Jewellery MAKING

The UK's best jewellery magazine

PROJECTS
75 & IDEAS

TECHNIQUES
Masterclass in making rivets
Successfully styling your photos

Inside this issue

Metalwork, wirework, polymer clay, and much more...
MJ112 Final Cover.indd 1 06/10/2017 10:24
 The precision way to clay….

soufflé
®

• Fashion forward colors

• Great strength and durability
• Hold fine details and textures
• Great for stamping, transfers,
alcohol markers, paints
and inks
• Bakes to a suede-like finish
in your home oven
• May be sanded drilled and
painted after baking

Design by Teresa Salgado

Find us on:

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MJ091417

search Polyform Products ©2017 Polyform Products Co. Inc. | 1901 Estes Avenue | Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 USA

IFC_MAJ_112.indd 1 9/14/17 11:03 AM

 Editor’s
Making Jewellery is published
13 times a year by
GMC Publications Ltd,
86 High Street, Lewes,
East Sussex BN7 1XN
makingjewellery.com

Letter
thegmcgroup.com
01273 477374

EDITOR Sian Hamilton

mjeditor@thegmcgroup.com
SUB EDITOR Sarah Doughty
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Lauren Goodchild, Abby Costen
DESIGNER Claire Stevens
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Jim Bulley
jimb@thegmcgroup.com
PRODUCTION CONTROLLER
Amanda Hoag
amanda.hoag@thegmc
group.com
PUBLISHER Jonathan Grogan
PRINTER Precision Colour Printers
DISTRIBUTION
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Tel: +44 (0) 20 7429 4000
ADVERTISING
Russell Higgins
Tel: 01273 402841
russellh@thegmcgroup.com
MARKETING Anne Guillot
SUBSCRIPTIONS Helen Johnston
Tel: 01273 488 005
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Subscribe online at
makingjewellery.com
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Cheques made payable to
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Send to The Subscription
Department, 166 High Street,
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SEE PAGE 90 FOR MORE
DETAILS
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subscribers)
FIND US ON
W
ho loves pattern? Maybe the question
should be who doesn’t love pattern!
Pattern pretty much covers everything
from an embossed embellishment on paper to a
crazy paisley in ten colours. Have you guessed
yet that this issue has the theme pattern?
We are lucky in the jewellery making world
that there are plenty of ways to make
gorgeous patterns, using wire, polymer
clay, metal clay and even with the humble
bead. In this issue we have colourful
embossed copper jewellery by Karen
Caine (p8), vibrant polymer clay by
Rajitha Nandakishor, who shows you
a technique to make a sheet of
patterned polymer clay then how
to cleverly use the scraps to make
extra designs (p17). Following
these we also have a stylish
textured silver and copper clay
set by Shayna Bowles of
Metal Clay Ltd, which is
simply beautiful (p35).
I take you through a guide
to styling your photos to make
the best of your jewellery and show
you a simple way to use your free beads
to make a simple plaited bracelet. There are
lots of bright projects and ideas to keep you
going in the dark days of winter!

Sian
Follow us on Twitter at
@MAKINGJEWELLERY
To become a fan of our
Facebook page search for
MAKING JEWELLERY
Find us on Pinterest at
pinterest.com/
makingjewellery
Find us on Instagram at
instagram.com/
makingjewellery

Views and comments expressed

by individuals in Making Jewellery
magazine (ISSN 1756-4069) do
not necessarily represent those
of the publishers and no legal
responsibility can be accepted
for the results of the use of
readers of information or advice
of whatever kind given in this
publication, either in editorial
or advertisements.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form

8
by any means without the prior
permission of Guild of Master
Craft sman Publications Ltd.

makingjeweller y.com 1

MJ112_P01_Ed's Letter SH.indd 1 13/09/2017 16:10

 CONTENTS
REGULARS
5 JEWELLERY TALK
The latest news, reviews and information

14 10 QUESTIONS
24
Interview with jeweller Secret Wood

40 COLOUR & STYLE

Inspiration for this seasons style

43 BUSINESS MATTERS
Advice for entering jewellery competitions

49 ON TREND
Accessories to jazz up your wardrobe

65 WHAT INSPIRES
Find out what inspires Kerstin Havenith

81 TOP 8
A selection of patterned findings

82 PRODUCT TEST
Sian tests the Nanguang Lighting Kit

86 PRODUCT REVIEW
We review handy tools of the trade

92 IT’S A JEWELLER’S LIFE

The latest installment of Anna
Mcloughlin’s column

TECHNIQUES
24 FORGING RIVETS
Master this great alternative to soldering

66 PHOTOGRAPHY
How to style your photographs

94 BASIC TECHNIQUES
Beginners’ techniques to get you started

makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P02-03_Contents Page SH.indd 2 13/09/2017 16:23

 ISSUE 112 • NOVEMBER 2017

PROJECTS
8 EASY EMBOSSING
Make a patterned sheet perfect for all
sorts of jewellery work

17 HIDDEN PATTERNS
Use different techiques to create three
playful polymer clay jewellery sets

22 MAKE A SPLASH
Create a bracelet fit for a mermaid

30 TINSEL TOWN
Use tinsel and Preciosa crystals in this
resin jewellery project

35 ORGANIC PATTERNS
Make a mixed metal, mixed media set
inspired by nature

44 TREE OF LIFE
Create this classic wirework design

50 CARVED PATTERNS
Make unique textures for your metal
clay designs

54 BEAUTIFUL BEZELS

17 Use stamps to create one-of-a-kind

polymer clay pieces

58 HEXAGON STYLE
Create a stunning collection inspired
by hexagons

70 WIRE DROPS
Create geometric statement jewellery
using Sterling silver wire

73 BEAD DELIGHTED
Make a lovely beaded set with simple steps

78 PRETTY PLAIT
Make a bracelet using beads that came free
with this magazine

84 KNOTTY NECKLACE
Make a beaded necklace with knots

35 44 3

MJ112_P02-03_Contents Page SH.indd 3 13/09/2017 16:23

004_MAJ_112.indd 4 9/14/17 11:04 AM
 NEWS

JEWELLERY TALK News, reviews and all the gossip

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
WORKSHOP WITH RESIN8
£69.95 – 4 November 2017
Join Clare John for this one-day workshop
casting resin into hanging Christmas
decorations. You will have the chance
to use bauble and star shaped silicone
moulds. You will also have access to
Resin8’s huge stock of glitters, sequins,
pressed flowers, buttons, cogs and more
– to add to pigments, dyes and a large
variety of resins. See how creative you
can be at this Christmas workshop! For
more information, visit resin8.co.uk

AUTUMN/WINTER COURSES AT WEST DEAN COLLEGE

Sussex-based West Dean College has released a new short courses programme that runs from
October until the end of March 2018. The programme includes 30 courses that specialise
specifically in jewellery, silversmithing and metalwork. One particular new highlight is the
Make Your Own Wedding Ring workshop, where couples
can create unique wedding rings for each other – either
by reusing jewellery and metal or buying new metal.
The courses on offer range from one-day taster days
to three or seven days of study, from beginner to
advanced levels. The college itself is set against
the backdrop of the South Downs National
Park and provides the perfect country IT’S ALL ABOUT THE
escape. For more information, please PURPLES…
visit westdean.org.uk/study. Do you simply adore purple? Well, you’re
in luck as Resin8 have now released
three new purple products, perfect for
their luxe Christmas theme this year.
It includes a new Violet Transparent
Pigment to sit alongside their opaque
version. You can use these pigments
to create stained glass effects in resin
jewellery. For more information, visit
resin8.co.uk.

makingjeweller y.com 5

MJ112_P05-07_News SHSD.indd 5 13/09/2017 16:29

 NEWS
FAVOURITE What’s on
MAKE NOVEMBER,
FRIDAY DECEMBER & JANUARY
Find out what’s happening in the jewellery world near you
NOVEMBER
2-30 NOVEMBER – SURREY
5 WEEK SILVER CLAY COURSE
A beginners silver clay course run by MJ
Editor Sian Hamilton starts on Thursday
2 November, 7-9.30pm and runs for five
consecutive weeks. £200 (including £60 of
silver clay), hamiltonjewellery.co.uk
4 NOVEMBER – CORNWALL
BEACH FINDS JEWELLERY MAKING
WORKSHOP
Join Sarah Drew for this quirky workshop
LIZ HEATLEY jewellery making workshop in Newquay.
Ring £60, bedruthan.com
4 NOVEMBER– SUSSEX
WEDDING RING MAKING WORKSHOP
Design and create your wedding bands using
white gold, rose gold, yellow gold or Sterling
silver in Hove. £280 per couple,
eanjewellery.com
8–9 NOVEMBER – DEVON
WORKING WITH SILVER
During this two-day course you will learn
to cut, shape, solder, bezel set stones and
polish to make jewellery or other trinkets in
Dunkeswell. £130, theoldkennels.co.uk
15–16 NOVEMBER – YORKSHIRE
HEXACTLY LOCKET – ADVANCED
LEVEL SILVER CLAY WORKSHOP
SUE PATERSON Make a locket based on the construction of
Necklace a hexagonal pyramid and elevate your skills
in Bishop Burton. £265, craftworx.co.uk
FUSED GLASS
ELEANOR WATSON JEWELLERY
Earrings
6 makingjeweller y.com
MJ112_P05-07_News SHSD.indd 6
TRADITIONAL JEWELLERY MAKING
18 NOVEMBER – SCOTLAND
STACKING RINGS WORKSHOP
Learn the basic techniques of jewellery
making including manipulating silver
and soldering in Dunblane. £80,
centralscotlandschoolofjewellery.
bigcartel.com
24 NOVEMBER – WILTSHIRE
FUSED GLASS JEWELLERY
Create beautiful fused glass jewellery pieces
using clear, coloured and dichroic glass and
a range of techniques in Wingfield. £130,
theglasshub.co.uk
25 NOVEMBER – BERKSHIRE
MAKING SILVER JEWELLERY
Join Janet Richardson for this dynamic
silver jewellery making workshop at the
Norden Farm Centre, Maidenhead. £50,
janetrichardson.co.uk
25–26 NOVEMBER – HEREFORDSHIRE
STONE SETTING 1
Learn the techniques of cabochon,
tube and gypsy settings on this two-
day course in Brampton Bryan. £220,
melissahuntjewellery.co.uk
DECEMBER
17 DECEMBER – LONDON
PERFECT PEARLS
Create your own string of pearls using the
traditional knotting technique on silk in
Camberwell. £120, fluxjewelleryschool.com
JANUARY
18–21 JANUARY – SUSSEX
NON-TRADITIONAL STONE SETTING
FOR JEWELLERS
Join Penny Hill to learn contemporary
stone-setting techniques including
flush, channel and tension setting, near
Chichester. £353, westdean.org.uk
27–28 JANUARY – DORSET
TRADITIONAL JEWELLERY MAKING
Learn new techniques or simply brush up
on existing skills in Milton Abbas. £225,
fluxnflame.co.uk
13/09/2017 16:30
 NEWS

SPARKLE WITH BEADS DIRECT ART CLAY DIPLOMA COURSES

Make your own stunning accessories with Beads Direct’s range of
beaded headband and crystal purse kits. Each headband kit comes with
all the needles, thread and beads you’ll need to sew and secure your
chosen glass pearls, shaped beads and seed beads onto your padded satin
hairband base. If you’re looking to make an extra sparkly accessory, try
your hand at designing with professional Swarovski crystals! Embellish
your own cosmetics bag using your hot-fi xing tool or professional Gem-
Tac glue. There are many jewellery and accessory kits to choose from –
find your next project at beadsdirect.co.uk.
WITH CRAFTWORX
SPECIAL OFFER
Level 1: £595 – 1-3 December
Level 2: £625 – 4-6 December
Book and pay in full for both Level 1 and Level 2 Diploma courses at the
same time for £999 – that’s a saving of £221. Visit the Craftworx website
for full terms and conditions.
Join Yorkshire-based Tracey Spurgin for a diploma course based on
the curriculum developed in Japan by Aida Chemicals. These courses
are recognised worldwide and supported by Art Clay World. The
programme requires that you have previous experience working with
metal clay so you have the foundation skills and understand the
processes involved. Tracey offers hands-on demonstrations of each
project task, plus step-by-step instructions to support you throughout
the course. Each piece is graded and marked and a full assessment of
your progress will be provided. The course takes place at the Craftworx
Jewellery Workshops, Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire. For more
information, visit craftworx.co.uk

COLOURFUL KILNS AT METAL CLAY LTD

Metal Clay Ltd has released a new range of Paragon SC-2 kilns – perfect for brightening up your
studio or classroom this season. The kilns are available in a rainbow of vibrant colours – pink,
purple, bright blue and turquoise. The SC-2s can hold three shelves of silver clay yet are portable
enough to take with you to classes. The newest SC-2 has two separate heating elements in the left
and right sides of the firing chamber. The back of the chamber has no element. Extensive testing
shows that the heat distribution in the current SC-2 is more even throughout the firing chamber,
because heat does not build up in the back of the kiln. Special introductory price: £724 (inc. VAT) and
a limited time offer of 10g silver clay or 100g Aussie Superflex clay for free. For more information or
to purchase a kiln, please visit: metalclay.co.uk.

makingjeweller y.com 7

MJ112_P05-07_News SHSD.indd 7 13/09/2017 16:30

 PROJECT

EASY EMBOSSING KAREN CAINE

8 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P08-12_Easy Embossing SHSD.indd 8 25/09/2017 10:30


PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, KAREN CAINE
1 2
O
wning a rolling mill is at the top of the
wish list of many jewellery makers,
not least because you can use them to
add deep-set textures to metal. Unfortunately,
it comes at price and even the so-called budget
models are also costly. There is another option,
though, if you’re willing to work with lighter
gauge metals: a dedicated embossing machine.
Targeted at the paper craft market, these
nifty little machines are designed to cut and
emboss all manner of materials from card
stock to 0.5mm (24 gauge) soft metals, such as
copper and silver. Just run your metal through
the machine’s rollers inside a purpose-made
embossing folder to create a beautifully
patterned sheet that’s perfect for all sorts of
jewellery work. It’s so easy and all at a fraction
of the price of a rolling mill.
For this project we’re using the Sizzix Big
Shot machine, but many of the techniques are
transferrable to other makes of cutting and
embossing machines, such as the Cuttlebug
or Xcut Xpress. We’ve also incorporated tube
rivets using techniques shown on pages 24-29,
but if you wish, you can create simple holes in
your copper instead.
RESOURCES
Embossing machine and folders:
therange.co.uk
Embossing folders: countryviewcrafts.co.uk
Metal and blanks: palmermetals.co.uk
Vintaj paint and glaze: metalclay.co.uk
Wire: wires.co.uk
Silver tube: cooksongold.com
CONTACTS
facebook.com/thecraftydwarf
MJ112_P08-12_Easy Embossing SHSD.indd 9
PROJECT
3
MATERIALS & TOOLS HOW TO MAKE
● 0.5mm thick copper sheet and blanks
● 1.2mm (16 gauge) bare copper and silver wire Black and copper cuff
● Vintaj patina paint (Antique Window trio –
Cobalt, Opalite and Ruby) 1. Using either metal shears or a jeweller’s
● Vintaj Glaze Gloss coping saw, cut out a rectangle of copper sheet
● Liver of Sulphur that measures 15cm x 2.5cm. Sand the sharp
● Bicarbonate of soda corners and edges until they are smooth to
● Necklaces for hanging pendants the touch. Then, taking all the usual safety
● Earring wires precautions, heat the copper with a gas torch
● Jumprings until it is annealed. (Copper is annealed when
● If using rivets: silver tube (1.3mm inner a line drawn on the surface with a permanent-
diametre, 2mm outer diametre) ink felt pen disappears or the metal glows red
● Safety glasses and dust mask in a darkened room). Quench the metal in a
● Sizzix Big Shot or other embossing machine bowl of water, then pickle and rinse.
● Embossing folders
● Metal shears 2. Choose an embossing folder with a suitable
● Masking tape pattern. Because metal is thicker than card
● Ruler (which is what most people use these machines
● Permanent ink, fi ne-tip felt pen for), you need to choose a folder with a bold,
● 1.2mm hole punch or drill solid pattern. Very delicate intricate patterns
● Flush cutters don’t work very well with metal. (We used
● File Creative Expressions’ Ocean Waves, Sara
● Sandpaper Davies’ Pop Dotty and Dovecraft’s Painted
● Nail sanding and buffi ng block Blooms for this project.)
● Plastic or raw-hide mallet
● Round and oval mandrels 3. Once you have selected your embossing
● Hot tools for annealing (gas torch, heat- folder, place the copper inside. Then follow
resistant surface and tweezers, bowl of water the instructions that come with your machine
for quenching, pickle and pickle pot, etc) for using embossing folders. The Big Shot has
For rivets a visual guide to help you select the correct
● Jeweller’s coping saw platform height for embossing and shows
● Riveting hammer you how to sandwich your embossing folder
● Steel hammering block between the two clear acrylic cutting plates
● Centre punch and heavy mallet that come with the machine.
● Round needle fi le
● Jeweller’s mitre jig
makingjeweller y.com 9
19/09/2017 13:07
 PROJECT

4 5 6

7 8 9

4. Insert the platform and sandwich into the
embossing machine, making sure that the
crease in the embossing folder will go through
the rollers first. Crank the handle to pull
everything through the machine. You will
hear some creaking and it gets harder to turn
the handle when the folder passes through,
but this is normal; it is just a measure of the
high pressure being applied to the metal. Once
the plates exit the rollers, turn the handle
backwards to send the sandwiched copper
back through. Repeat once more forwards and
backwards. Remove the copper, then re-anneal,
pickle and rinse it.
5. Once the copper is soft, dip it in a Liver
of Sulphur solution to turn it black before
neutralising it in a weak solution of water and
bicarbonate of soda and then rinsing it clean in
just water. Put on a dust mask, then place the
metal flat on a work surface and sand, smooth
and buff the raised sections using the different
faces of a nail-sanding block. Rinse the copper
clean of any dust.
Riveted bangle
7. Cut a piece of copper 21cm x 1.3cm. Sand,
anneal, emboss and re-anneal it as you did
in Steps 1 to 4. Form the bangle around a
round bracelet mandrel so that there is a 1cm
overlap. Tape this with masking tape and mark
the position of the rivet that will make the
join permanent. Place your hammering block
so that its corner overhangs the edge of your
work surface, making sure that it is still stable,
then use a centre punch as shown to mark the
drill hole. Remove the masking tape, using
acetone to lift any sticky residue, and fl atten
the metal. Drill a hole 1.2mm in diameter at
either end where the divot from your centre
punch is, sand the back to remove burrs and
re-anneal once again.
8 & 9. Form a basic rivet using 1.2mm wire
(see page 25, Steps 1 to 9). Position your bangle
as shown. It can be quite tricky hammering
inside the bangle, but try to keep the hammer
blows fl at across the wire end. You may fi nd
that the bangle fl attens slightly during this
process, but don’t worry – you can re-shape it
once the rivet is set.

