.
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
Grande Fleur de Lis Necklace
by Shahasp Valentine.
Photo by Hap Sakwa.
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 pat-
tern 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
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. Howev-
er, it can be difficult to get dried clay back to its origi-
nal condition.
Be sure to dry your piece completely before firing. Ex-
cess 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 300F 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
achieved through tumbling, burnishing, or other stan-
dard 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 63.
Suzanne Wade
is a freelance writer and editor who has been writ-
ing about gems and jewelry for more than a
decade. She is currently the editor of Studio
PMC
, the member magazine of the PMC
Guild.
metal clays
Brooch by CeCe Wire.
Photo courtesy of the artist.
LJMS-050058-basics-p60 10/17/05 10:13 AM Page 60
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
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.
ROLLING TOOLS
For rolling out the clay, you can use a rolling pin, a bray-
er 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 didnt use a pasta machine, but
now I couldnt live without it. Using a pasta machine en-
ables you to create sheets of clay in different thicknesses and
its also a valuable tool for conditioning clay and mixing col-
ors (more on conditioning in a minute).
p
olymer clay is a colorful, versatile, manu-
factured product suitable for making
unique jewelry, wearable art, and decora-
tive 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 youre working on, its to
your advantage to try them all. Experi-
ment with small packages of clay to dis-
cover which is easiest to work with
and gives you the results youre
looking for in color, durability,
and surface finishes. You may
find that you like different
clays for different pro-
jects or techniques.
All of the brands
are excellent so
the choice is
yours.
As you be-
come more in-
volved in this
medium, youll
see how every-
day household
items make use-
ful polymer clay
tools. However,
once youve used
something for clay,
you cant use it for
food preparation
again but who uses
kitchen tools for cooking
these days?
polymer
clayhints
BY KATHY WEAVER
Necklaces by Kathy Weaver.
Photos of finished pieces by
Donna Chiarelli.
LJMS-050058-hints 10/5/05 1:53 PM Page 61
polymer clay
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, youll 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 poly-
mer clay. Although the directions that come with the clay
may suggest using your home oven if you bake clay only
occasionally, its 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 265F or 275F for 20 to 25 minutes, but you should
always follow the manufacturers guidelines listed on the
packaging.
CONDITIONING
All polymer clays require conditioning, even if your
clay comes soft from the package. Conditioning distrib-
utes the polymer particles and strengthens the clay. To
condition by hand, knead the clay until its soft and pli-
able. 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.
Toconditionyour clayusinga pasta machine, workwith
12 ounces of clay at a time. Soften the clay in your hands,
thenplace it onyour worksurface andflattenusinga 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 be-
cause this could damage the pasta machine. Fold the clay
sheet in half and feed it through the opening, folded side
first, again. Repeat 1520times.
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 fric-
tion 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 condi-
tioning 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 micro-
wave. Remember to wash your hands after using polymer
clay and do not eat while youre working with the clay.
As you advance and begin using other tools and equip-
ment, other safety issues will arise. Be sure to follow all
manufacturers guidelines. Always work smart. N
For more Polymer Clay Basics, I suggest the following
reading: New Ways with Polymer Clay and The Next Genera-
tion 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
Clay57@aol.com.
LJMS-050058-hints 10/5/05 1:53 PM Page 62
Polymer Clay
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
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
If you have any resources youd like to recommend,
please let us know! Send us an e-mail at
sbsbeadsqtr@primedia.com.
Put Clay Resource in the subject line.
web
resources
ADVERTISERS INDEX
A
Abba Dabba Productions LLC . 66
Art Clay World USA . . . . . . . . . 31
