Making Jewellery - August 2016

34 makingjewellery.com

PROJECT

10 11 12

13 14

8. If you choose to add a little shape to a coil, fi rst
   bring it up to your mouth and puff warm breath
   onto it, like warming your hands in winter. This
   puts a tiny amount of moisture back into the clay
   and reduces the risk of cracking as you gently
   squeeze the edge of the coil to form a shape.


9. Some of the smaller elements, such as the bail
   in picture 9 (p33), might require a little extra
   support here, roll out a little clay 0.05mm thick
   and spritz with water before placing the coil onto
   the surface of the wet clay. Next, use the needle
   tool around the edge to remove the excess. Place
   aside to dry.


10. Continue to assemble your chosen design
    to completion. There is an option to use a little
    syringe clay to secure a couple of fi ne silver
    bezel cups. These will house a 4mm gemstone.
    A few dots on the surface of the coils add a little
    more interest and also help to secure the joints
    between the elements.


11. This sea drift piece has been created with an
    assortment of coils studded with a few fi reable
    cubic zirconias. These have been set by using a
    generous blob of syringe clay, before placing the
    gemstones. Push in up to the table or fl at top of
    the stone. Allow this to dry thoroughly.


12. The earrings have been created with two
    matching coils then a fi ne silver bezel cup
    embedded in with syringe clay.
    13. This is an asymmetric piece in progress.
    Again, this has been set using a generous blob
    of syringe clay, before adding the gemstones to
    the bezel cups.
    14. Once all pieces are complete and dry
    these will need to be fi red in a kiln at
    815°C for 30 minutes, or according to the
    manufacturer’s instructions.
    15. After fi ring, the pieces have been polished
    using a magnetic tumbler. The tiny fi ne shot
    gets into all the hard-to-reach areas and

polishes them beautifully. Finally some ear

posts have been soldered onto the back of

the earrings and a ring soldered onto the

asymmetric piece. The gemstone has been

secured in place in the bezel cups with a small

amount of epoxy glue.

RESOURCES

Materials are widely available

CONTACT

[email protected]

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