6. Turn the copper sheet into a cuff by wrapping

it around an oval bracelet mandrel. If you
annealed it in Step 5 you should be able to do
this just with your hands. You can protect the
finish by painting on a layer of Vintaj’s Glaze
Gloss. Specially formulated for metals, this
protects the patina and polished sections and
makes the black appear deeper.

10 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P08-12_Easy Embossing SHSD.indd 10 19/09/2017 13:07

 PROJECT

11

MJ112_P08-12_Easy Embossing SHSD.indd 11 19/09/2017 13:08


10
13
10. Place the bangle on some palette paper or
a craft sheet. Add several drops of patina paint
and quickly work to cover the back then the
front with a dry paintbrush. The paint dries
very quickly, so as soon as you finish put your
brush in water and...
11. ...wrap some masking tape around your
round bracelet mandrel (to protect the inside
face of the bangle) and slide on the bracelet.
This gives you a good support while you sand
the high points of your design as discussed in
Step 5. Don’t use the Glaze Gloss to varnish,
though; it’s an extender for the paint, which
means that it thins it out and makes it
translucent. In fact, the paint does not need
sealing at all, but if you want to protect the
copper’s shine you can use an acrylic spray.
Part-embossed earrings
12. You can create an interesting effect by
only embossing a part of the metal. To do this
simply place your metal pieces partially inside
the embossing folder and run it through the
machine. (Here we photographed the metal on
top of the embossing folder after it had been
embossed to help you see where the metal should
be placed.) Add tube rivets (see page 26, Steps
10 to 14) or make a hole with a hole punch or
drill. Dip the earrings in Liver of Sulphur, then
neutralise and rinse them as outlined in Step 5.
Place masking tape over the top of the earrings,
so that you don’t remove the black finish, then
sand the embossed part as you did with the cuff.
Remove the masking tape (ours left a striped
pattern that was an unforeseen bonus) and glaze
the earrings. Finish by adding jumprings, short
lengths of chain and earring wires.
12
MJ112_P08-12_Easy Embossing SHSD.indd 12
PROJECT
11
14
Part-embossed pendant
13. Create the pendant in a similar way, but
in this case, emboss one side of the pendant,
then turn it through 180° and emboss it again.
Make sure that you only pass the new section
through the rollers, though. If you roll the
entire piece of metal you will flatten the first
part (an interesting effect, but not what’s
required here). Once you have embossed the
pendant twice, add a tube rivet or make a hole,
colour the pendant with Liver of Sulphur,
then sand the high points on the embossed
sections. Once you’re happy with those parts,
cover them with masking tape and sand the
central section, taking care not to disturb the
embossed parts. Glaze with gloss, then create a
simple s-link using round nose pliers and hang
the pendant from a necklace of your choice.
Graduated motif pendant
14. As well as patterns, embossing folders are
also a great way to add single motifs to your
metal. Just place your pre-drilled annealed
copper blank in the folder where your chosen
motif is and emboss in the usual way (making
sure the hole is at the top!). To create a
graduated background, paint different colours
onto the pendant, allowing the colours to
merge and overlap while they are still
wet. In order to avoid the darker
colours muddying the lighter
ones, clean your brush
between colours on a
dry paper towel. (Don’t
use water as the paint
just becomes too wet to
adhere to the metal.) You
makingjeweller y.com
12
15
can also use tiny edge-of-the-brush flicks with
the Glaze Gloss to thin the paint in parts to add
a more subtle blend or suggest clouds or other
details. As ever, you need to work quickly. Don’t
be tempted to keep working once the paints
starts to dry – you will only create brushmarks
as the drying paint is pulled away from the
support. Once you’ve finished painting, put
your brush in water and sand your pendant as
you did in Step 5. It’s now ready to hang on your
chosen necklace.
Helter skelter earrings
15. These earrings are a doddle to create.
Cut two pieces of copper 9cm x 1.3cm. Sand,
anneal, emboss and re-anneal them as you did
in Steps 1 to 4. Drill a hole in one corner and
sand away any burrs. Paint the two embossed
copper pieces with broadly matching graduated
blends. Sand the high points and rinse away the
dust. Making sure that the hole is at the highest
point, wrap your metal around a pen in a helter
skelter form. Gently tap the ends flat with a
plastic or raw-hide mallet. Tease the turns
apart slightly to give an even appearance and
hang from jumprings and earring wires.
19/09/2017 13:08
 ®

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013_MAJ_112.indd 13 9/19/17 10:12 AM

10
QUESTIONS
When did your interest in jewellery first start?
We started making jewellery early 2015. We
came across some beautiful art pieces of the
1960s using the combination of wood and
resin and became instantly inspired! We took
this concept and transformed it into our ring
design. As Marie Antoinette once said, ‘There is
nothing new except what has been forgotten.’
Do you have any formal training? If so, where did
you train?
We are completely self-taught. We learned and
perfected our jewellery techniques with a lot of
practice and by making many mistakes. This
process has allowed us to create a product we
are extremely proud of!
Where is your studio?
Secret Wood is based in beautiful Vancouver,
British Colombia. We are lucky enough to be
surrounded by some of the most impressive
landscapes in the world; the Pacific Ocean,
dramatic mountains and pristine lakes are
all around!
14
MJ112_P14-15_10 Questions SHSD.indd 14
FEATURE
SECRET WOOD
Where do you find inspiration and how do you
decide what to make next?
Both Vancouver and Canada have played
a key part in the inspiration behind our
designs. A blend of ethereal fantasy elements
grounded on Canadian natural landscapes
shape our creations.
What is your preferred medium?
All our rings are made with a combination of
wood and resin. We prefer working with this
combination as it allows us a great deal of
freedom to create hidden, enchanting worlds.
Do you have a favourite tool?
Our favourite tool would have to be the
electronic pipette. We use this tool for adding
colour to the resin. This tool is so precise it
is capable of creating fractions of drops! We
have a lot of fun experimenting with different
colour combinations.
Which techniques do you enjoy using?
We enjoy the technique we use to combine the
wood and resin. We love seeing the marriage
between natural wood and man-made resin.
makingjeweller y.com
Do you offer workshops or classes?
We do not offer any workshops or classes at
this time.
What are your goals?
Our goal is to make beautiful, wearable art
inspired by the world around us. We love that
our customers are able to carry a piece of
nature with them. Often their ring allows them
to escape into another world, moment in time
or fond memory.
What’s your favourite thing that you’ve ever
made? Is there one project that stands out
above the others?
We are currently working on creating a ring that
incorporates silver and gold in the band. We
have also been busy designing some concepts for
pendants and even cooking up a new product
that is not jewellery related, but still uses wood
and resin. We are so excited to be working on
this and cannot wait to release it!
CONTACT
mysecretwood.com
PHOTOGRAPHS SECRET WOOD
Facebook: @mysecretwood
Instagram: @secret.wood
20/09/2017 16:00
PHOTOGRAPHS: SECRET WOOD

MJ112_P14-15_10 Questions SHSD.indd 15 13/09/2017 16:34

016_MAJ_112.indd 16 9/14/17 11:05 AM

HIDDEN PATTERNS
I
love working with layers and patterns
in polymer clay; especially the ones that
are hidden and don’t get revealed until
you slice them. This project uses techniques
inspired by polymer clay artists Melanie Muir,
Jana Roberts Benzon and Carol Blackburn.
Even though all three sets of jewellery I
have made in this project use different
techniques, only the first set has been made
with fresh blocks of clay. The remaining
two sets are recycle projects. This project
has been focused more towards achieving
a variety of decorative clay veneer patterns.
This technique is perfect for someone who
knows the basics of polymer clay including
clay conditioning, reducing a simple clay
cane, sanding and polishing. You need a basic
knowledge of jewellery making to finish the
polymer clay pieces into jewellery.
MJ112_P17-21_Hidden Patterns SHSD.indd 17
PROJECT
RAJITHA NANDAKISHOR
MATERIALS & TOOLS
● Kato clay blocks (black, white,
orange, turquoise and green)
● Pasta machine
● Acrylic roller
● Laminated card/acrylic block
to burnish the clay surface
● Tissue blades (stiff and flexible)
● Cornstarch (to use as texture
sheet release) ● Silver-plated jumprings
● Deeply textured mat/stamps (‘Ocean’ ● Silver-plated headpins
texture stamp by Melanie Muir) ● 2 pairs of silver-plated earwire findings
● Lace fabric/lightly textured sheet ● 5 silver-plated square bezel connectors
● Wax/deli paper ● Antique bronze-plated jumprings
● Scotch tape ● Antique bronze-plated round bezel bracelet
● 0.8mm (20 gauge) silver-plated copper wire ● 2 antique bronze square pendant bezels
(approx. 20cm in length) ● Pair of antique bronze plated earwire findings
● Turquoise and green 1mm faux leather cord ● Wet/dry sand paper (starting from 320 grits
(each approx. 0.5m long) and higher)
● Pair of silver-plated cord end findings ● Drill bits
● 2 silver-plated clasps with extender chain ● Gemstones for embellishment
makingjeweller y.com 17
25/09/2017 10:46

1 2
4 5
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, RAJITHA NANDAKISHOR
7 8
1. Begin with the clay stack preparation.
Condition all your clay and run them separately
through the thickest setting of your pasta
machine (setting 1). Keep them ready to be used
on sheets of wax/deli paper. Take half of prepared
black (B) clay sheet, run it through setting 4 on
the pasta machine. Repeat the same for half of
the prepared white (W) clay sheet. Place sheet
B of clay over sheet W. Now roll both the sheets
together through setting 1. Change the pasta
setting down to 4 and run the B-W layered sheet
once again through the pasta machine. Use the
stiff blade to cut the sheet in half lengthwise.
Double the stack by carefully placing one half of
the layer on top of the other with the clean cut
edges placed neatly on top of each other forming
a B-W-B-W layered pattern (Pic 1). Using an
acrylic roller, roll the top layer of the stack to
get rid of any air pockets. This ensures sticking
of different layers. You will end up with a stack
of four layers of clay with an overall thickness
almost the same or slightly more than the
thickest setting of the pasta machine.
2. Take half of each sheet of prepared coloured
clay – orange (O), turquoise (T) and green
(G). Save the other half to be used later in this
project (Steps 17 and 20). Run each coloured
18
MJ112_P17-21_Hidden Patterns SHSD.indd 18
PROJECT
3
6
9
HOW TO MAKE
sheet separately through setting 4, reducing the
thickness to almost half of the thickest setting.
Now stack the T layer on top of the G layer and
run it through setting 4 together forming a T-G
layered stack of thickness 4. Gently place the
O layer on top of above formed T-G stack. Run
the whole stack through setting 1 forming an
O-T-G layered pattern. Now place the O-T-G
layer over the B-W-B-W layer from Step 1.
Gently roll the acrylic roller to adhere one layer
to the other. Use the stiff blade to cut the stack
in half. Stack one half of the stack on top of
the other forming an O-T-G-B-W-B-W-O-T-
G-B-W-B-W layered stack. At this point, you
have finished preparing a stack of interesting
coloured and B and W clay layers (Pic 2) with an
overall thickness more than double the thickest
setting of your pasta machine.
Mokume gane pattern
3. Now manipulate the layers to bring an
imbalance to the perfectly layered clay stack.
Although there are different ways of doing
the Makume Gane, I have used deep textured
sheets to achieve the technique. Stick a sheet of
wax/deli paper on your work surface/tile using
Scotch tape. Place the clay stack on the wax
makingjeweller y.com
sheet with the O layer facing up. Now place
the texture sheet/stamp upside down on top of
the stack, pressing gently but firmly and evenly
on the top layer. When you take the texture
sheet out, ensure that the pattern has been
transferred deeply on to the clay slab. If the
texture sheet is small, repeat the steps to get
the impression all over the top surface ensuring
that the patterns have continuity.
4. Take your sharpest set of flexible clay cutters.
Ensure that your manipulated slab of layered clay
is placed firmly on top of a tile. Mark the clay slab
into two or three portions based on the number
of pieces you would like to make as part of the
set. I have used three pieces – one for a pendant
and two for earrings. Hold the blade horizontal
on the clay surface then bend your blade slightly
upwards forming a light curve in the middle.
Start with slicing the raised portions by moving
the blade towards you. Every stroke of the blades
reveals a new colour and pattern underneath
(Pic 4). Repeat the slicing action until the entire
raised surface has been shaved off and the top
surface feels flat when running your fingers over
it. This is where I stopped for the pendant piece.
Cut a rectangular piece suitable for the pendant
from the slab using the stiff blades.
25/09/2017 10:46

10
13
5. If you are curious to reveal more colours and
patterns hiding inside the clay slab, you may
continue shaving the top layer of remaining slab.
Ensure that the blades are still horizontally slicing
very thin layers of clay, without forming dips
or ridges to the top surface. Continue shaving/
slicing until you are happy with the pattern that
emerges on the top surface. I stopped the action
once I could see the B and W layer being revealed
(Pic 5). Use stiff blades to cut two rectangles out
of the clay slab for a pair of earrings. (If the clay is
too soft and sticky, it is advisable to cling wrap it
and place it in the refrigerator for half to 1 hour.)
Ensure that you collect the clay shavings on wax
paper to be used later in the project (Pic 11).
6. Once you have achieved the desired pattern
on the top surface of the clay stack, it’s time to
burnish it. Start by peeling the clay surface off
the wax paper and placing it on top of a lace or
lightly textured mat. Make sure that the textured
mat is lightly dusted with cornstarch to achieve
a crisp texture. These textures make the back of
the pieces look interesting. Take a rectangular
sheet of layout paper. Place it on top of the clay
surface. Start to burnish the top surface using
your fingers until it feels flat. Now use an acrylic
block or acrylic roller or even a smooth laminated
card to burnish the surface (Pic 6, inset). This
action ensures that the pattern is not disturbed,
yet results in an even surface. The more you work
at this stage, the less you will have to work at the
sanding stage.
Pendant and earrings (set 1)
7. Follow Step 6 to burnish the rectangular clay
slab for pendant from Step 4. Next is to get the
stripy edges. Take the flexible tissue blade, curve
it slightly and place it on one side of the clay slab
tilted with an angle of 40–45° to the clay surface .
MJ112_P17-21_Hidden Patterns SHSD.indd 19
PROJECT
11
8. Carefully scoop towards you a curved
wedge. Rotate the work surface/tile to face
the adjacent side of the rectangle. Repeat
this until you have taken wedged bites from
each side, revealing different coloured layers
underneath as stripes. This technique gives an
organic look to the clay pieces.
9. Take the two rectangular slabs from Step
5 and follow Steps 7 and 8 to prepare the clay
slabs for a pair of earrings. Pic 9 shows the
prepared slabs ready for curing as a pendant
and earrings. Cure the clay pieces according to
manufacturer’s instructions on top of a paper
card surface (to avoid shiny back patches). Once
the pieces are cured, let them cool down and
then sand them. Use a drill bit with appropriate
thickness to drill a hole to add a bail/connector
to hang the pieces as pendants/earrings.
10. Take 0.8mm silver-plated copper wire approx.
6cm in length. See Pic 10 to make a flat coil
on one end of the wire (a). Hold the flat coil
horizontally with the flat nose pliers, lift the rest
of the wire upwards making a 90° bend to the
flat coil (b). At this stage thread the wire through
the drill hole of the pendant and make another
square bend upwards (c). Compare this with Pic
10 (inset) to see the positioning of the clay piece
(note this shows the bend without the pendant
piece inserted). Use the round nose pliers to make
a coil on the other end of the wire (d). Ensure that
the coil circumference is large enough for two
1mm thickness cords to pass through. Repeat the
same on the earring pieces too.
11. To finish the pendant, thread both the
faux leather cords through the pendant bail
coil. Attach cord-end findings holding both
the cords together after you have snipped off
appropriate length for your necklace. Finish the
makingjeweller y.com
12
14
earrings by attaching earwires to the earring
bail coil.
Recycled – scrap clay pattern
12. Take half of the remaining sheet of black
(B) clay from Step 1. Run it through the pasta
machine on setting 4. Use the stiff blade to
cut a sheet 10cm x 5cm. Collect the scrap
clay shavings and slices) from Steps 5 and 8.
Randomly disperse them on the B clay sheet.
Use an acrylic roller to roll them fl at to 1mm
thick sheet.
13. Take half of the unused sheet of turquoise (T)
clay from Step 2 and run it though setting 2 of
the pasta machine. Pull and tear pieces from the
prepared sheet of patterned clay from Step 12 and
place them randomly over the T sheet, ensuring
that the T layer shows up too through the gaps
(Pic 13). Use the acrylic roller to flatten the layer.
This forms the veneer for the second set.
Bracelet and earrings (set 2)
14. Take half of the unused sheet of green (G)
clay from Step 2 and run it through setting 4.
Take a lightly textured mat and dust it with
cornstarch. Place the G clay sheet over this
mat. Layer it with the veneer sheet from Step
13. Place a sheet of layout paper on top and
follow Step 6 to burnish the surface as flat and
smooth as possible. Ensure that overall depth
of this sheet is the same or slightly more than
the depth of the silver square bezel connectors
(thickness of the bezel shown by the arrow in
Pic 14). Place the bezels on top of the prepared
clay layer for the pattern you would like to be
framed inside the bezel. Press these bezels like
you would use a cutter. Embed these bezels into
the clay sheet as shown in Pic 14.
19
25/09/2017 10:46