Artgems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
B
Bead Fest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
E
Enthusiast Media . . . . . . . . . . . 41
F
Fire Mountain Gems . . . . . . . . . 68
H
HGSJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
J
Jewelry Arts Expo. . . . . . . . . . . 66
L
Lapidary Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
P
Pinzart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
PMC Connection . . . . . . . . . . . 31
PMC Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Poly Tools, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
R
Rings & Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Rio Grande. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
S
Santa Fe Jewelers Supply . . . . 60
Step by Step Wire Jewelry . . . . 49
LJMS-050058-resource 10/18/05 2:47 PM Page 63
CALIFORNIA
Academy of Art University
79 New Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Ph: (800) 544-ARTS (2787)
Email: info@academyart.edu
Website: www.academyart.edu
Established in 1929, Academy of Art University is
the largest private art & design university in the
nation offering accredited degrees as well as cer-
tificates and personal enrichment courses both
on campus and online. The 12 art & design ma-
jors include Fine Art (Sculpture). Classes include
jewelry making and metal arts.
Creative Castle
2321 Michael Drive
Newbury Park, CA 91320
Ph: (805) 499-1377;
Toll Free: (877) BEADS4U
Email: ctripp@creativecastle.com
Website: www.creativecastle.com
Wide selection of classes from beginning to ad-
vanced beadwork and all levels of wire work.
Monthly, nationally known guest teachers in-
cluding: Nancy Cain, Jeannette Cook, Marcia,
DeCoster, Margo Field, Diane Fitzgerald, Leslie
Frazier, Laura McCabe, NanC Meinhardt, Cyn-
thia Rutledge, Sherry Serafini, Carol Wilcox
Wells, more. Visit website or call for current
class schedule.
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program
P.O. Box 38
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Ph: (951) 659-2171, ext. 2365
Fax: (951) 659-5463
summer@idyllwildarts.org
www.idyllwildarts.org
Offering jewelry making workshops in Glass
beadmaking, Chainmaking, Wirework & Roller-
printing, Hopi Silversmithing/overlay, and Navajo
Inlay/lapidary. All levels of experience. Weeklong
and 2-day workshops, on our campus in the
mountains of Southern California. Also offering
workshops in Fibers, Sculpture, Painting, Ceram-
ics, Native American Arts, and more. Free course
catalog available.
Precious Metal Arts
2510 Main Street, Suite C
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Ph: (310) 581-4844 Fax (310) 581-5144
Email: classes@preciousmetalarts.com
website: www.preciousmetalarts.com
A unique combination of introductory classes
(8 students), workshops, and small group tu-
tori ng sessi ons (2-4 students) al l ows cus-
tomized 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 cur-
rent schedule.
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
760 Market St., Suite 900
San Francisco, CA 94102
Ph. (415) 391-4179
Email: info@revereacademy.com
Website: www.revereacademy.com
Classes by master craftsmen to students at all
levels: beginners, hobbyists, working jewelers.
Two open sessions annually (Jan.-Mar., July-Oct.)
include over forty 3-day classes in wide range of
subjects: design, fabrication, repair, casting, wax
modeling, stone setting, gem identification, more.
Two 8-week Jewelry Technician Intensives (May-
June, Oct.-Dec.). Masters Symposium April. State
approved diploma programs.
The Spirited Bead & Klews Gallery
435 West J Street
Tehachapi, CA 93561
Ph: (661) 823-1930 Fax: (760) 384-2323
Email: klew@klewexpressions.com
Website: www.klewexpressions.com
Customers often quote I have been to beads
stores all over, and none come close to your
unique selection, and your prices are better than
a wholesale catalog! Ill be back with friends!
Wire, Polymer & Metal Clay classes. OPEN 7
days - Mon.-Fri. 10:30am - 5:30pm, Sat. 10am -
6pm Sun. 12 - 4pm.
FLORIDA
Crystal Creations -
Beads Gone Wild
4058 Forest Hill Blvd.
West Palm Beach, Fl 33406
Ph: (561) 649-9909
Email: Info@beadsgonewild.com
Website:
www.crystalcreationsbeadinstitute.com
Crystal Creations Bead Institute - Leaders in
beading education! Over 100 professional classes
& monthly guest teachers. Discover the Ancient
Art of Beading with NanC Meinhardt, Carol
Wilcox Wells, Margo Field, Leslie Fraizer, Dayle
Doroshow, Diane Fitzgerald, Jeannette Cook,
Dallas Lovett, and Many more. Beading, Wire,
Fibers, & Clay, we teach it all!
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
