New Inventory for 2012

The clay is all gone :(  It certainly didn't take long.  It's all jewelry now.  And you can tell me what you think.

I have to say that except for a couple of classes with a certified metal clay artist, I've been learning the hard way.  Fortunately I've only had a couple of projects that were a total loss but still...  I've been reading a lot and watching YouTube videos (what did we do before YouTube?).  As a result my new collection includes bezel set stones and some pretty fancy colors.

I started off with a few simple things.  For craft shows I need to have a wide range of styles and prices.  Simple pendants and earrings sell well so make sure to have a  few.  This one has a square cut peridot in the center that can be set right into wet clay and then fired.  Some stones can actually stand the super high temperature of 1650 degrees that silver clay can tolerate.  But peridot can only be fired at 1430 degrees for 30 minutes.



At the high end, I've created 4 pendants with bezel set stones.  These have stones that can't handle heat at all.  You need to create the piece and the bezel separately.  Then attach the 2 pieces together and fire again at1650 degrees for an hour or two.  Once it's all done, you can set the stone in the bezel.  This one below is my favorite.  The stone is aqua chalcedony and I've added a few pearls.

Oxidizing silver is pretty much hit or miss.  I've collected a few formulas used by other artisans and they have helped.  But a lot depends on the clay.  Fresh clay oxidizes better than reconstituted clay.  It also depends on the temperature of the sulfur solution.  I've used straight liver of sulfur and tried adding ammonia.  You can imagine how bad the work room smells.  And I've never had the same results twice.

Something really interesting happened with a pendant I made in the steampunk style. The key and lock were created at different times from different wads of clay.  I attached them and dipped the entire pendant into one of my new formulas hoping for a little color and this was the result.  If I had actually wanted the key to be a completely different color from the lock I could never have figured out how to make it happen.

 Then there's this bracelet.  I really only wanted it to be lightly oxidized to bring out the pattern in the links.  I didn't want any color so I just used a watered down liver of sulfur solution. This blue and gold combination was another surprise!

It takes time and practice to be able to handle silver clay well.  There are classes and there's a whole certification process with a series of projects to help artists get proficient and learn to do things like set stones, make hinges, create lockets and boxes.  It costs a lot of money and takes a bit of time so I'm not sure I'm ready yet.  I was getting a 35% discount from my supplier.  But now that the manufacturer of the clay is making it mandatory to be certified in order to receive that 35% discount, so I may be compelled to get the certification.

Silver Clay -- Learning On The Job

Though I haven't posted here in a couple of week, I have to tell you that I've been extremely busy. Craft show applications have been arriving and a couple are due in February. As I want to have some fantastic pictures of fantastic pieces of jewelry, I've been hard at work making new silver clay designs.

If you look online at any of the handmade venues you will see lots of people making jewelry from silver clay. Mostly, however, these pieces are small and stamped or a bit larger set with fused or dichroic glass. Silver clay is very expensive so the more you can make from one pad of clay, the better.Going against what's practical and the cost effective, I've chosen to create a few pieces in a style similar to Art Deco. I like the geometric lines and simplicity of that style. I like to layer smooth shiny parts and textured oxidized pieces. This means more clay and a higher price. I also have been working for weeks on a hinged bracelet. Having only taken basic classes in silver clay, I'm really learning as I go. Layering means sanding & waiting for each piece to dry before "gluing" on the next one with a bit of silver paste. So I've actually lost count of the number of hours I've spent on this piece not to mention the amount of clay it has required.

I am well aware of why people make smaller, less elaborate pieces of jewelry with this relatively new product. I also found that while I like the look of faceted stones set into the silver, the flat-bottomed cabochons are a lot easier to set as they are shallower. The glass many people use instead of gemstones can be set into wet clay and fired in the kiln. The druzy pieces I've used need to be set afterward.




Not all of my ideas have been successful. While the bracelet and purple druzy pendant worked, I won't be selling a black druzy pendant with pearls that I also made. The bezel setting was problematic as the clay shrunk around it in the kiln. The final outcome looks messy and is not up to my standard. So I'll be wearing that one.




Getting great color when oxidizing has been pretty much hit or miss. I've tried various amounts of liver of sulfur, water, and ammonia getting different results each time. The consistency of the clay also seems to matter. Once fired, new, fresh clay turns a nice color and keeps it while clay that has been worked too much absorbs the chemicals and quickly turns black.



I have made great strides, however, in reconstituting dried clay. Sometimes the greenware breaks and is beyond repair. Sometimes bits and pieces dry out. There's also all the dust from sanding. I've gotten pretty good at turning it back into workable clay. Less waste. But this is the clay that doesn't bend or oxidize well so I have to remember to use it for flat pieces that will remain shiny.

The weeks since Christmas have been productive and educational. Now I just have to hope that people like my designs well enough to wear them.