15
18
21
15. Hold on to the edge of the sheet and
gently lift and peel off the sheet clay from
the textured mat underneath. Ensure that
everything peels off except the clay caught/
embedded inside the five bezel connectors.
This peeled off clay becomes the negative of
the bezels (Pic 15, top). You will end up with
five bezel connectors with desired pattern
captured inside it (Pic 15, bottom). Carefully
lift them out of the texture mat and place
them on a sheet of card ready for curing.
16. Cure the clay embedded bezels according to
the manufacturer’s instructions, let it cool, and
tap it on a solid surface so that the cured clay
piece pops out. Sand and polish the pieces up
to your desired level of finish. Apply jewellery
glue to stick the clay pieces back to the bezel.
Attach an earwire on one connector of the
prepared bezels. On the other connector add
a gemstone or bead as embellishment. Repeat
the same to complete the earring pair. Attach
the remaining three bezels using jumprings
or by using a gemstone connector by making
wrapped loops through the connector of the
bezels on both ends. Once you have attached
the bezels, finish the bracelet by attaching a
clasp with an extender chain on both the ends
of the bracelet.
20
MJ112_P17-21_Hidden Patterns SHSD.indd 20
PROJECT
16
19
22
Recycled – lace cane pattern
17. Collect unused strips of clay sheets,
including the ones that are stacked or multi-
layered, from previous steps 1, 2, 12 and 15
(except the sheet of plain white clay). Roll
them into cylinder/sausage shapes of varied
thickness and height.
18. Pick the best clay sausage rolls from Step
17 and manipulate them by further rolling or
squeezing to bring all of them to same height
(you will end up with clay canes of various
diameters). Roll the leftover sheet of white
clay from Step 1 through setting 7 of the pasta
machine. Cut the sheet into strips, keeping
the width the same as the height of the canes.
Cover each clay cane with the white strip
of clay as shown in Pic 18 (inset). Grab the
prepared canes into a bunch, placing the canes
tastefully to form a lovely cross-section of
colour pattern.
19. The cane reduction stage is carried out
in four parts. Reduce the cane obtained from
Step 18 and slice it into two canes (Pic 19, top
left). Bring the two canes together forming
them into a new cane with a new pattern.
Reduce the cane and slice into two (Pic 19,
makingjeweller y.com
17
20
23
top right). Bunch these two canes into one
and reduce again to get a cane with another
new pattern. Slice this cane equally into three
canes (Pic 19, bottom left). Bunch these three
canes, slightly press and reduce them into a
single cane (Pic 19, bottom right). Your lace
cane is ready to be sliced and used as veneer.
Bracelet and earrings (set 3)
20. Prepare a sheet of clay made of scrap clay
from previous steps. Take a sheet of waxed
paper and place the scrap clay on top. Slice
the lace clay into thin discs of a 1mm–1.5mm
thickness using the stiff blade. To prepare the
lace veneer, lay the slices fl at on the scrap clay
sheet, adjacent to each other, covering the
scrap clay as much as possible.
21. Use your fi nger to gently push the clay
towards the gaps in order to close them. When
you get to a stage where you can’t see the scrap
clay underneath anymore, take your bracelet
bezel and check the depth of the bezels. Follow
Step 6 to level and burnish the clay surface
into a sheet of thickness the same as the bezel
depth. Ensure that the prepared patterned
surface is smooth and even.
25/09/2017 10:46
 PROJECT

22. Place the bezel bracelet on a

tile. Gently lift the prepared clay
sheet from Step 21 off the wax
sheet and lay it on top of the bezel
bracelet (with the pattern facing
up). Take acrylic roller to roll over
the sheet (the layout paper still
being intact on the top surface).
The bezels underneath act as a clay
cutter, embedding clay pattern
inside the bezel. Run your fingers
on the top surface to feel the bezel
from the bottom coming out of
the clay surface. Peel off the layout
paper. Ensure that the clay sheet
has been cut through for all the
bezels in the bracelet. If you are
unsure, use a needle tool to neatly
help cut the clay around the bezel.
Follow Step 15 to peel off the
negative clay. The bezel bracelet
should be left behind as shown in
Pic 22. Clean the bracelet chain for
any raw clay stuck in the gaps of
the connector.

23. If the negative clay from Step

22 is large enough to be used in
a pair of earrings, keep it aside.
Otherwise repeat Steps 20 and
21 to prepare a new veneer of
lace clay. Take the pendant bezel
(used in this set as an earring
bezel). Follow Steps 14 and 15
to cut and fi ll the earring bezel
with your desired pattern. Follow
the instructions in Step 16 from
curing to gluing the fi nished clay
pieces for the bezel bracelet and
earrings. Complete the earrings by
adding gemstone embellishment
and attaching a pair of earwires to
the bezel connector.

RESOURCES
Widely available from
advertisers in this magazine
clayaround.com

CONTACT
Facebook.com/HandmadeByRaji
Facebook.com/
JMGDRajithaNandakishor
Email:
HandmadeByRaji@gmail.com

21

MJ112_P17-21_Hidden Patterns SHSD.indd 21 25/09/2017 10:47

 CELEBRITY STYLE

MAKE A SPLASH TANSY WILSON

W
ith the release of Hans Christian
Anderson’s tale of The Little Mermaid
as well as Disney’s live action remake
of their animated classic, there are lots of
mermaid movies coming out or are already at
the cinema. I was inspired to create a bracelet
fit for any beautiful mermaid – and who better
than one of the original mermaids from the
1984 movie, Splash. I have made these bracelets
for Daryl Hannah, star of this classic film.

22

MJ112_P22-23_Celebrity Style SHSD.indd 22 13/09/2017 16:38


1 2
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, TANSY WHEELER
4 5
MATERIALS & TOOLS
● 5 x 13–14mm white coin pearls
● 5 x 13–14mm silver grey coin
pearls
● 4 x 13–14mm peacock coin
pearls
● Roll of 0.8mm (20 gauge) wire
● Flush cutters
HOW TO MAKE
1. Cut 2m of 0.8mm silver wire
from the roll and wrap three times
around a cylindrical object, such as
a drinking glass. Remove from the
glass and check to see if your hand
can fit through. Adjust the size of
the coils if required, so it is a good
fit for your wrist. Manipulate the
wire so there is a 30cm length of
wire coming off the coils, as well as
the remaining much longer length
of wire. Bend this 30cm of wire 90°
from the coils.
2. Take this 30cm wire and,
holding it fi rmly at the 90° bend,
tightly wrap it four times around
the three large coils so you secure
them snugly together at one spot.
Add a coin pearl to this now
shorter length of wire and slide it
up to meet the wrapped wire.
3. Position the coin pearl so it is
laying flat on top of the three large
coils, then wrap the short length
MJ112_P22-23_Celebrity Style SHSD.indd 23
CELEBRITY STYLE
of wire two times around the large
coils directly; the other side of the
coin pearl, securing it in place on
top of the coils. Now take the same
short length of wire and wrap it
underneath the coin pearl three
times. Bring the same, now very
short piece of wire back up and
wrap it a further two times around
the large coils and cut away any
excess wire.
4. You have now wrapped one coin
pearl onto the three initial large
coils and you now need to position
where the rest of the pearls are
going to go. I have evenly spaced
mine out around the bangle. Take
the remaining long piece of wire
and follow the contours of the
three large coils to where you wish
to wrap on the next coin pearl.
Bend this long piece of wire at 90°
to the coils.
5. Hold this very long length firmly
at the 90° bend and tightly wrap it
four times around the three large
coils so you again secure them
snugly together at this new spot.
Add a coin pearl to this length of
wire and slide it up to meet the
wrapped wire. Make sure the coin
pearl is flat on the coils and again
wrap the wire two times around the
large coils directly the other side of
the coin pearl, securing it in place.
makingjeweller y.com
STYLE
PROFILE
DARYL
HANNAH
3
PHOTOGRAPH: FEATUREFLASH PHOTO AGENCY/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
6
6. Take this long length of wire
and then wrap it around the Daryl Hannah is an American
underneath of the coin pearl three actress who rose to fame in the
times as in Step 3 and then bring 1980s with major lead roles in
it back up and wrap around the films such as Blade Runner,
large coils a further two times. Roxanne, Wall Street,
Do not cut the wire. Instead again Steel Magnolias and Kill Bill.
continue it around the contours She is also an accomplished
of the large coils to where you will theatre actress, reprising
position the next coin pearl. Bend Marilyn Monroe’s starring role
it at 90° and follow Step 5 and 6 to in The Seven Year Itch
add the remaining three pearls. at London’s West End.
DESIGNER TIP
There are so many unusual shaped
beads that the design options are
endless with this simple wire-
wrapping technique.
EXTRA PROJECTS
You can make additional bracelets
using different coloured coin
pearls and also varying the number
of coin pearls that you add.
PHOTOGRAPH: IVBAR/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
RESOURCES
All coin pearls along with other
colours can be sourced from:
stores.ebay.co.uk/
Eastern-Character-Beads
CONTACT
tansywilson@hotmail.com
23
20/09/2017 09:25
 TIPS & TECHNIQUES

FORGING RIVETS KAREN CAINE

F
orging rivets is a great alternative to MATERIALS & TOOLS
soldering and it’s a doddle to do in ● 0.5mm thick copper and brass blanks ● Round needle fi le
comparison. They’re great if you want to ● 0.5mm aluminium and copper sheet ● Flush cutters
create rustic or industrial style pieces and can ● 1.2mm (16 gauge) bare copper and silver wire ● Jeweller’s mitre jig
also be used with materials that can’t tolerate ● Copper tube (1.2mm inner diameter, 2mm ● Jeweller’s coping saw
high temperatures, where soldering simply outer diameter) ● Flat fi le
isn’t possible. ● Silver tube (1.3mm inner diameter, 2mm ● Pro Polish pad or similar foam
In basic terms, a rivet is a piece of wire that’s outer diameter) ● Paper and cardboard
been passed through a hole and then had its ● Silver or copper ball pins (optional) ● Hole punch
ends flattened against the hole’s edges to fi x it ● Safety glasses and dust mask ● Scissors
in place. Traditionally, it was used to fi x two ● Riveting hammer ● Texturing hammers
pieces of metal together, which is what we’ll do ● Steel hammering block ● Sandpaper
here, but you can also use the same techniques ● Masking tape ● Tube cutting jig or pliers
to rivet a single thickness if you want rivets for ● Ruler ● Large cup burr
decorative rather than functional reasons. ● Permanent ink, fine-tip feltpen ● Needle nose pliers
As always when working with metal, make sure ● Centre punch ● Hot tools (gas torch, heat-resistant surface
you wear safety glasses at all times when forging ● Heavy mallet and tweezers, bowl of water for quenching,
rivets and wear a dust mask when sanding. ● Drill pickle and pickle pot, etc)

24 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P24-29 Forging Rivets SHSD.indd 24 25/09/2017 10:54


1 2
4 5
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, KAREN CAINE
7 8
Basic rivet
1. If you would like to texture your metal, then
it’s best to do it at the start. If you try to do it
later, you run the risk of distorting the hole
your rivet needs to pass through, making the
job much trickier, if not impossible.
2. Once the metal is ready, arrange the pieces
as you would like them to appear in the fi nal
design and tack them in place with masking
tape. Mark where the rivet should go, then use
a centre punch to create a divot at that point.
This will help guide the drill when you make
the hole and stop it skittering across
the surface.
3. Choose a drill that is the same size or slightly
finer than the wire you want to use for your
rivet. (The wire must fit snugly in the hole – if
it’s too big the rivet will enter at an angle or
bend, which makes it impossible to rivet. If in
doubt, go for a smaller drill bit – you can always
MJ112_P24-29 Forging Rivets SHSD.indd 25
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
3
6
9
HOW TO MAKE
use a round needle fi le to enlarge the hole later.)
Now drill through the layers, making sure
you keep the drill perpendicular to the metal.
Holes that don’t line up are another reason that
rivets fail. (For this reason you should always
complete one rivet before drilling a hole for a
second one as things have a way of shifting out
of alignment when you rivet.)
4. Remove the masking tape, enlarge the hole if
necessary and then sand away any burrs.
5. Thread your wire through the holes. Then
using the flush side of your cutters, snip the
wire leaving two flat ends around 1.5mm either
side of the holes.
6. Slide everything on to a steel hammering
block. Use your fi ngers to make sure that the
mini rivet wire doesn’t fall out in the process
(it’s no fun trying to get it back in). Then
using the narrow end of the rivet hammer,
start to gently tap one end of the wire, while
makingjeweller y.com
slowly rotating the work. The idea is to land
blows fl at across the wire’s head as though
you were marking the spokes on a wheel. This
causes the head to fl atten and mushroom
outwards. Make sure that the metal remains
tight against the other end of the wire during
this process and that the wire remains
perpendicular to it – if not the wire can bend
and the rivet will fail.
7. Once the first end has started to flatten, turn
the piece over and repeat the process with the
other end.
8. Keep tapping the ends and flipping the piece
over until the ends are tight against the metal.
9. Switch to the other end of the hammer and
flatten the rivet using perpendicular blows. Flip
the piece and repeat on the other side. Ta-da!
You’ve made a rivet. Feel free to sand the edges
a little if they feel sharp, but don’t overdo it and
remove the new head.
25
20/09/2017 09:45

10
13
16
Tube rivet
10. Once you’ve mastered basic rivets, you can
try a few alternatives. The tube rivet is very
easy to do. Start by following Steps 1 to 4, but
in Step 3 choose a drill bit that matches your
tube’s diameter rather than a piece of wire.
11. Thread the tube through the holes in your
pieces of metal and mark where you need to
cut it – as before, you want 1.5mm of rivet on
either side of the hole. Cut the wire on the
mark you have made. Sawing the tube while it’s
held in specialised tube-cutting pliers makes
this more straightforward. (We like to hold the
pliers in a bench vice, then just hold the handles
lightly to stop lateral movement while sawing.)
Alternatively, you can cut against a jeweller’s
mitre jig or use a jeweller’s tube-cutting jig.
12. Whichever method you use, you’ll need
to make sure that the ends are flat in order to
create a rivet. Slide the cut tube into a mitre jig
and fi le the first end until it’s flush, then flip the
tube over and fi le the other end.
26
MJ112_P24-29 Forging Rivets SHSD.indd 26
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
11
14
17
13. Once the ends are fl at, slide the tube
through the hole and start hammering it as
outlined in Steps 6 to 8.
14. Once the ends of the tube have been flared
out and are sitting tight on both sides of the metal
you can flatten (or planish) the two ends with the
flat face of the hammer to finish off your rivet.
Ball rivet
15. For this third style of rivet, you’ll need a
ball pin rather than a simple piece of wire. You
can buy these easily – search etsy.com for pure
copper or pure silver ball pins – or if you have a
gas torch you can create your own. Taking all the
usual precautions for working with hot tools, use
heat-resistant tweezers to hold a straight piece
of wire vertically above the blue part of your
torch’s flame. Once the wire becomes molten,
a ball of metal will run up the wire. Once the
ball is about 2mm in diameter, quench the wire
in water, then pickle and rinse. Make sure you
work above a heat-resistant surface with a lip for
containing any molten balls that may fall from
the wire – a baking sheet is perfect for this.
makingjeweller y.com
12
15
18
16. Follow Steps 1 to 4 to prepare the hole for
your rivet, then thread your ball pin through,
making sure the ball is tight against the metal
at the front. Cut the pin so that 1.5mm is left
sticking out from the back.
17. Place a protective pad on your steel block,
then place your metal pieces face down with
the ball on the cushioning material. (Here
we’re using an old Pro Polish pad, but any thin,
durable foam will do.) Once everything is in
place, start to hammer the back of the rivet
as you did in Step 6. There’s no need to flip
this rivet over as the balled end is already big
enough not to pull through the hole.
18. Keep hammering until the non-balled end
is tight against the metal, then reverse the
hammer and use the flat face to finish off the
rivet. You should find that the cushion has
helped to keep the ball round. If you do find
that the face of your rivet is less than perfect,
then you can either re-round them with a
suitably sized cup burr or sand them to give
them flat tops like the silver rivets on the heart
pendant on the opposite page (top left).
20/09/2017 09:45
 27

