Precious Metal Clay

Duration: 2 days

Precious metal clay can be sculpted like ordinary clay and then, amazingly, transformed into Fine Silver through a firing process! This course, which is suitable for beginners and the experienced alike, will teach you all aspects of working with this fantastic substance in a variety of ways.

Lecturer:

Teresa Speer, who holds a BA (hons) in Jewellery, is a qualified teacher who has been in the jewellery trade for over a quarter of a century and has been teaching jewellery making for over 18 years.

Skills you will learn:

• Precious metal clay techniques including handling, shaping and forming the clay
• Precious metal clay syringe techniques
• Precious metal clay paste techniques
• How to set stones in the clay
• How to add texture
• Correctly drying the clay
• How to torch fire
• How to program the kiln for kiln firing
• Using cork or wood clay to create hollow forms
• How to make rings
• Creating a fine silver replica of a natural leaf
• How to give your pieces a professional finish after firing
• Oxidising your work

Jewellery you will create:

• You will create a collection of fine silver pieces:
• A beautiful natural leaf pendant
• A You will create a textured, syringed and stone set piece to be used as a pendant, ring top or earrings
• A hollow pendant
• A syringed pendant
• Two rings

Materials costs:

All the materials needed for this course will be provided for £100. This includes:

• 21 grams of silver Art Clay
• 20 grams of Art Clay silver paste
• 10 grams of syringe silver
• A variety of CZ stones

Day 1:

You begin by creating a leaf pendant

You will then create a piece using texturing, syringe and stone setting techniques

This is followed by a hollow form piece using cork or wood clay

You then a create piece using syringe techniques

You will learn different ways of firing your work

Day 2:

On the second day you will make 2 rings using different methods.

You will learn to finish your work to a high standard, both while it is still clay, and then after it has been fired into fine silver.

You will also learn how to oxidise your jewellery.