Classes August 11- 13, 2006. Vendor Expo on Fri.
and Sat. Learn to make your own beautiful bead-
ed jewelry. Bead Fest also includes a vendor area
with dealers selling beads, supplies and equip-
ment. Look for more details and class registra-
tion 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: lapidary@alltel.net
Website: www.lapidaryschool.org
We offer classes in beading, cabochons, silver,
gold, wirewrappings, glass bead making, chain mak-
ing, 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
Magpies
207 E. State St.
Cherry Valley, IL
Ph: (866) 562-4743 toll free
Email rmagpies@aol.com
We are a full service bead store offering ongoing class-
es in all facets of bead stringing, bead stitching, Pre-
cious Metal Clay, chain making and wire work. Please
call or email to receive a copy of our newsletters.
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 jew-
elry arts including lapidary, faceting, gold and sil-
ver 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.
T
h
e
N
e
x
T
S
T
ep:
Jewelry and Lapidary Classes
W
elcome to The Next Step: Jewelry Classes, a source of information for advancing or honing your jewelry making
skills. If youre looking to try something new or to advance your talents, there are plenty of jewelry classes from which
to choose. Take a look at what these exciting schools, shops and studios have to offer. Pick up the phone or log on and
make contact for more information! To list your jewelry classes, please contact Scott Stepanski at (610) 232-5729 or email
scott.stepanski@primedia.com.
LJMS-050058-JClass 10/6/05 12:48 PM Page 64
MICHIGAN
Brighton Beads & More
9850 East Grand River
Brighton, MI 48116
Ph: (810) 844-0066
Email: garberdesigns@hotmail.com
Website: www.brightonbeadsandmore.com
Expect the Unusual & the Usual. Gemstones & pearls,
cabs & facetted stones. Fabulous beginning to ad-
vanced classes in wire wrapping, PMC, metalsmithing,
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: rjt@suscom.net
Learn the art of Precious Metal Clay (PMC) with
Certified Instructor Laura Tarbutton. Beginner, In-
termediate and Advanced Classes available. Tech-
niques include: Basic techniques, metal inclusion,
porcelain, dichroic glass, enameling, ring making.
Call or email for more information.
NEW JERSEY
Just Bead It
9631 Third Ave.
Stone Harbor, NJ 08247
Ph: (609) 368-0400
Website: www.justbeadit.net
Wire working and chandelier earrings work-
shops. Call for details and hours. A shore thing,
covering Cape May and Ocean Counties. Full-ser-
vice bead stores with a must see selection of
semi-precious, Czech glass, delicas, lampworking,
charms, pendants, Hill Tribe and Sterling Silver.
Two locations on Long Beach Island too!
The Art School at Old Church
561 Piermont Road
Demarest, NJ 07627
Ph: (201) 767-7160; fax (201) 767-0497
Email: programs@occcartschool.org
Website: www.occcartschool.org
Jewelry classes and workshops from beginner to
advanced, in metal, glass beads, resin and polymer clay,
taught by a faculty of nationally recognized profession-
al artists. Log onto www.occcartschool.org for details.
NEW MEXICO
Hazeltine School of Fine Jewelry
Santa Fe, NM
Ph: (505) 400-3274
Mr. Hazeltine brings 36 years of professional jew-
elry making and 23 years of teaching experience
to his school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The class-
es are limited to six students. You will learn pro-
fessional time tested techniques that are safe, effi-
cient and economically sound. Enjoy and gain
confidence with this wonderful profession. Call
505-400-3274 for more information.
NEW YORK
Studio 34 Jewelry Arts
Learning Center
Bead Mercantile and Gallery
716 University Ave and 34 Elton St.
Rochester, NY 14607
Ph: (585) 737-5858
Email: studio34artists@aol.com
Website: www.studio34beads.com
Bead Class Central! All jewelry media: glass bead-
making, PMC, polymer, wire wrap, embroidery,
Ndebele, metalsmith, fusing, woven sterling, de-
sign and marketing. Public access studio and
gallery. Professional instructors: Amy Kruger,
Patty Uttaro, Stephanie Donaldson, Maura Wilson,
Tory Rothenburgh, Disa Baylis, Sandy Gianniny,
Mary Elter, Lisa Johnson, Marilynne Lipshutz.
Studio Jewelers, Ltd.
32 East 31 Street
New York, NY 10016
Ph: (212) 686-1944; fax (212) 689-7923
Email: info@studiojewelersltd.com
Website: www.studiojewelersltd.com
Studio Jewelers, a NYS licensed Trade School of-
fering day, evening and Saturday classes, full and
part time. Basic jewelry making, repair, diamond
setting, wax modeling/casting, pearl & bead
stringing and design. Financial aid offered to those
qualified, VA approved. Studio Jewelers is winner