MJ112_P24-29 Forging Rivets SHSD.indd 27 20/09/2017 09:45


19
22
Spaced rivet
19. A spaced rivet is great if you want a gap
between riveted layers. Essentially, it’s a longer
version of a basic rivet, but one that runs
through a tube placed between the holes in the
two layers of metal. The key to success with this
type of rivet is to ensure that the wire fits snugly
inside the tube as well as the two holes. Here
we’re using 1.2mm wire in 1.2mm holes, passing
through a tube with a 1.2mm inner diameter.
20. According to standard texts on the subject,
you need to assemble your sandwich as shown
here, with the wire protruding approx. 3mm
from the top of the wire, and then rivet in
the usual way, but it’s pretty tricky to keep
everything in place.
21. One way to make things easier, is to create
a support on which the top piece of metal
can rest. To do this, roll up and glue a strip of
paper to create a stubby tube that’s the same
height as the metal tube, then slide this paper
tube over the metal tube before adding the top
piece of metal. You can also hold the top of the
wire with needle nose pliers when you start
hammering, if you wish. This helps to prevent
the wire bending where it exits the tube.
22. Once you have flared the first end, flip
the piece over, making sure that the wire is
pushed all the way through the tube (gently
push the bottom piece of metal down the wire
if necessary – this will also straighten out any
kinks that have formed). Repeat this process
until the flared ends are tight against the metal
and then finish off by hammering both ends of
28
MJ112_P24-29 Forging Rivets SHSD.indd 28
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
20 21
23 24
the rivet with the flat face in the usual way. You Inspirational pieces
can then remove the paper tube by soaking it in
water. Once it’s sodden, squeeze it with pliers 1, 2 & 3. Amorphic Metals, amorphicmetals.com
so you can get hold of it and then tear the wet
paper apart. 4. Diana Anton Jewelry Design, artdi.etsy.com
Flexible rivet 5 & 6. Barbara Ash, artnsouljewels.etsy.com
23. This rivet is great if you want to create 7. Diana Anton Jewelry Design, artdi.etsy.com
articulated joints that allow the separate parts to
move. It’s very simple to do: take a small piece of 8. Douglas Wunder, edouglaswunder.com
thin cardboard and punch a hole in it that’s the
same diameter as your wire. Then cut a slot in 9. Sabrina and Dante Acevedo, mocahete.com
the card running from the hole to the edge.
24. Sandwich the cardboard between the two
metals, then create a basic, tube or ball rivet.
Once the rivet is complete, pull the cardboard
so that it slides free of the new rivet by means
of the slot. The gap left by the cardboard will be
enough to let the pieces of metal pivot around
the rivet.
RESOURCES
Blanks: palmermetals.co.uk
Blanks: alchemyandice.com
Wire: wires.co.uk
Silver tube: cooksongold.com
Copper tube: maccmodels.co.uk
CONTACTS
facebook.com/thecraftydwarf
makingjeweller y.com
20/09/2017 09:45
 1 2 3

4 5 7

8 9
PHOTO BY LARRY SANDERS, JURYIMAGE.COM

29

MJ112_P24-29 Forging Rivets SHSD.indd 29 20/09/2017 09:45

 PROJECT

TINSEL TOWN TANSY WILSON

W
ith the Christmas party season
nearly upon us, I have designed this
collection using tinsel and Preciosa
crystals for ultimate festive party glamour.
With these fantastic silicone moulds from
Resin8, this collection is ideal for any level of
jewellery maker. I have designed some simple
casting ideas for the novice resin user, through
to slightly more advanced techniques with
the layering, cutting and equipment required
for cleaning up. This requires a little more
patience, but the end result is worth it!
MATERIALS & TOOLS
● Tinsel ● 1mm (18 gauge) silver wire
● Slow cure epoxy resin ● Chain, clasp, pendant bail and jumprings
● Standard epoxy resin ● Brasso polish and soft cloth
● Black opaque pigment ● Two-part adhesive
● Silicone bangle mould ● Hacksaw
● Silicon square cabochon mould ● Scissors
● Mixing cups, gloves and sticks ● Drill and 1mm and 4mm drill bits
● Wet and dry emery paper (selection of grades) ● Pliers to assemble pieces
● Preciosa MC Chaton Rose VIVA 12 ● Polishing mop or Dremel polishing tool
Crystals ss16

30 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P30-33_Tinsel Town SHSD.indd 30 13/09/2017 16:44


1 2
4 5
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, TANSY WHEELER
7 8
Solid tinsel bangle
1. Cut a strip of tinsel into small pieces so each
piece is small enough to fit easily inside the
bangle mould. The pieces can be all different
sizes for added interest in the design.
2. Place all the cut tinsel into the bangle mould.
The more tinsel the better the finished result.
Just ensure there is no tinsel sticking out of the
top of the mould.
3. Mix your resin as per the instructions given
from the resin supplier. Resin8 supplies many
types of resin, but for this bangle I have used
a slow cure epoxy resin as it cures leaving a
crystal clear finish. Ensure you wear protective
gloves and work in a clean, well-ventilated
room. Pour your mixed resin into the mould
until it just domes at the top of the mould.
As it dries it slightly shrinks so this bulge will
decrease in size. Leave to cure, remove from
the mould and hey presto! You have a beautiful
sparkly finished bangle.
4. In some cases you can use wet and dry
abrasive emery paper to sand your bangle if you
MJ112_P30-33_Tinsel Town SHSD.indd 31
PROJECT
3
6
9
HOW TO MAKE
want to create a flatter surface or just create a
matt surface on your design. You must use water
with this emery paper when sanding resin for
the best result. I have shown this step as I do use
wet and dry paper later on in the project steps.
Black and tinsel bangles
5. Follow Steps 1–3 to create a bangle of tinsel.
Once dry and removed from the mould, cut a
section of bangle out using a hacksaw.
6. Place this cut section back into your bangle
mould. Press the silicone mould against the sides
of the cut section to try and seal it into place
as much as possible. This time I am making a
solid colour mix so I have used Resin8’s standard
epoxy resin with a black opaque pigment. Follow
the mixing instructions, pour the black resin
mix into the mould so it slightly domes at the
top of the mould and leave to dry completely.
7. Remove the bangle from the mould and see if
any of the black has seeped across the gold cut
section. If it is OK then your bangle is finished,
ready to wear! If it did, then just use wet and
dry emery paper with water to remove any over-
makingjeweller y.com
spill. Use a coarse textured emery paper to start
with (240) and then work to a very high grade
paper (1000) to finish. The higher the number,
the better the finish. If you have a Dremel or
motor polisher you can then buff the bangle
back to a high shine. Alternatively, using Brasso
polish is very effective at getting a shine too!
You can follow Steps 5–7 to make a matching
silver tinsel bangle too.
Silver line bangle
8. Follow Steps 1–3 to make a silver tinsel bangle
except do not fill the resin at Step 3 to the top of
the mould. Fill it to about two-thirds of the way.
Leave to dry, remove from the mould and then
cut out a larger section from the bangle shape.
Leave to one side and make a black resin mix
and pour into your bangle mould up to one-third
high and leave to cure. Place your silver section
back into the bangle mould on top of the set
black line. Press the silicon mould against the
silver section to seal it as much as possible.
9. Make a black resin mix again and now fi ll the
remaining sections of the bangle mould around
the cut silver piece. Leave to dry completely.
31
13/09/2017 16:44

10
13
10. As with Step 7, once you have removed the
bangle, you may need to use wet and dry emery
paper to remove any black resin that may have
seeped across the silver section. Once you are
happy with the look, you can now drill holes
into the top of the bangle along the solid black
line. I have chosen to drill holes directly above
the silver section. Use a 4mm drill bit and only
go down 1–2mm. An alternative design is to
drill holes around the entire edge of the bangle.
11. Remove any dust from the holes and then
mix up a two-part epoxy glue and add a tiny
drop into each drilled hole. Pick up a Preciosa
crystal and place into each hole and leave to dry.
Necklace
12. An alternative design can use up the other
cut thin bangle section from Step 8 and make
an eye-catching necklace. Drill a 1mm hole at
32
MJ112_P30-33_Tinsel Town SHSD.indd 32
PROJECT
11
14
16
each end of the curve of resin and a hole at the
halfway point of the curve. Mix up your two-
part epoxy glue and dip the end of a 4cm length
of 1mm wire into it. Place this gluey end into one
of the holes. Repeat to put 4cm of 1mm wire into
each hole. Once the glue is dry you can create
an eye loop with the length of wire using round
nose pliers. Cut away any excess wire.
13. Resin8 has lots of different silicone moulds
and I particularly like the cabochon styles.
Every time I mixed the black resin I would pour
any excess into the square cabochon so as not
to waste it. This gave me several cabochons that
I have incorporated into other designs.
14. Again, I drilled 4mm x 1–2mm deep holes
into the surface of each cabochon and glued in
Preciosa crystals. I also drilled 1mm holes into
either the top two corners or centrally at the
top of each cabochon.
makingjeweller y.com
12
15
15. You can now join the cabochon to your
silver curve using the centrally drilled hole at
the top of a cabochon using a bail. Then you
can add chain and a clasp to each eye loop
formed at the sides of the silver curve.
Pendant
16. Alternatively, a simpler design is to add
jumprings to the top corner drilled holes in
your square cabochon and thread a chain
through them.
RESOURCES
All resin materials: resin8.co.uk
Chain, wire and findings available from
advertisers in this magazine
CONTACT
tansywilson@hotmail.com
20/09/2017 09:51
 PROJECT

33

MJ112_P30-33_Tinsel Town SHSD.indd 33 13/09/2017 16:45

034_MAJ_112.indd 34 9/14/17 11:05 AM
 PROJECT

ORGANIC PATTERNS METAL CLAY LTD

T
hese pieces were inspired
by the wonderful patterns
created in nature. We
were drawn to the subtle patterns
on the laser texture papers and
wanted to use these to create a
mixed metal, mixed media set
with an organic feel. We love the
way silver and copper metal both
contrast and complement one
another and the movement the
textures create. Some experience
and a basic understanding of metal
clay is recommended to complete
this project. Visit Metal Clay’s
Learn More page or email us for
more information and advice.

MATERIALS & TOOLS

● 50g Art Clay Fine Silver Clay
● 20g Art Clay Copper Clay
● Art Clay Silver Paste Type
● Work surface
● Acrylic roller
● 1mm and 1.5mm spacers
● Olive oil
● Paintbrush
● Cocktail sticks
● Needle tool
● Fine grit sanding pad
● Liver of Sulphur
● RMR Texture Paper –
Branching Out
● RMR Texture Paper – Mont Blanc
● Jewellery Shape template –
Tongues
● Jewellery Shape template –
Fat Rectangles
● Jewellery Shape template –
Circles & Ovals
● Jewellery Shape template –
Fancy Bails
● 8mm fine silver bezel cup
● 8mm cabochon
● Burnisher or bezel pusher
● Fold-over silver cord ends
● Leather cord
● Small silver chain
● 2 x toggle clasps
● Silver lobster clasp
● 6mm silver jumprings
● Silver crimp tubes
● Silver beading wire
● Copper fishhook earwires
● Copper spacer beads
● Polishing equipment
● Firing equipment

makingjeweller y.com 35

MJ112_P35-38_Organic Patterns SHSD.indd 35 20/09/2017 09:58

 PROJECT

1 2 3

4 5 6
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, METAL CLAY LTD

7 8 9

HOW TO MAKE

Branching out silver and leather necklace
1. Use a paintbrush to coat the Branching Out
texture paper with olive oil. Roll out a large
piece of silver clay 1.5mm thick on a non-stick
surface. Lay your texture paper on top of the
clay and roll to 1mm thick. Using a needle tool
and shape template, cut nine tongue shapes
from the textured clay in graduating sizes with
the largest size in the middle.
2. Wrap the top edges of each tongue shape fully
around a cocktail stick to form a loop on the
back of each. Leave these pieces to dry. Once
these pieces have dried, remove the cocktail
sticks and use a fine-grit sanding pad to refine
the edges and backs of each piece. Use a dry
paintbrush to brush away any clay dust from
your texture. Kiln fire at 800ºC for 30 minutes.
3. After fi ring, quench in cool water or allow the
pieces to cool down naturally. Brush each piece
with a soft brass brush to flatten the surface.
Tumble polish for an hour or use 3M polishing
papers to hand polish to a high shine.
4. Drop all nine silver pieces into a dish
containing hot water and 4–5 drops of Liver of
Sulphur. Remove the pieces after they’ve gone
black and dry off. Use a Pro-polishing pad to
polish the silver back to a shine.
5. String all nine pieces in graduating order
onto a piece of silver beading wire along with
three copper spacer beads on each end. Use
crimp tubes to attach each end to a silver
jumpring. Cut two long lengths of leather cord
to your desired length. Double each one over
and attach a foldover cord end. Tie a knot with
the cord through the jumpring on each side.
Use jumprings to attach a toggle clasp.
Gemstone focal bracelet
6. Coat the Mont Blanc texture paper with
olive oil. Roll silver clay to 1.5mm thick on a
non-stick surface. Lay the texture face down
on top of the clay and roll to 1mm thick.
Using the ‘Fat Rectangles’ template, cut out
the second largest shape from the part of the
texture that you prefer. Cut a rectangular
opening on each end of this shape. Leave to
dry over a curved drying form.
7. Fire the bracelet base at 800°C for 30
minutes. Roll a piece of silver clay out to 1mm
thick and use a template to cut out a small
circle (approx. 14mm). Cut an 8mm circle out

36 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P35-38_Organic Patterns SHSD.indd 36 20/09/2017 09:58

 PROJECT

of the centre. Leave this ring to dry over the

curved drying form and then refine the edges.

8. Use a round fi le to gently sand and refi ne

the inside of the silver ring until the 8mm
bezel cup can slip through the centre. Use an
abrasive to roughen up the bottom edges of
the bezel cup. Place a small amount of Art
Clay paste on the inside of the ring and set the
bezel cup inside. Leave to dry fully, then fire
at 800°C for 30 minutes. Quench to cool.

9. Use a generous amount of Art Clay Paste to

attach the bezel setting to the bracelet base.
Leave to dry and then re-fire. Repeat Steps 3
and 4 to polish and patina this piece. Use a
burnisher or bezel pusher to set your cabochon
into the bezel cup and then repeat Step 5 to
finish the bracelet.

makingjeweller y.com 37

MJ112_P35-38_Organic Patterns SHSD.indd 37 20/09/2017 09:59


10
13
Mixed metal pendant necklace (p37)
10. For this project, you will need to make and
fire your copper piece first. Please note: wash
your tools thoroughly or use a different set of
tools to avoid cross contamination. Roll the
copper clay to 1.5mm thick and texture with
the Branching Out paper to 1mm thick. Cut
out a mid-sized oval. Dry this oval texture side
down on a drying form for a slight curve. Drill a
3mm hole through the centre of the dried piece.
Refine and fire at 970°C for 30 minutes. Quench
immediately after firing to avoid fi rescale.
11. Roll some silver clay out to 1.5mm thick and
texture to 1mm with the Mont Blanc texture
paper. Cut out a large oval and dry this flat.
Roll some more silver clay out to 1.5mm thick.
Cut out a small oval and dry this over a curved
form. Use the Fancy Bails template to cut out
your bail shape. Leave this to dry doubled over
a drinking straw. Refine these pieces once dry.
38
MJ112_P35-38_Organic Patterns SHSD.indd 38
PROJECT
11
14
12. To assemble all three ovals: apply a generous
amount of silver paste to the middle of your
large back piece where the copper will sit. The
paste needs to ooze through the hole in the
copper to create a solid connection through all
three pieces. Add the smallest oval on top of the
paste-covered hole. Ensure there is good contact
between all three pieces and leave to dry.
13. Use some silver paste to attach your bail
to the back of the pendant. Dry the piece fully
again. Fire your piece, front side down and well
supported for 15 minutes at 800°C. Creating
an oval ring of fibre blanket to lay your piece
on will support it and help you avoid firescale
when re-firing the copper.
14. After firing, carefully quench your piece and
then tumble polish. After polishing, dip in Liver
of Sulphur and then polish back with a Pro-
polishing pad. Do the same to your silver chain
to match. Hang your pendant on the chain and
use jumprings to attach a lobster clasp.
makingjeweller y.com
12
15
Copper drop earrings (p35)
15. Roll some copper clay out to 1.5mm thick
and texture with the Branching Out paper
to 1mm thick. Use your needle tool and
template to cut out two small fat rectangles
and a rectangular opening at the top of each.
Dry these fully and then fire at 970°C for 30
minutes. Quench immediately. Tumble polish,
patina, and polish back. Finish by tying a knot
of small silver chain through the opening
and attaching the loose ends of the chain to a
copper fishhook ear wire with a jumpring.
CONTACT/RESOURCES
metalclay.co.uk
support@metalclay.co.uk
01929 554771
20/09/2017 09:59
 The Bead Store is the largest stockist of TierraCast in the UK. We also
stock a vast range of Czech glass beads, TOHO seed beads, Swarovski
crystals and top quality metal components made here in the UK.

* Fast and friendly service

* LOW PRICES
* Regular promos
* Use coupon code JMM20
You can now visit our shop every working day (Monday-Friday) from 9am to 12.30pm
to claim 20% off your
or book a weekend appointment by calling us on 07496757611.
next order! Unit 4, West Calder Business Centre, 6 Dickson Street, West Calder, EH55 8DZ, West Lothian, UK

039_MAJ_112.indd 39 9/19/17 10:14 AM

 COLOUR & STYLE
This issue we explore the most popular prints and
patterns for the autumn/winter season. By Rachelle Bell
FLORIENTAL CHECK MATE
Far East florals dominate the
catwalk this season. Think
intricately embroidered kimonos on
heavy jewel-toned silks and satins.
This traditional print adorns
almost all clothing – from boots,
to coats and even jewellery. Choose
one statement piece to inject colour
into your winter wardrobe. If
you’re feeling brave, mix and match
bold pieces for an eclectic, yet cool
look. A satin jacket is a perfect
cover-up for any sophisticated get-
togethers; sometimes your practical
waterproof coat needs to stay
at home (take a ‘brolly though!).
Inspired by Japan, folded, origami-
style
y jjewellery really complements
the look. Lantern-shaped earrings
with tassels
tass are another oriental-
inspired accessory.
M&S
M Collection Dress £49,
Trousers £29.50,
marksandspencer.com
Amaya Necklace £19,
east.co.uk
Lolita Coat £399,
hobbs.co.uk
TTapestry Ankle Boots £50,
very.com
40
MJ112_P40-41_Colour & Style SHSD.indd 40
Everyone needs at least one
cosy tartan staple in their
wardrobe. The blanket scarf
is making a comeback, perfect
for keeping warm on a chilly
commute or frosty dog walk.
Grey checked fabric looks
sophisticated and professional
in the workplace. A long-sleeve
fluted dress teamed with a roll
neck, opaque tights and ankle
boots is a winning winter look.
If you’re feeling more rebellious,
a ‘lumberjack’ flannel shirt
is the epitome of the grunge
scene. Wear dressed down with
distressed jeans and sneakers
for a casual weekend or team
with faux leather cigarette
trousers and a loud necklace for
a polished punk outfit. Mesh or
woven metals complement the
structure of the print, wirework
accessories in silver look great
with grey check fabric.
Coat £230, Pullover £70,
Trousers £95, Scarf £35,
all bettybarclay.com/uk
Silver Ring £6, mandco.co.uk
Bell Sleeve Check ck Dresss £19.9
£19.99,
99,
9,
newlook.com
n
ne wlook.com
Checked
Chec
Ch ecke
ked d Tie-
Tie-Waist
e-Wa
Waist Skirtt £18
£18,
8,
prettylittlething.com
pret
pr etty
et tylilitt
ty ttle
l th
thin
ing.
g com
13/09/2017 16:47
 COLOUR & STYLE

SNAKESKIN GEOMETRIC
This season designers have been One way to brighten up a
having fun with different textures. dreary winter’s day is to add
Reptile skin has featured in a lot of bold, bright colour to your
shows from swooshing snakeskin- outfits. The geometric patterns
style dresses to structured mock we see on the catwalk have
croc handbags. Some have favoured ’80s revival written all over
the natural tones of animal skin, them. Cubes, triangles, colour-
whereas others pair the texture blocking and abstract doodles
with vivid hue. Choose one key of all shapes and sizes add a
piece in this print and make it the playful element to an outfit.
focus. Even a pair of patterned A patterned jumpsuit evokes
ballet pumps can make a plain the ’80s look; team with heeled
outfit shine. A tactile faux-skin boots and a pair of hooped
pencil skirt is an edgy piece, earrings for an alternative
yet it can be styled in many party outfit. This is the time to
ways. How about wearing it experiment with some kooky
with a loose fit tee, chunky accessories such a neon faux
cardigan and converse for furs or resin jewellery. If the
a shopping trip? It can combination of pattern and
easily look vampy with a punchy colours is too ‘out
sheer blouse, statement there’ for your usual style,
necklace and a pair of look for hints of colour on
stilettos for a Christmas cuff or collars. If you want to
party too! Natural introduce patterns, look for a
organic-shaped jewellery printed pocket detail or add a
complements snakeskin decorative scarf.
style, or try hammered
metal accessories, Maisie Printed Jumpsuit £129,
which
w
wh ich subtly
ich
ic su
ubtb lyy mimic
mimimic
i
ic Lottie Marabou Jacket £149,
th rreptile
thee re
rept
ept ilee scales.
p il scal
sc
cal
a es
e. Mono Box Clutch £29,
all houseoffraser.co.uk
River Island Block Jumper £45,
littlewoods.com
Georg Jensen Aria Cube
Earrings £95, amara.com
Pyramid Stripe Shirt
irt £8
£89,
89,
9,
east.co.uk

Star by Julien
e Macdonald
en acdo a d
Dress £59, Faith Shoes
£69, debenhams.com
nhams.com
Dawn Mixed ed Bangle £65,
oliverbonas.com
s.com
Red Snake Print Pencil Skirt £39,
missselfridge.co.uk
ge.co.ukk
Hallam Snakeskin
akeskin Flatss £85,
dunelondon.com
on.com

41

MJ112_P40-41_Colour & Style SHSD.indd 41 13/09/2017 16:47

 Caverswall Minerals MAKE YOUR OWN JEWELLERY
Set your own stones, ceramics, resins etc into our silver 925 mounts. We have a very
large selection of silver settings and mounts including pendants, brooches, cufflinks,
rings, lockets, earrings, bracelets, stick pins and tie bars etc in many different styles
from modern, classic and celtic all polished and easy to set.

We supply a large range of semi precious cabochons

Tel: 01782 393838 email: phil@caverswallminerals.com

www.caverswallminerals.com

Classes in beading,
metal clay, silversmithing,
wax carving, resin,
perspex, soutache
and more!

Time to learn new jewellery making techniques?

Why not take one of our 1-day classes?
Choose from soutache, wire work, beading, silver clay, silversmithing, wax carving, resin and more
For class details and dates check our website www.londonjewelleryschool.co.uk
or call 0203 176 0546

042_MAJ_112.indd 42 9/14/17 11:06 AM

 BUSINESS
MATTERS
We look at the benefits of entering jewellery competitions for
a jewellery artist and business. Sally Costen offers some advice
S
ally is a
graphic
designer who
decided to retrain
and took the one-
year Diploma in
Creative Jewellery
at the London Jewellery School. When she
graduated in 2015, she entered and won the F
Hinds High Street by Design competition, with
Chairman Andrew Hinds calling Sally ‘a name
to watch out for’. Her work went on to be sold
in their 116 stores nationwide. Sally was also a
member of the judging panel for the competition
in 2016. She runs her own jewellery business,
Clerkenwell Jewellery.
CHOOSING A COMPETITION
There are so many competitions out there so
when choosing one to focus on you need to
consider what you want to achieve by entering;
is it to challenge yourself to work to a theme or
deadline? Is it to get recognition for yourself and
your work? Your motivation to enter will help you
decide which competition is worth considering.
After completing the Diploma at the London
Jewellery School I had received lots of positive
comments on two specific pieces I had made,
so it was that which prompted me to enter
them into a competition. I purposefully chose
a commercial competition rather than an art
competition as I had just graduated and I wanted
feedback on the viability of my jewellery designs.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
I did a lot of research before entering the F
Hinds contest to give myself the best possible
MJ112_P43_Business Matters SHSD.indd 43
chance. Similarly you should spend some time
looking at who is setting the competition;
what is their business and their motivation?
This will tell you if they are looking for
designs that are artistic or commercial.
Check the entry criteria carefully so you
know whether they want a sketched design, a
photo or a fi nished piece sent to them. Look
at the work of previous winners; what do the
winners have in common? Is there a certain
feel, style or jewellery technique that is more
prominent in the winners? If you can fi nd out,
look at who the judges are and what their style
and interests are.
My research paid off as I submitted three
entries for the competition that I felt, from my
research, fitted the brief well. The judging was
blind so they did not know who the entries
were made by – and I ended up coming both
first and second!
STORYTELLING
Catching the judge’s eye and winning is
not just about the design itself; it’s how you
represent your idea. I submitted my entry
as a presentation of different angles of the
piece, like a technical drawing, labelling the
materials and stones. I wanted it to be clear
how the piece looked and, in the end, they
made the piece to sell in their stores from this
sketch alone.
Give your entry a name as this helps the
judges to connect with it – instead of calling
the winning piece silver ring with pearl I called
it the seachange ring. I was also able to show
other pieces in the range to demonstrate that it
was a versatile design idea.
makingjeweller y.com
ABOVE: Winning seachange
pendants and rings.
LEFT: Sally wearing her winning
seachange pendant.
FROM THE JUDGE’S PERSPECTIVE
I was asked to be one of the judges for the
competition in 2016, so I saw the process from
both sides. The experience was fantastic; very
eye opening! The main thing I learnt was that
there were so many entries to be looked at
that each one had very little time to catch the
eye of the judge before it was cast aside so it
is important to represent your design clearly.
If it was not instantly recognisable or easy to
understand as a design it was out.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU WIN!
I was just starting out as a jeweller when I
won this competition so I feel I didn’t take
advantage of the opportunity as I would now,
so here’s what hindsight has taught me!
There was a gap for me from being
informed that I had won the competition
and it being announced publicly. This is an
ideal opportunity to prepare to leverage this
for publicity for you as an artist or for your
business. You need to be ready to tell people
about your win on your social media, website
or selling platform such as etsy. It is also
worth contacting relevant press, for example,
local papers, local radio or specialist interest
magazines, to see if they would be interested
in featuring you.
The process of designing/making jewellery
for a competition and the feedback you can get
is excellent for your development as a jeweller
and artist – so my advice is to go for it!
CONTACT
You can find more of Sally’s work on her website
theclerkenwelljeweller.com
43
13/09/2017 16:48
 PROJECT

TREE
OF
LIFE
SIAN HAMILTON

T
he tree of life is a classic design in the
wirework family and one that I’ve been
researching to teach to students in my
wirework classes in the coming months. As
the design was progressing and I was playing
around with the style and my technique for
putting it together it occurred to me that we
hadn’t had a tree of life design in MJ for quite
a while. So I thought I would share my design
with you lovely lot too.
There are lots of ways to create a tree of
life pendant and this way is just my personal
preference. So if you have seen it done another
way, don’t think that either one is wrong as
they are just different. A little like the way we
all walk and talk; it’s all the same language but
we all have unique voices and everyone’s gait is
just a little different from their neighbours’.

MATERIALS & TOOLS

● 1.25mm (16 gauge) and 0.4mm (26 gauge)
wire
● Selection of seedbeads (size 11, 8 and 6)
or gemstone chips
● Liver of Sulphur (optional)
● Chains and necklace findings
● Round nose pliers
● Chain nose pliers
● Side cutters

44 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P44-47_Sian wirework SHSD.indd 44 13/09/2017 16:49

 PROJECT

1 2 3

4 5 6
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, SIAN HAMILTON

7 8 9

1. Prepare your frame shape with 1.25mm wire.
Bend the wire into whatever shape you desire.
As you can see on the left, the top one is rounded
and the bottom a spear shape.
2. The pendants need either two loops at the top
for jumprings to attach them to chain or
a single loop, like the example on page 47. for
two loops grasp the very end of the wire and roll
inwards for half a turn. Move the pliers along the
wire and roll in the opposite direction to make a
whole loop.
3. To make the tree, use 0.4mm wire. Cut 15,
300mm (12in) lengths and twist them together
in the middle. Separate the top into six sections
HOW TO MAKE
and twist those a few times. The bottom is in
five sections also twisted together. Lay it on the
frame to see how it looks. Bend the trunk section
into a slight curve and make sure you have room
at the top for the beaded leaves.
4. Start with the bottom and twist each section
around the base. Curve the tree trunk to the left.
Cut off all the excess wire and use chain nose
pliers to flatten the wire ends against the frame.
5. On the first twisted wire section at the top,
start adding beads. I used a mix of seedbeads,
size 11, 8 and 6. Add the beads randomly to the
wires to fill the space inside the frame and then
twist the wires around the frame edges.
6. After twisting the wires around the frame
edges add a couple more small seedbeads
to hide the frame, wrapping the wire around
the frame to secure. Don’t cut off the excess
wire ends.
7. As you go along occasionally feed two wires
through a size 6 bead to help secure the whole
beaded tree top together.
8. Continue to add beads to all the top twisted
wire sections.
9. When you have finished wiring on all the
beads, take a few of the wire ends and twist
them together on the back.

makingjeweller y.com 45

MJ112_P44-47_Sian wirework SHSD.indd 45 20/09/2017 10:39


10
13
16
10. When you have twisted a few wires together,
cut the end off and using chain nose pliers tuck
the remaining piece into the back of the tree.
11. Go around the top frame edge, repeating
Steps 9 and 10 to tuck all the tree wires into
the back of the tree. As the beaded tree top
has a concave back you should be able to get
the ends tucked in so they are away from skin
or clothing.
Simple blossom tree (P44, top left)
12. To make the simpler Japanese-looking
blossom tree, you need to create a frame as
46
MJ112_P44-47_Sian wirework SHSD.indd 46
PROJECT
11
14
17
you did in Step 1. This style of tree works
well with a round bottomed frame. Create a
tree with 0.4mm wire as in Step 3 and twist
the base of the tree to the bottom of the wire
frame as in Step 4. This tree has a bonsai-style
gnarled trunk, so give the trunk wires a few
extra twists.
13. I used a pale blue seedbead for this tree as I
knew I wanted to use Liver of Sulphur (LOS) to
darken the tree and wanted the beads to stand
out (pic 15). The technique for adding beads
to this tree is the same as the previous tree
but you use fewer beads and feed them onto
individual wires in lines. Wrap the wire ends
makingjeweller y.com
12
15
18
around the frame to make a coil effect all the
way around the top of the tree. You can also see
in this step picture that I’ve used a bit of 0.4mm
wire to wrap the two hanging loops together.
14. Finish the beaded branches on this tree and
then cut off all the excess wire ends.
15. This image shows the pendant finished
after it’s been through the LOS. LOS is easy
to use, but follow the instructions provided
with the product and always work in a well
ventilated area. If you look at Step pictures 14
and 15 you’ll also see that I manipulated the
wire frame after I finished the beaded tree to
20/09/2017 10:39
 PROJECT

make the shape more rounded. As long as you

work carefully you can alter the frame shape
after finishing a tree.

Gemstone chip trees (right)

16. The tree on the right at the top is made

using adventurine chips. On this one I decided
to have the tree running centrally up the
middle of the frame. The bottom is wired in
first, the same as the other designs.

17. To make the chip tree, twist the top tree

wires together in sections for the branches as
in Step 3, but only twist them about 5mm. Now
separate the wires out again. Working on each
branch section separately, feed on a couple of
chips onto each wire and then twist two wires
back together again for a couple of twists.
Separate the wires and add more chips. Then
wrap these wires to the frame. Repeat this to
create the full effect gemstone chip tree (as seen
on the right).

18. The tree design on the bottom right of

this page had amethyst chips. Start with a
frame that is long and thin. This design has a
wrapped loop at the top. Make the frame shape
and on one end roll it into a big loop. Using the
other end wrap that around the wire just under
the loop. You may need to adjust the frame
shape after wrapping the loop. The tree is made
in the same way as the others. When you have
made the 0.4mm wire tree (Step 3) wrap the
whole trunk around the edge of the frame wire
running up one side. Wrap the bottom root
wires around the opposite edge of the frame
and add the branches at the top using Step 17 to
add the gemstone chips.

RESOURCES
Wire: wires.co.uk
Seedbeads: gjbeads.co.uk
Gemstone chips: jillybeads.co.uk
Tools are widely available from
advertisers in this magazine

makingjeweller y.com 47

MJ112_P44-47_Sian wirework SHSD.indd 47 13/09/2017 16:50

 Flux’n’Flame
Jewellery School
At Flux n Flame we offer jewellery
DQGVLOYHUVPLWKLQJFRXUVHVZRUNLQJ
with sterling silver, gold and precious
stones using traditional jewellery
PDNLQJWHFKQLTXHV6PDOOJURXSV
friendly, informal atmosphere with
superb tuition from professional
award winning jewellers
$O -HVD0DUVKDOO
2XUJRUJHRXVZRUNVKRSLVIXOO\
HTXLSSHGDQGSXUSRVHEXLOWDQGLV
situated in the heart of the
beautiful Dorset countryVLGH
‘Humour, patience and creativity
Jess and Al have in abundance.
Nothing is too much trouble, and
everyone is treated like family.
One of the nicest places you could
wish for to learn and express yourself,
comforted in the knowledge that
each piece will be made to their
exacting standards.
I can’t praise them highly enough.’
Susan, student
For a brochure contact us at
Flux’n’Flame
Milton Abbas, Dorset DT11 OBD
Tel: 01258 881690
Mobile 07785 550771
(PDLOVPLOHDORW#ÀX[QÀDPHFRXN
ZZZÀX[QÀDPHFRXN

048_MAJ_112.indd 48 9/14/17 11:09 AM

 SHOPPING

ON TREND
Jazz up your wardrobe with these eye-popping accessories.
By Abby Costen
1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8
1. Backpack
£19.99 – newlook.com
2. Boots
£65, missselfridge.com
3. Scarf
£29.95 – whitestuff.com
4. Earrings
£20 – MelodyGDesign on etsy.com
5. Necklace
£20 - ambermayde.co.uk
6. Clutch
£24.99 – tkmaxx.com
7. Scarf choker
£17 – accessorize.com
8. Boho bag
$48 (£36 approx.), gracedesign.ca

makingjeweller y.com 49

MJ112_P49_Trends SHSD.indd 49 13/09/2017 16:51

 PROJECT

CARVED PATTERNS JULIA RAI

M
aking unique textures for your metal clay designs sets your
jewellery apart and allows for endless design options. Carving
tools provide an opportunity to cut patterns directly into dry
clay or to make your own patterned stamps, which can be used over and
over again. This project gives some tips and hints on how to use micro
carving tools to carve a pattern directly into dry metal clay. It also
shows some materials which are useful for making your own
carved pattern stamps. The best type of silver metal clay
to use if you are carving directly into the dry clay is Art
Clay 950 or PMC Flex. Both of these clays have a bit
of flexibility, which makes carving them smoother
and easier. You can also carve directly into dry
bronze or copper clay.