of the School of Distinction 2005 award by
ACCSCT Accrediting Commission.
NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte Lapidary Arts and
Jewelry Design
3019 Kilborne Drive
Charlotte, NC 28205
Ph: (800) 355-7099 Fax (704) 537-8890
Email: mark.robinson5@att.net
Beading, pearl stringing, metalsmithing, casting,
cabochons, faceting, wax carving: equipment and
supplies. Since 1985. For class schedule please
call (800) 355-7099.
Earthspeak Arts
PO Box 1228
Leicester, NC, 28748
Ph: (828) 683-0967
Email: wechurlik@earthlink.net
Website: www.earthspeakarts.com
Earthspeak Arts is located in downtown 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 Rais-
ing, 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: Gem7th@aol.com
TAP STUDIOS offers professional classes in jew-
elry making, metalsmithing, stone setting and wax
carving. Classes limited to 3-5 students per class
for a high attention and individualized teaching at-
mosphere. Students are encouraged and able to
work on their own design ideas. Instruction in
small motor skills which improve tool use.
PENNSYLVANIA
Abington Art Center
515 Meetinghouse Road
Jenkintown, PA 19046
Ph: (215) 887-4882; Fax 215-887-1402
Email: info@abingtonartcenter.org
Website: www.abingtonartcenter.org
Our beautifully equipped studio is the perfect place
to begin (or continue) your journey in jewelry
making. Abington Art Center hosts weekly classes
and special workshops in jewelry making, metal-
smithing, glass bead making, PMC, bead stringing &
wire wrapping, and more! These small classes are
taught by professional teaching artists. Join Us!
Bead Fest 2006, A Lapidary
Journal & Step by Step Beads
Special Event
Fort Washington Expo Center
Fort Washington, PA
Ph: (610) 232-5700
Website: www.beadfest.com
100+ classes to choose from by experts from
around the country, half-days and full-days, Classes
October 5-8, and show October 6-8, 2006. Learn
to make your own lampwork and metal clay beads,
create beautiful beaded jewelry, seed beadwork
and wirework. Bead Fest also includes a vendor
area with more than 300 booths. Look for full de-
scription plus registration on our website!
Jewelry Arts Expo and Mineral
Market, A Lapidary Journal &
Step by Step Beads Special Event
Fort Washington Expo Center
1100 Virginia Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034
Ph: (610) 232-5700
Website: www.jewelryartsexpo.com
APRIL 21-22-23, 2006! Make your own jewelry in
classes taught by experts from around the coun-
try. Learn metalwork, wirework, metal clay,
stringing, design, and marketing and shop for
tools and supplies as well as finished jewelry in
the vendor area. For up-to-the-minute informa-
tion and registration, please visit our website.
TEXAS
Wired Designs
The Shops @ Artisans Alley
555 W. Bitters
San Antonio, TX
Ph: (210) 495-4495
Email: wireddesigns@sbcglobal.net
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, metal-
smithing, soldering/setting, and jewelry design &
construction. You dont need experience, just a
desire to have fun! Call or visit our website for
complete workshop schedule!
VIRGINIA
Beaded Babes Designs
We Make Adornment Personally
5517 Talon Court (mailing address only, not a shop)
Fairfax, Virginia 22032
Ph.: (571) 220-8717 or (703) 772-6701;
Fax: (703) 503-5964
Email: classesinfo@beadedbabesdesigns.com
Website: www.beadedbabesdesigns.com
Adorn Yourself! Create Beautiful Beaded Jewelry
and Home Dcor. On-going classes in Basic and
Advanced Stringing Techniques, Off-loom Bead
weaving, Polymer Bead-making, PMC and Wire-
work. Visit our site for current class schedules.
LJMS-050058-JClass 10/6/05 12:48 PM Page 65
PHILADELPHIA 2006
EXPO: October 6-8, 2006
CLASSES: October 5-8, 2006
ATLANTA 2006
EXPO & CLASSES:
August 11-13, 2006
Shop for beads, supplies & jewelry!
Learn how to make jewelry!
Free Expo admission to Bead Fest
students!
For information on booth rental, call
Karen Nuckols at 610-232-5724 or
Email: Karen.Nuckols@Primedia.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION: WWW.BEADFEST.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION: WWW.BEADFEST.COM
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR ALL THE 2006 BEAD FEST EVENTS MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR ALL THE 2006 BEAD FEST EVENTS
2006
Bead Fest is a Step By Step Beads, Step by Step Wire Jewelry and Lapidary Journal Special Event.
JEWELRY MAKING CLASSES
AVAILABLE ALL YEAR LONG!
Check www.greatvalleystudio.com
for schedule and to register!
M A L V E R N , P A
LJMS-050058-066 10/17/05 12:44 PM Page 66
LJMS-050058-CN3 10/17/05 1:11 PM Page CN3
LJMS-050058-CN4 10/17/05 9:47 AM Page CN4