MATERIALS & TOOLS

● 25g PMC Flex or Art Clay Silver 950
● Fine silver syringe type clay
● Gold paste
● Embeddable bail
● Sterling silver chain
● Earring wires
● 0.8mm and 1mm drill
● 1.5mm #9 or #11 micro carving gouge
● 1.5mm or 2mm micro carving V-tool
● 1.5mm micro carving plough
● Plastic erasers
● Emery board
● Sanding sponge
● Polishing papers
● Soft pencil
● Paintbrushes
● Firing tools
● Vermiculite or fibre blanket
● Polishing tools
● Liver of Sulphur

50 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P50-53_Carved Patterns SHSD.indd 50 13/09/2017 16:51


1 2
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, JULIA RAI
4 5
1. There are two main types of micro carving
tool, V-tools and gouges. They are mainly
sold for woodcarving but are really good for
carving dry metal clay, baked polymer clay or
silicone and plastic printing media. The V-tool
makes a line with a V-shaped profi le and can be
used to make fine lines or deeper, wider lines,
depending on the angle at which you carve. The
smallest are 1.5mm and there are also 2mm
and 3mm V-tools. These sizes refer to the width
between the ends of the cutting edges. The
angle of the V is normally 90˚.
2. The gouge tools make a line with a U-shaped
profi le and the number of the tool defines how
deep the curvature of the U is. This curvature
is called a ‘sweep’ and the sweeps range from
#1, which is a straight chisel to #11, which is
almost a semicircle of the diameter of the tool’s
width. Useful sizes to buy for working with
metal clay are #9 or #11, although the actual
difference between these two sweeps is very
small. Gouges are available in a range of sizes
from 1.5mm to 5mm. Like the V-tools, these
sizes refer to the width between the ends of the
cutting edges. Two brands available in the UK
are Drake and Dockyard carving tools.
3. It can take some time to perfect the
technique for using carving tools so the
cheapest way to practise is with plastic erasers.
MJ112_P50-53_Carved Patterns SHSD.indd 51
PROJECT
3
6
HOW TO MAKE
These are easily available and will allow you
to practise the technique and work out your
designs. Keep the carving tool at a shallow
angle and do not allow the whole tool to
disappear beneath the surface you are carving.
If you need a deeper line, carve your initial
line then carve again down in the original line
to make it deeper. Use a larger tool to carve a
wider line. Always keep your fingers behind the
tool as you are carving. The tools are very sharp
and will easily cut you if you slip while carving.
4. As well as being cheap to buy, erasers can be
used to make stamps to impress into rolled-out
wet clay. There are also a variety of materials
specifically designed to make your own stamps.
Essdee Printing Stamps are available from a
range of craft suppliers online. They are round
discs 45mm in diameter x 3mm deep and
come in packs of 10. They are supplied with
a reusable cardboard holder allowing you to
keep the disc steady and your fi ngers well away
from the carving surface. They have a peel-off
backing protecting a sticky surface so you can
stick them onto a piece of acrylic or wood to use
the stamp again and again.
5. Speedball Speedy-Carve is a pink eraser-like
material that comes in large blocks in a variety
of sizes. This can easily be cut with a craft knife
to make smaller stamps or interesting shapes.
makingjeweller y.com
It is 6mm deep so you can use both sides and
the edges if you want slim designs. You can
add your pattern designs to the surface with
a pencil or you can transfer an ink-jet of laser
printed images onto the surface using a slightly
warm iron. This is also available from a wide
variety of online sources.
6. Cool Tools in the US have a low profile, flexible
carving plate made from silicone. These are
75mm square x 1mm thick. They come in packs
of two and are available in the UK from Metal
Clay Ltd. If you want very deep patterns you
may be better off with the Essdee stamps or the
Speedball Speedy-Carve but for shallow textures,
these plates are perfect. There is no need to use
any lubricant when impressing these into your
metal clay as the silicone does not stick.
7. When carving any of these materials with a
view to impressing the pattern into rolled out
metal clay, remember that the carved lines will
be raised in the metal clay and the surface of
the carving medium will be the bottom of the
impression. This is particularly important if
you are intending to add any form of colour into
the impression. If the carved lines are widely
spaced the deep areas in the metal clay will be
quite large. Remember also that the deeper your
carved lines are, the thicker you will need to
make your metal clay so the fired piece is strong.
51
20/09/2017 10:51

7 8
10
13
8. To make a carved pendant, roll out silver
clay six cards thick onto a piece of oiled leather
if you want a texture on the back. Allow this
to dry, then refine the edges. Make sure the
surface that will be carved is smooth and free
from any imperfections, cracks or lumps. You
can achieve this by sanding with a sponge or
polishing paper if necessary. Wiping gently
with a baby wipe can also help to make the
surface smooth and blemish free.
9. Draw your pattern onto the surface of the dry
clay using a soft pencil. Make sure the lines you
draw are approx. the same width as the carving
tool you are going to use or the line size you are
going to make. If you go wrong while drawing,
you can remove the error with a damp fi nger or
a baby wipe. Your main pattern can be made up
of lines but you can also drill holes through the
clay or plan to cut shapes out of the edges of the
piece. You can see this in the earrings (opposite
page) and charm (p50) examples. You can file
52
MJ112_P50-53_Carved Patterns SHSD.indd 52
PROJECT
11
14
notches or use the carving tools to cut curved
or V-shaped patterns into the edges.
10. Carve following your pencil lines and
brush the carvings away as you go with a
soft paintbrush. Turn the piece as you carve
a curved line so you are always carving away
from yourself at a comfortable angle for
your hand. You may find that your lines lack
consistency if you carve in one direction only.
This can be particularly obvious at the start
and end of each line. If you carve the line and
then turn the piece around and run the carving
tool along the same line again in the opposite
direction this helps to correct inconsistencies at
the ends of the line.
11. Take care if you are carving lines close to
each other. If you find that you have carved away
too much, fill in the error using syringe type clay.
This allows you to make a very precise line or
fill where it is needed. Dampen the clay under
makingjeweller y.com
9
12
15
where the syringe will go so it adheres well. If
you make a major mistake, fill the error using
well-hydrated lump clay, dry, sand and then
carve again. Drill any holes you have planned
and then wipe the piece with a baby wipe to
clear any excess pencil lines. If your lines are not
clean enough, you can use a micro plough tool
to correct them. A plough is like a tiny chisel and
comes in a variety of sizes. Use it straight down
into the line or slightly sideways at the ends of
lines to clean up imperfections.
12. The micro plough tool is also good for
creating apertures in the clay for embeddable
bails. First draw a line down the back of the
piece from corner to corner so you have a guide
to place the bail accurately. Stand the bail on
the clay and centre it down the guideline. Mark
the top ‘leg’ of the bail all round with a sharp
pencil. Hold the micro plough at a 90° angle
to the surface of the clay and press down to
cut a shallow dip along all of the guidelines for
20/09/2017 10:51
 PROJECT

the bail. This gives you clean start and stop

guides for your aperture. Use the plough tool
at a shallow angle to chisel out the clay inside
these lines to a depth of around 1mm. Scrape
the plough along the bottom of the aperture to
ensure it is even. Keep checking the depth of the
aperture with your bail so you don’t go too deep.

13. The ‘leg’ of the bail should be just below the

surface of the clay so you can cleanly cover it
with a skim of paste. When you are happy with
the first aperture, put the bail back in place
and mark the position of the second ‘leg’ with
a pencil. Carve this out in the same way as the
first aperture using the plough tool. Dampen
both apertures, fi ll them with syringe type clay
and press the bail into place. Smooth the excess
paste over the ‘legs’ with a paintbrush so they
are completely covered and secure. Allow the
paste to dry and clean up as necessary so the
back has a consistent, neat finish.

14. PMC Flex can be torch fired but Art Clay

950 requires kiln firing. Place the pieces on a
bed of vermiculite in a kiln safe container or
use fiber blanket to cushion the bail. Fire the
Art Clay 950 full ramp for 30 minutes at 500°C
to burn out the binder and then increase the
temperature to 870°C and fire for one hour.
When the pieces are cool, use a brass or steel
brush to achieve a satin finish or tumble or
hand polish to a high shine unless you are going
to add gold paste. Gold paste adheres best to
the unpolished surface of fired silver.

15. You can leave the pieces silver, but adding

colour or patina into the carved lines will
really make your pattern pop. Adding gold
paste makes a lovely contrast to the silver,
especially if you add liver of sulphur patina
and then polish the high spots. Add a coat or
two of gold paste directly onto the unpolished
surface down into the carved lines, allowing
the paste to dry between coats. When the gold
paste is dry, use a torch to heat the piece to a
peach glow and then turn the torch off. This
is sufficient to fire the gold and bond it to the
surface of the silver. Burnish the gold using an
agate burnisher while the piece is still hot to
reinforce the bond. Patina and then polish the
high spots with polishing papers.

RESOURCES
Art Clay Silver 950, fine silver syringe
type clay, gold paste, embeddable bail:
metalclay.co.uk
Chain and ear wires: cooksongold.com
Dockyard and Drake micro carving tools:
csacj.co.uk

CONTACT
juliarai.co.uk
csacj.co.uk
info@csacj.co.uk

makingjeweller y.com 53

MJ112_P50-53_Carved Patterns SHSD.indd 53 13/09/2017 16:52

 PROJECT

BEAUTIFUL
BEZELS ZOË LYNHAM

I
love pattern in designs and have created
my own stamps using soft lino and carving
tools. These, and commercially made stamps,
offer an easy but effective way of transferring
pattern to polymer clay to create unique pieces
of jewellery. Combine these with metallic paints
or mica powders to add a little sparkle to your
designs. This project is perfect for beginners.

MATERIALS & TOOLS

● Pasta machine/clay roller
● Acrylic roller
● Rigid/flexible blades
● Needle tool
● Ceramic tile
● Large baking sheet and foil
● Premo! Sculpey polymer clay in white
and black
● Mica powders
● Soft brush
● Inka Gold
● DecoArt Crafter’s acrylic paints
● Hand carved or commercial patterned stamps
● Spray mister
● Sponge daubers
● Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder™
● Greaseproof paper
● Polymer clay compatible gloss varnish
● Small brush for varnishing
● Jewellery making pliers and cutters
● Range of bezel pendants and bracelet blanks
● Coordinating findings (chain, jumprings,
bead cones, eye pins, headpins, toggle clasps)
● Coordinating gemstones and pearls
● 0.6mm (22 gauge) plated copper wire
● Brass stamping blanks
● Dapping and doming block
● Chasing hammer and texture hammer
● Steel block and rubber block
● Metal hole punch pliers
● Needle fi le
● Wire wool

54 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P54-57_Beautiful Bezels SHSD.indd 54 13/09/2017 16:58


1 2
4 5
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, ZOË LYNHAM
7 8
1. Roll out a thick sheet of conditioned white
polymer clay using your pasta machine. Place
this on your ceramic tile. Spritz your chosen
stamp with water and press the stamp firmly
onto the clay, burnishing the surface with your
acrylic roller if necessary to ensure an even
pressure and a good imprint of the design.
Repeat this process using the black polymer
clay. To lift the clay from the tile, you can use a
see saw motion underneath the sheet with your
flexible blade or alternatively, work on a sheet of
greaseproof paper.
2. To colour the white clay, squeeze out a small
drop of two or three acrylic paints of your
choice, on to the ceramic tile. Use the sponge
dauber to lightly dab the colours onto the
raised parts of the design. It is helpful to dab
off most of the colour from your dauber and
build up the colour gradually, so that paint
does not seep in to the crevices of the design.
You can add one colour at a time and let them
dry in between, to give a layering effect, or use
the colours on separate parts of the design.
Once the paint has dried, lightly smooth some
Inka Gold highlights in your chosen colours,
on to the raised parts. The Inka Gold will dry
very quickly.
MJ112_P54-57_Beautiful Bezels SHSD.indd 55
PROJECT
3
6
9
HOW TO MAKE
3. To colour the black clay, choose a mica powder
colour and use the soft brush to brush the mica
powders over the raised parts of the clay. You
cannot layer mica powders on clay, so whichever
colour comes into contact with the clay first
will colour that area. Burnish the mica powder
with your soft brush to ensure good contact
with the clay. Add a second or third colour to
the remaining areas of the black clay and again,
burnish the mica powders to the surface.
4. All the pieces of jewellery in this project require
placing the patterned sheets into bezel settings,
whether it be a bracelet blank or pendant. The
next few steps show how this is achieved. Set
your coloured clay sheet on to your tile and press
your chosen bezel into the clay, to determine the
shape and size of clay to cut out of the sheet.
5. Use your needle tool to cut around the shape,
using the impression left by the bezel. Check the
clay fits in to the bezel, trimming and tidying the
edges as required using the needle tool.
6. Polymer clay does not stick to metal, so add
some Lisa Pavelka poly bonder to the bezel
before placing the clay carefully in. (If you do
not have this type of poly bonder, which is
makingjeweller y.com
designed to be used at a higher temperature,
cure the clay in the bezel setting and once cool,
pop it out using a craft knife and glue it back in
with superglue or a two-part epoxy glue.) Use
the needle tool to ease the clay in at the sides.
7. Take a piece of greaseproof paper and
burnish the clay in the bezel. This has two
functions; to flatten the raised parts of the
design, and to ensure the clay fills the bezel
completely. (It should not distort the pattern.)
It will also protect your fingers from any glue
that might seep through. Cure the clay in
the bezel, according to the manufacturer’s
recommendations and allow to fully cool.
8. To finish the bezel settings, apply two or
three thin coats of a polymer clay compatible
gloss varnish to the cured clay. This will protect
the surface treatments from wear and change
the appearance to a glossy finish. I do not
recommend using a matte varnish as this will
dull the paints and mica powders.
9. For an easy project, simply use a ready-
made bracelet blank to complete this piece of
jewellery. This is perfect for those beginning
with polymer clay.
55
20/09/2017 11:13

10
12
14
10. To make the domed circle (pendant on
p54) to use with the antiqued bronze bezels
with black and bronze leaf design, take a brass
stamping blank and hammer the surface with a
textured hammer. File the edges with a needle
fi le to ensure they are smooth. Use the hole
punch pliers to punch three holes to turn it
into a connector and use the fi le once more
to remove any burrs. Use the wire wool over
the stamping blank to ensure it is smooth to
the touch. Place the blank upside down in the
doming block and use the dapping tool with the
hammer to gently curve the blank into a dome.
You can now use this to attach the three bezels
into a ‘Y’ shaped necklace.
11. To create a tassel for this necklace, take five
lengths of chain and add to the loop of an eye
pin. Take the eye pin through the bead cone and
make a wrapped loop at the top (see page 94).
Make a beaded headpin for each length of chain
and attach them to the bottom of the chain.
You can then attach this to the necklace using a
jumpring. Use the same beads from the chain to
make some beaded links. Use more jumprings
56
MJ112_P54-57_Beautiful Bezels SHSD.indd 56
PROJECT
11
13
15
to attach these and chain both sides and a toggle
clasp at the back, to complete this necklace.
12. To finish the necklace with the three deep
copper bezels, join the bezels using jumprings
so they hang vertically and attach a chain
76cm (30in) long. There is no need for a clasp
as it will easily go over your head. Take a long
briolette gemstone and create a wrapped loop
at the top using a featherweight headpin (snip
the end off ), so that it can be attached to the
bottom bezel to finish off the necklace.
13. To finish the copper heart bezel pendant,
add a chain and a toggle clasp using
jumprings, then create beaded headpins using
coordinating gemstones. Add these to alternate
links either side of the necklace to reflect the
colours in the pendant.
14. For the mica heart pendant, create wrapped
pearl links to coordinate beautifully with the
shimmer of the mica powders. Use jumprings
to attach these together, and to a fancy closed
jumpring, with the heart bezel suspended below.
makingjeweller y.com
Add a toggle clasp to complete the necklace.
15. For the mica rectangle pendant, create
wrapped gemstone links to coordinate with
the colours used in the bezel. For the shell pearl
wrapped links, use the 0.6mm wire to make a
wrapped loop at one end, slide on the shell pearl,
make another wrapped loop and then take the
wire back over the shell pearl to the other side,
wrapping it again before snipping off the excess
wire and tucking in the end. Take three short
lengths of chain to go through the bezel loop,
and attach to the wrapped pearl links using
jumprings. Alternate the gemstone links with
the pearl links using jumprings and add a toggle
clasp at the back, to complete the necklace.
RESOURCES
Available from advertisers in this magazine
CONTACT
Email: zoelynham@googlemail.com
Facebook: @ZLJewelleryObsession and
@JMGDZoeLynham
Twitter: @ZoeLynham
20/09/2017 11:14
 57

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 PROJECT

HEXAGON
STYLE TANSY WILSON

F
rom bees’ honeycombs to the Giant’s Causeway, hexagonal
patterns have always been a strong geometric shape in
nature. Using the hexagon as inspiration, I have designed this
stunning collection for the beginner silversmith as you only need
wire and one solder join for each piece.

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 PROJECT
1 2
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, TANSY WHEELER
4 5
HOW TO MAKE
MATERIALS & TOOLS Hexagon necklace
● 0.8mm (20 gauge) to 2mm (12 gauge) Sterling
silver wire scraps 1. Over time I have collected lots of small pieces
● Oval jumprings of different thicknesses of Sterling silver wire
● Silver nylon-coated wire and this project is ideal for using them all up.
● Crimp tubes and covers The different gauges of wire give the design
● 8mm geometric-shaped beads quirkiness and individuality. Alternatively if
● 6mm bicone beads you need to buy wire, you could use all the
● Toggle clasps same thickness (1mm would be ideal).
● Earring hooks
● Two-hole lentil beads 2. I have used a Thing-a-ma-jig to create the
● Eye pins basic size for my hexagons (25mm diameter).
● Chain Take approx. 10cm length of wire and wrap it
● Side cutters around the pins. You will need to use flat nose
● Beadalon Thing-a-ma-jig™ pliers to form stronger angles and make the
● Flat nose pliers hexagon shape. Alternatively, form hexagons
● Crimping pliers with just your pliers. The sides don’t have to be
● Reverse tweezers perfect and actually make more interest when
● Soldering torch layered up if they are all slightly different. Cut
● Flux, solder and pickle away any excess wire.
● Rolling mill
● Flat and ball end hammers 3. Manipulate the two ends of the wire with
● Steel block your fingers so they meet exactly and place
● Pliers to assemble pieces the hexagon onto your soldering block. Add a
drop of flux and a tiny square (pallion) of easy
silver solder to the join. Heat gently so the flux
bubbles and sticks the solder in place. Increase
the heat slowly so you do not melt the wire
until the solder runs in the join. Remove the
makingjeweller y.com
MJ112_P58-62_Hexagon Style SHSD.indd 59
3
6
heat immediately and place the hexagon into a
mild pickle and then rinse in water.
4. Dry your hexagon, then place it into the rollers
of a rolling mill so it just takes. You do not want
to totally flatten the shape. Turn the handle and
this will not only work harden the piece, but also
put a nice flat surface on both sides. You can just
hammer the shape if you do not have a rolling
mill (see Step 13). Repeat from Step 2 to make
nine hexagon shapes in total.
5. Polish your hexagons to a high shine and
layer up so you have three sets of three. Join
these sets of three together using large 9mm x
5mm oval jumprings. I have used two at each
join to make a feature and give more stability.
6. Add another two large oval jumprings
to both the outside edges of each cluster of
hexagons. Cut a 50cm length of silver nylon-
coated wire and thread one end through these
two oval jumprings and pull through so you
have two lengths of wire, both 25cm. Slide
a crimp tube over both of the ends and slide
down to meet the oval jumprings trapping
the nylon wire in place. Crimp the tube using
crimping pliers. Repeat this step to add nylon
wire to the other side.
59
20/09/2017 12:01
 PROJECT

7. Use a permanent marker and colour in the tip

of only one piece of the nylon wire both sides.
This will help with your weave pattern in the
following steps and I will refer to them as the
‘coloured wire’ and the ‘plain wire’.

8. Add a crimp cover to your crimp tube and then

take the coloured wire only and pass it through
a 8mm geometric crystal bead. Then take both
wires and pass both through a 6mm bicone bead.

9. Now take the plain wire and pass just this one
through a 8mm geometric crystal bead. Bring
the wires together and pass both through a 6mm
bicone bead. Take only the coloured wire again
and pass it through a 8mm bead. Then take both 7 8
wires through a 6mm bead. Then take the plain
wire through a 8mm bead and both through the
6mm bead. Keep repeating this process until you
reach your desired length.

10. Once at your desired length (mine is approx.

20cm), pass both nylon wires through a crimp
tube, then through the loop on a toggle clasp
and back down through the crimp tube. Pull
the two ends so the wire snuggles up to the
crimp tube close to the toggle clasp and crimp
the tube securing the wires in place. Cut away
excess wires and then add a crimp cover. Weave
your geometric and bicone beads to the other
side of the necklace and crimp on the other 9 10
piece of toggle clasp.

Earrings

11. You can make simple matching earrings, but

this time try soldering all the hexagons together.
First use the width of your flat nose pliers as a
guide to form the sides of your hexagon shape.
Place the jaws of the pliers right by the bend of
wire so you always bend the wire at the same
distance. Cut away any excess wire. Repeat this
step to form six small hexagons in total.

12. Place one hexagon onto your soldering

block and solder the ends together. Then 11 12
take another hexagon but before soldering
it together, link it through the first soldered
hexagon. Position the soldered hexagon away
from the new join to solder. Using your heat
bricks is a great way to protect it. Solder the
other hexagon. Take another hexagon and
link it to the second hexagon added and again
protect the two already soldered ones from the
heat. Solder this last join so you have soldered
three hexagons together. Pickle and rinse.
Repeat to make the other earring.

13. Place your piece onto a flat steel surface.

The back of a vice often has a steel bed if you
do not have an anvil or block. Use just the flat 13
end of a hammer and gently tap each hexagon
moving it around so you strike each angle to
flatten its entire surface. Make sure you keep

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 PROJECT

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MJ112_P58-62_Hexagon Style SHSD.indd 61 20/09/2017 12:01

 PROJECT

the hammer end at 90° to the metal for the best

result. Repeat for the other earring.

14. Carefully polish if desired to a high shine

and then simply add an earring hook to the top
hexagon on each earring.

Oval necklace

15. If you don’t have enough wire to make a

hexagon, you could make smaller ovals instead
in a similar way. Bend the wire with your fingers
ensuring the two ends meet perfectly to solder.
Make six soldered ovals in total all approx. the
same size. Pickle, rinse and dry them.
14 15
16. You can use the ball end of the hammer
and create a dimpled hammered texture as an
alternative design. This is a very effective on
thicker wire. Texture all six ovals.

17. Use two-holed lentil beads and thread an

eye pin through two beads placed on top of
each other. Form another eye loop as close to
the other side of the beads as possible. Repeat
this adding another eye pin to the other set of
holes. Make another pair of lentils and then
make two more but this time using three lentil
beads on top of each other.

18. Take your first pair of lentil beads and join on 16 17

a silver oval to the top eye loop and take another
silver oval and join it to the bottom eye loop so
the silver ovals are on top of each other. Now
take the triple lentils and join onto the same two
silver ovals using the eye loops but this time on
the other side. Add another pair of silver ovals
to the other set of eye loops on this triple stack.
Keep repeating so you join the six ovals together
with the triple lentil beads in between and the
pairs of lentil beads at each end. Finally, add a
chain and a clasp to each side.

Hexagon hoops

19. If you don’t want to solder but love the 18 19

hexagon shape, then you can make funky
hexagon hoops using 0.8mm silver wire. Form an
eye loop at the end of a piece of wire. Hold your
flat nose piers right under this loop and make a
bend so your loop is on a 4mm stem. Mark 1cm
along from this bend on the long length of wire.

20. Using your flat nose pliers, bend the wire

at this 1cm mark. Mark another 1cm from
this new bend and bend at this point. Keep RESOURCES
repeating so you make five bends, which brings Sterling silver wire: bettsmetals.com
your wire back to the starting point. Cut the Beads and findings are widely available
wire as in this photo so it is the length of one from advertisers in this magazine
side. Manipulate the shape with your fingers
and flat nose pliers to make a perfect hexagon 20 CONTACT
and then just bend the very tip of the cut wire tansywilson@hotmail.com
so it can feed through the eye loop made in Step
19. Repeat to make another matching hoop.

62 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P58-62_Hexagon Style SHSD.indd 62 20/09/2017 12:01

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063_MAJ_112.indd 63 9/22/17 10:36 AM

064_MAJ_112.indd 64 9/21/17 4:20 PM
 FEATURE

Kerstin
what inspires

Havenith from Our Pretty Universe

PHOTOGRAPHS: KERSTIN HAVENITH

MY DESIGNS A basic technique for conditioning my clay is the
My favourite material to work with is polymer use of a pasta machine. It rolls the clay evenly and
clay. This material is very flexible and allows me gives it a smooth surface. For my felt jewellery,
to give it any shape I like. Most of my designs I use the wet felting method. This can be, on the
are created by using simple geometrical shapes, odd occasion, a bit messy, but it actually involves
such as circles or triangles. I love to make a great deal of precision craftmanship, especially
contemporary statement pieces with lots of the technique of gilding.
vibrant colours, combining gold, silver or copper.
CONTACT
MY INSPIRATION ourprettyuniverse.co.uk
I live in the beautiful county of Perthshire in ourprettyuniverse.etsy.com
Scotland and I find my inspiration in the little
things in life. If I am not in my studio, I spend
as much time as possible outside, rambling
or travelling. Being surrounded by nature,
observing the changes in colours throughout
the day and the seasons is a big source of
inspiration. I love radiant colours and this
is reflected in my jewellery collection.

MY TECHNIQUES
I use a wide range of techniques. I have
experimented a lot with polymer clay and have
developed my own techniques by trial and error.
This was especially the case with mixed media.

makingjeweller y.com 65

MJ112_P65_Inspirations SHSD.indd 65 13/09/2017 17:10

 TIPS & TECHNIQUES

JEWELLERY: HANNAH BATSTONE, PHOTOGRAPH: COURTSEY OF CAYETANA WILCOX PORTILLO

PHOTOGRAPHY
STYLING SIAN HAMILTON

S
tyling really is subjective; it’s mostly
down to personal taste and whether you
like to have props or not in your photos!
There are arguments for and against having
props in pictures of jewellery on selling sites
but these days as long as you are not limited to
a single image it’s worth considering props in
at least a few shots. A nicely styled shot is the
one that may catch that buyer’s eye when the
plain shot of the jewellery piece flat on a white
background may not.
Whether you want to prop your photos or
not, you do still need to think about styling
if you want to sell your jewellery or even just
show it off on social media sites. Spending time
making your jewellery look its best will pay
dividends in the end as the most successful
jewellery sellers on sites like Etsy and Folksy are
the one who have spent time making their work
look its best in the pictures.
Styling takes time! It’s worth acknowledging
that now and accepting that you do need to put
some time in your schedule for photography,
styling, shooting and editing! They are all part
of making your business a success.
This article is going to look at creating the
right type of images for publicity and product
photos for an online shop. The styled artistic
images that you may use for social media,
website or blog banners and even just to show
off your jewellery are not neccessarily the

JEWELLERY AND PHOTOGRAPH: SIAN HAMILTON

style of photo you need to sell the same piece
of jewellery.

Promotional shots

The image at the top of this page is a great

example of a promotional shot for Hannah
Batstone’s jewellery (hannahbatstone.com).
It’s a range of her rings shot together at a very
shallow angle. This works as a banner because
it’s long and thin. There is room at the bottom
for her company name on the blue area.
Lots of jewellery designers and their
photographers style shots au-naturel and
outdoorsy but you can create a more graphic
promotional design with a nice background as
your only prop.
The photo here is one of the shots I did for my
own jewellery website. I needed a shot for the
home page and knew that I also needed to leave
room for text to sit over the image. So this was
shot straight down on a piece of slate, which
is actually a very large floor tile that I got at a
closing sale for a tiling shop! The top shot is
the actual image and the bottom one a screen
shot of my website home page. My business
is currently teaching classes, I don’t sell my
jewellery so this shot is just to catch the eye
and promote my classes by showing a quite
complicated piece that I have made. This is not
meant to show what the student will learn to
make but to represent the level of my skill to
give the student confidence that I know what

66 makingjeweller y.com

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JEWELLERY: HANNAH BATSTONE, PHOTOGRAPH: COURTSEY OF CAYETANA WILCOX PORTILLO
JEWELLERY: ANNA DAY/BUTTONSY, PHOTOGRAPH: KITTY KEMS PHOTOGRAPHY
I’m doing. On the shop pages of my website
there are images with the same background
that show the type of pieces that will be made
in the classes.
When thinking about photographing your
jewellery, work out where the images are going
to go and look at the negative (empty) spaces
as well as where the jewellery sits. On the
Hannah Batstone image the empty space is
at the bottom and on my shot it’s at the side.
This negative space may not have a purpose
in terms of having text sitting over the image,
but may be needed to balance the image. The
acorn image above shows the empty space at
the bottom balances the space at the top. If it
wasn’t there the shot would not be balanced
and the acorn sitting centrally in the shot
would not catch your eye as easily.
Some images can cross over and work as
promotional shots and product shots, like the
image on this page of Anna Day’s acorns. This
shot clearly shows the jewellery piece but also
works as a nicely styled promotional shot.
Props
Props are anything that you add to the
photo to enhance the image; this includes
backgrounds (like the slate on the left), stones,
MJ112_P66-69 styling.indd 67
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
branches, flowers or even things like crockery,
boxes and books.
So what makes a good prop? Usually it’s one
that complements the jewellery item but
doesn’t distract your eye from the piece. The
easiest way to understand what works and
what doesn’t is to prop a piece and take the
photo. Look at it on a screen (whether that’s
your phone or a computer, it doesn’t matter)
and consider at first glance – do you look at the
jewellery or the prop? If it’s the prop then that’s
not working and you need to revisit it.
Placing props in the background that end
up out of focus is a good way to create depth
in images. The image above of Anna Day’s
(buttonsy.com) acorns has achieved this very
successfully. The shot is a group one but
the pendants are spread out and the focus
is on one. There’s a flowering plant in the
background to give a hint of the outside but
you can’t see quite what the plant is so it’s
not distracting from the jewellery. There is a
bright light coming from the top in this shot
that throws a nice acorn-shaped shadow under
each pendant, which makes a nice touch and
grounds the pieces in the shot.
For backgrounds, look for wallpaper scraps,
coloured card, tiles, fabric and wooden boards.
makingjeweller y.com
TOP 5 STYLING TIPS
Tack it
Blu tack in blue or white is your best
friend. Not only does it help you to keep
props steady but it can be balled up and
placed at the back of pendants to lift
them off the shooting surface as they
often look better at an angle. You can use
a tiny piece of tack to hold a ring upright
to show a different angle.
Nylon monofilament
Lots of jewellery makers have a roll of
monofi lament (or fishing line!) in their
cupboards. This is great for holding
pieces up. Monofi lament will need to be
taken out of the image but that is actually
much easier to do than you think.
Raid your garden!
Branches, stones, paving slabs and plants
can be really good props. Remember if
using anything fresh from the garden
such as leaves or flowers that you have a
limited amount of time before they wilt,
so work out how you are going to shoot
and set up your camera before going into
the garden for cuttings.
Use daylight if possible
It’s always good to use natural daylight
to shoot if you don’t have access to lights
and a light tent. Find a window that has
good daylight but not direct sunlight
streaming in. Invest in an A1 (very large)
sheet of tracing paper; most good art
shops will stock sheets. Tape the sheet on
the window to diff use the sunlight and
help stop hard shadows.
Make yourself a foil reflector
Everyone has a roll of foil in the kitchen
so make a reflector by cut off a large piece
of foil, crinkle it up a little (as that reflects
light better!) and tape it too a piece of
card. If you missed my article about
lighting then check out back issue 111
October 2017, where I go through what
you need to successfully shoot jewellery
on a budget.
67
20/09/2017 14:57

Props to help structure
Often jewellery is very flat so a well-placed
prop can help bring structure to the piece. In
MJ we often use branches, which are great for
hanging pendants or earrings from. To get a
branch to sit horizontally, we use vases either
side of the shooting space and the branch is Blu
tacked to the top of the vase. The shot above
shows three pairs of earrings all hanging off a
painted branch, which is being propped out of
shot on either side with two even height vases.
The background is a white piece of paper, so it
68
MJ112_P66-69 styling.indd 68
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
doesn’t distract from the earrings. This type of
shot is great for both a promotional shot, like a
banner or as a product shot for selling.
As we are in winter right now, it’s a great time
to gather branches. Keep an eye on your garden
or when you are out in the countryside, pick up
any interesting branches (check they are clean
first though!) and dry them in a warm (not
hot) area before storing them for props. In our
MJ props cupboard we have a range of branch
sizes for different things. Earrings often need
a thin branch but pendants and bangles need
makingjeweller y.com
something a bit thicker. We have a range of
branches painted white; this gives a different
look from the natural wood. They have been
painted using a standard white matt emulsion
that is available from any DIY store. Buy the
tester size pots though, as they are more than
enough to coat a branch or two!
Structure can also be acheived with books,
dishes and other small props to help smaller
pieces gain height. Stacking small items at
different heights works to fi ll out a shot and
make it more interesting.
20/09/2017 14:57
 Models

If you get the chance to shoot on a model then

it’s worth doing; nothing shows jewellery off
better than it being worn. You don’t have to
show the person’s full face as cut-off shots work
really well for jewellery. If shooting a model try
to shoot outside unless you are in a professional
studio with lights.

Shooting rings and bracelets on hands works

well too. On the opposite page at the bottom
you can see a shot by Layla Amber (layla-amber.
co.uk), where she is showing four pretty flower
rings against blossom. Though the blossom is
clear in the shot the focus remains on the rings. 1 2
Notice how the hand is not central to the shot
but slightly off to the right.
1. These silver brooches were shot on textured
A point to remember here is nice nails! In this cream wallpaper and placed on a couple of open
image the nails are painted in a complementary very old books with coloured covers that were
bright pink that works really well with the purchased from a second hand shop.
jewellery. If you are using hands in any
jewellery shots have them painted either with a 2. This set is shot on a roll of jute garden
natural polish or a complementary colour. twine and sat on a canvas bag. It works as the
jewellery is quite rustic looking so the natural
Composition textures complement the set.

Composition is where everything sits in the
photograph. Good composition means the
photo has balance but it doesn’t neccesarily
mean that the shot has to be symmetrical.
If grouping items, use odd numbers if possible as
photos are often better balanced in threes or fives.
Look at where you might need space, like the
negative spaces that I talked about earlier. Shots
don’t need to be full and often the empty bits are
as important as the positioning of the jewellery.
It’s usually better not to overlap jewellery unless
it’s something like bangles or rings that can hold
their structure and stack nicely.
3. A shallow dish is used here held at an angle
with Blu tack to prop a chainmaille set that
would otherwise be completely flat.
4. This set of silver clay branches works well
propped with natural branches. So the pieces
show clearly, only the bracelet has been placed
over the branches. The others are sat below
with the chains draped over the branches so
the image looks connected
5. This shot has used a minature chair for a
dolls’ house to prop a set of metal clay hats.
Although the hats are huge on the chair the 3
shot works well.