Step by Step Jewelry Polymer, Ceramic, and Metal Clays - Winter 2006

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Step by Step Jewelry Polymer, Ceramic, and Metal Clays - Winter 2006

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make an

Sheet. It comes in individually wrapped

. It is made to be used with PMC+

and it opens up a whole

sticking to your work surface,

paper taped to your work sur-

shrinks 12% during firing, its necessary to add a millimeter

1 or more pieces of PMC

paper (available from

and ceramic supply

under the plastic wrap and

into a strip slightly wider than you want your finished

strip at a blunt right angle.

strip around the Teflon

at an angle in one smooth

, and remove the excess clay from

off with the ring in

out. Place the ring upright in a safe place

paper, then use clear tape to close it. If you

is featured in Tim McCreights book, Working

is fragile when leather-hard, so handle the

Sheet piece becomes

Sheet long enough to encircle your

Sheet, use two or more sections to

Sheet together, you can

Sheet. Up to, and including, 4 sheets laminated togeth-

and polymer, she also

: Intermediate Techniques. Celies latest

for this pro-

34g Art Clay

sheets (approx. 4x5")

blade or tissue blade for

Hot plate, food dehydrator, or

on top of the acrylic to prevent the

allows for easy transport to the drying area. Cover

Silver to soften it. Using the

. The wet clay

with the clay on it and gently pull the sheet

syringe to create a bezel by

knife or tissue blade. As I men-

knife or tissue blade.

sheet and then with my

Slip; home made (PMC+

Pressing Sheets, are available from

Kiln capable of holding 1650F for

spray, butchers wax, or clear

) enables you to make large, light-

taped to your work surface).

until you transfer the

away and position the circle

is stronger than Standard PMC

paste. If youre using

, paste wax, or spray it with a clear fix-

block with standing

paste, going just inside

is an incredible and revolutionary product. Unfortunately, a solid

products. Working with these beads has saved me a

in one direction on one coat, and then switch directions for