Things to remember

Photograph in natural light or daylight-

balanced photography lights and use reflectors
to bounce extra light on to the jewellery,
especially if it’s shiny.

Use neutral or complementary backgrounds,

dark if the jewellery is light and light if the
jewellery is dark or brightly coloured.

Build up a small range of props and also take a

look around your house; it’s surprising what’s
sitting in your kitchen cupboards that might
work as a prop.

Before you shoot, remember to consider what

you need the images for. Promotional shots
don’t need to show the whole piece of jewellery
but a product (sales) shot should.

4 5 69

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 PROJECT

WIRE DROPS TANSY WILSON

T
his collection is ideal for the complete MATERIALS & TOOLS RESOURCES
beginner new to wire wrapping as the ● 0.8mm (20 gauge) soft wire All materials are widely available from
technique is very simple, but it creates a ● Beads of your choice advertisers in this magazine
very effective finished result. Any size or shape ● Earwires
bead can be used too, making your designs ● Round nose pliers CONTACT
truly unique. ● Chain nose pliers tansywilson@hotmail.com
● Side cutters

70 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P70-71 Tansy drops.indd 70 13/09/2017 17:13

 PROJECT

1 2 3

4 5 6
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAUREL GUILFOYLE, TANSY WHEELER

7 8 9

1. Cut a 40cm length of 0.8mm soft wire and
form an eye loop approx. 25mm from one end.
Bend the short length of wire down to rest along
the long length. You want this ‘tail’ to be approx.
12mm in length, so you may need to trim it to
size depending on how large your eye loop is.
2. Add a bead to the long length of wire and slide
the bead up so it rests on the short ‘tail’ of wire.
Bend the long wire up immediately under the
bead so the bead is trapped snugly in place.
3. Take the long length of wire in front of the
tail and stem of wire under the eye loop and
continue to bend it right around the back of the
stem until it comes back to the front.
HOW TO MAKE
4. Take the wire and bend it down snugly right
around the bead so the wire comes back up to
the stem again.
5. Make sure the wire goes in front of the stem
and again wrap it tightly right around the stem
until it faces the front. Make sure the wire does
not overlap the wrap of wire done in Step 3.
6. Wrap the wire right around the bead and
again continue to wrap the wire so it is in
front of the stem, going around and back
down snugly around the bead. This will be the
third and fi nal time around the bead.
7. Now tightly wrap the wire around the stem
as many times as possible until it meets the
eye loop made in Step 1. It should be three or
four wraps if your stem was approx. 12mm in
length. Cut away any excess wire, ensuring the
cut wire is at the back.
8. Open the loop on an earring hook and join
to the eye loop of your wire wrapped bead and
then close. Repeat Steps 1–8 to make the other
earring, making sure the short tail of wire cut
in Step 1 is exactly the same length so your
earring drop will be the same size.
9. You can use different coloured wires and
different sizes and shapes of beads to make
variations of the same technique.

makingjeweller y.com 71

MJ112_P70-71 Tansy drops.indd 71 13/09/2017 17:14

 DISCOVER A WHOLE RANGE OF JEWELLERY MAKING SUPPLIES

BEADHOUSE.CO.UK

New Updated Website

Launching Soon

BEADHOUSEUK
W: www.beadhouse.co.uk E: sales@beadhouse.co.uk T: +44(0)1484 485111
Bead House, Quarmby Mills, Tanyard Road, Oakes, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England HD3 4YP

072_MAJ_112.indd 72 9/14/17 11:12 AM

 PROJECT

BEAD
DELIGHTED
AMELIE HARRISON

A
n easy project for the complete
beginner to learn a little about wire and
beads. Everyone loves a quick plait, so
I’ve used it here and combined plain plaited
wire with beaded plaits for a nice contrast.

MATERIALS & TOOLS

● Size 6 mixed seed beads
● 0.5mm (25 gauge) wire
● Navy thick beading thread
● 2 x 4-6mm silver-coloured calottes
● 2 or 3-loop barrel clasp
● Earwires
● Round nose and chain nose pliers
● Side cutters

makingjeweller y.com 73

MJ112_P73-74_Bead delighted.indd 73 18/09/2017 10:49


1 2
4 5
PHOTOGRAPHS: SIAN HAMILTON
7 8
1. Start by cutting three 30cm lengths of wire
(you won’t need that much but it’s easier to
work with longer lengths). Feed all three wires
through a loop on the clasp and bring the wire
back around itself to secure. Cut off any excess.
Repeat for all three loops.
2. I found working with a lump of Blu tack to
hold the clasp helped when plaiting the wire.
Start with one set of three wires and plait
them together until the length measures 4cm.
Repeat for the other two pieces. The finished
length of this bracelet is 18cm.
3. When you have all three strands plaited,
start with one plaited strand and thread
enough seed beads on each wire until each
strand measures 14cm. Continue to plait.
4. You may find it’s easier to plait with the
strands facing straight up from the Blu tack as
this helps the beads to stay on the wires. When
each beaded plait is 14cm continue to plait
the plain wire again. Finish each strand before
74
MJ112_P73-74_Bead delighted.indd 74
PROJECT
3
6
9
HOW TO MAKE
starting the next one, or the beads will fall off! 9. This design also works with thick beading
Measure the plain end that you are plaiting cord. Follow the same steps just replace the wire
against the plain plaited wire on the other end with beading cord and use a little Superglue to
of the strand and stop when they are even. hold the knots securely on the clasp.
5. You want to end up with three plaited RESOURCES
strands with beaded plaits in the middle and Materials are widely available from
plain wire plaits at the ends. advertisers in this magazine
6. Repeat Step 1 to secure the strands to
the clasp.
7. Use up the left over cutting of excess wire
from Step 1 to make earrings. With round
nose pliers make a wrapped loop with three
wires working as one (see page 94). Plait the
wire to a length you like.
8. Feed three size 6 seed beads over all three
wires together and bring the wires individually
up the outside and make a bend at the top of
the beads so the wire ends face inwards. Cut
off any excess wire. Add earwires to the loops
at the top.
makingjeweller y.com
18/09/2017 10:49
075_MAJ_112.indd 75 9/19/17 5:02 PM
 READ

Image: © Shutterstock/ GooDween123

ANYWHERE!
DOWNLOAD FROM
ONLY £3.15
PER ISSUE

076_MAJ_112.indd 76 9/20/17 12:33 PM

077_MAJ_112.indd 77 9/19/17 10:15 AM
 FREE BEAD PROJECT

PRETTY PLAIT SIAN HAMILTON

T
his pretty bracelet is made using
the beads that came free with this
magazine. It’s really easy to make and
you will have beads left over to make extra
pieces too!

MATERIALS & TOOLS

● Pack of free beads
● Navy thick beading thread
● 2 x 4-6mm silver-coloured calottes
● Magnetic tube clasp
● Chain nose pliers
● Round nose pliers
● Scissors

78 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P78-79_Free bead project SHSD.indd 78 13/09/2017 17:14


1 2
PHOTOGRAPHS: SIAN HAMILTON
4 5
1. The finished length of this bracelet is 20cm
(8in). Allowing for the length of the calottes
and the clasp you need to create three beaded
strands each 17cm (6¾in) in length. Cut three
pieces of beading cord 23cm (9in) in length;
this gives you enough on the ends to knot
each end and be left with enough of an end to
hold onto. On each strand make a knot 2cm
(¾in) from the end. Thread beads in a random
pattern on each strand until the beaded section
measures 17cm (6¾in). Now make a knot on
the ends of each strand, making sure you have a
few millimetres of give beyond the last bead.
2. Pull all three strands through the hole in the
calotte from the outside of the cup, so that all
the strands gather on the inside of the calotte
cup. The easiest way to do this is to feed all
three strands through up to the knot. Then
hold onto the three strands (on the ends) and
MJ112_P78-79_Free bead project SHSD.indd 79
FREE BEAD PROJECT
3
6
HOW TO MAKE
pull one knot at a time through the hole. It can
be a little tight but that’s good as the strands
will hold better if they are tight. Tie a big knot
with all three strands together and as you pull
the knot tight push it as far down into the
calotte cup as you can.
3. When the strands are safely knotted
together, cut off any excess thread and close
the cup with a pair of chain nose pliers. Be
careful to not press too hard on the cup, as
you can dent them quite easily. Use the round
nose pliers to make sure the loop on the end is
pressed closed, so there is not gap between the
loop end and calotte cup.
4. Plait the three strands together. You will
need to keep the plait quite loose so the bracelet
retains a little movement. You will soon fi nd
out if your plaiting is too tight as the length will
makingjeweller y.com
sit stiff and not fold around the wrist. If this
happens just take a couple of plaits out and pull
the rest of the plait to loosen it.
5. When you are happy the plait looks nice and
is loose so it wraps easily around your wrist, it’s
time to add the other calotte to the end. Repeat
Step 2 and 3, to feed the thread through the
calotte, knot the ends and then close the calotte.
6. To add a clasp, open the loops on the calottes
a little, feed on the end loops of a magnetic
clasp and close the loops again.
RESOURCES
Free beads: preciosa-ornela.com
Calotte cups: beadaura.co.uk
Thread, clasp and pliers: the-beadshop.co.uk
79
13/09/2017 17:14
 ON SALE NOW

AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD MAGAZINE RETAILERS.

ORDER ONLINE AT WWW.THEGMCGROUP.COM/OFFER/CAKE
OR CALL +44 (0)1273 488055. P+P COSTS APPLY. £7.99
17-220 CAKE BOOK AD.indd 80 9/20/17 10:13 AM
 SHOPPING

Making Jewellery

TOP 8
PATTERN
Brighten up your collection
with varied patterns.
Millefiori Flower Blue Mix Cabochon, Silicone Flexible Rose Pattern Mould,
By Zoë Lynham 25mm x 18mm, £2.10 £4.80
beadhouse.co.uk cooksongold

Silver Plated Knot Magnetic Clasp Sterling Silver Round Mandala Connector, Beads Direct Pretty Petals Toho Aiko Beaded
(use with 4mm leather) 13mm x 23mm, £3.84 13mm, £3.40 Charm Kit, £12.97
beadsdirect.co.uk thecuriousgem.co.uk beadsdirect.co.uk

Black Glass Square Beads, Vacuum Plated With Liberty of London Style Ribbon Flat Black/Red 35mm Antiqued Heart Shaped Bead Burnished
Coloured Spots, 8mm, pack of 50, £5.15 Mix, 20mm x 1m, £3.29 Silver Plated, £1
cooksongold.com beadsdirect.co.uk beadhouse.co.uk

makingjeweller y.com 81

MJ112_P81_Top 8 SHSD.indd 81 14/09/2017 09:17

 PRODUCT TEST

THE PRODUCT

NANGUANG The kit is a 3 head small studio lighting kit and

daylight-balanced LED lights.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

LIGHTING KIT This kit allows you to shoot any small item on
a white or other coloured background, cleanly
without strong shadows.

WHAT IS INCLUDED?
This month Sian tests the NanGuang LED Photo It comprises of 3 LED heads and stands, a
foldable mini-table, 4 clips and 5 coloured
Light 3 Head Kit. paper backdrops, all in carrying case.

HOW GOOD ARE THE

INSTRUCTIONS?
There are instructions to set the kit up but not
really on how to use it. You will need to read up
a bit about how to take good photos.

WHAT ELSE WILL YOU NEED?

Access to three plug sockets or an extention
lead. A camera and tripod.

CAN IT BE ADDED TO?

Yes, you could add extra lights though you
don’t need to – and you can also use the lights
with a white lighting tent. However depending
on the thickness of the lighting tent the
strength of these lights might not be enough
to light a photo correctly.

IS IT VALUE FOR MONEY?

This kit is incredibly cheap compared to other
photography lighting kits but it does still cost
a fair amount of money. I would still say it is
really good value for money.

IS IT EASY TO USE?
It is very easy to use. You just turn the lights on
and place your item to photograph then take
the photo. Where you will need a little more
knowledge is on using your camera, as it’s a
combination of a good lighting kit and a good
camera setup that will result in good photos.
You can use this kit with a phone camera, but
you will need to edit the images afterwards to
get the best result.

OVERALL SCORE
I love this kit! It’s small and packs away very
easily. It helps me take great photos and it’s
perfect for my needs, so I’ve just bought one!

SCORE

COST
£179.00

Main image The picture above was taken with this lighting kit using a Canon 70D with a 60mm macro
lens and a tripod. It was shot on a frosted acrylic sheet. The pendant was suspended using nylon RESOURCES
thread that was removed in the editing process. wexphotographic.com

82 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P82-83_Product Test SHSD.indd 82 14/09/2017 09:25

 PRODUCT TEST

1 2

3 4
PHOTOGRAPHS: SIAN HAMILTON

5 6

1. The kit comes in a carrying case. 2. The foldable mini-table and paper backdrops. 3. One of the lights set up. 4. Each light has 96 LED bulbs.
5. The complete kit set up ready to use. 6. This kit also works really well with an A4 sheet of paper, if you are shooting straight down.

makingjeweller y.com 83

MJ112_P82-83_Product Test SHSD.indd 83 14/09/2017 09:25

 PROJECT

KNOTTY NECKLACE
84 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P84-85_Knotty Necklace SHSD.indd 84 14/09/2017 09:42


1 2
PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDREW PERRIS/REBECCA MOTHERSOLE
4 5
T
his necklace is great as there is no need
for any findings at all – the beads are
all that matter! To play on the knotting
theme, choose beads that are all made from
knots and cord. Try to keep the distance
between each bead the same.
MATERIALS & TOOLS
● 1.8m length of leather cord
● 17 x 18–28mm fabric beads
● Adhesive
● Scissors
● Ruler
MJ112_P84-85_Knotty Necklace SHSD.indd 85
PROJECT
3
6
HOW TO MAKE
1. At one end of the leather cord, make a loop 6. Take the end of the leather cord and tie a
large enough for one of your beads to pass knot under the final bead to secure it in place.
through. When you have made the loop the As in Step 1, cut away the excess cord 1cm from
right size, tie a knot in the cord to secure the the knot. Apply a drop of adhesive to the knot
loop size and set the bead to one side. Cut away and wrap the short end of the cord around the
the excess cord 1cm from the knot. Apply a long length to finish the knot off neatly.
drop of adhesive to the knot and wrap the short
end of the cord around the long length to finish DESIGNER TIPS
the knot off neatly. Lay out all your beads first to calculate how
long you want to make your necklace and
2. Lay your cord against a ruler and tie a knot determine the length of leather cord between
approx. 7cm along from your knotted loop. each bead.
3. Slide the first bead along the leather cord Adding a drop of adhesive to the end of your
until it rests on the knot you have just made. leather cord sets it hard, so that it is easy to
Tie another knot directly after the bead to hold thread through the beads.
it in place on the cord.
4. Tie another knot 3cm along the leather cord
from the bead. Add another bead, slide it along BOOK DETAILS
to meet this knot and tie another knot directly Extract from The
after it. Big Book of Jewelry
Making: 75 Projects
5. Continue tying knots and adding beads until to Create published
there is only the one bead left that fitted the by GMC in 2017,
loop you made in step 1. Add this final bead and ISBN 9781784941185,
place it on the leather cord 7cm along from the £14.99. Title available
last bead. from gmcbooks.com.
makingjeweller y.com 85
14/09/2017 09:42
 PRODUCT REVIEW

PATTERN
This month we are exploring ways of creating pattern on a variety of mediums,
as inspiration forr you to easily add pattern to your own jewellery.
By Zoë Lynham

BRASS TEXTURE
PLATES
These brass texture plates,
measuring 6.5cm x 10cm, are
fantastic for adding pattern or
texture to your metal clay
jewellery. Before applying to th
the
metal clay, add a small amount
of Badger balm to the texture
plate. Use one design only, or mmix
and match from a wide selection
available. This plate is called
Daisy and costs £8.09. This would
wou
also work wonderfully with
agent
polymer clay. Use a release agen
cornflour dusted
such as water or cornflour duste
over the surface, before pressing
onto the polymer clay sheet.
You can also use the brass plates
with a rolling mill, to emboss
patterns on to sheet metal. This
combination rolling mill is part of the value
range, at £172.99. It comes with five rollers:
two smooth, two textured and one wire rollerroller.
Spare rollers for this machine are also stocked.
stocked
This is a perfect entry level rolling mill for you
to create your own embossed metal jewellery.
cooksongold.com

TEXTURE ROLLERS
New to Metal Clay Ltd, is a range of small textured acrylic rollers that can be used with both polymer and metal clay. They are
small and lightweight, measuring 5cm in width. To avoid them sticking to the metal clay, add a little CoolSlip to the rollers
before using them to texture your clay. CoolSlip AntiStick Spray costs £5.79 for a 120ml bottle. The rollers are used on metal
clay during the wet stage. Once the clay is dried completely, fire and finish as usual, to leave a lovely pattern on your jewellery.
This roller is called Fern Leaves and costs £5.79. A wide variety of designs are available on the website. When using with
polymer clay, the textures can be accented with a variety of mediums, such as acrylic paint, Inka Gold, Gilder’s paste, artists’
chalk pastels or mica powders.
metalclayltd.co.uk

86 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P86-87_Product Review SHSD.indd 86 14/09/2017 09:44

 PRODUCT REVIEW

PATTERNED WIRE METAL STAMPING

Perfect for creating bangles, rings and bezels, these 91cm (3ft) lengths of patterned wire are Impress Art have created a range of metal
available in a variety of patterns, sizes and metals. The brass and copper patterned wires are good stamps to customise your jewellery.
choices for making base metal jewellery as well as practising before working with more expensive These have been developed by artists and
wire. This copper scroll patterned wire measures 1.3mm x 5.3mm and has a repeating scroll are made from precision cut, hardened
pattern. It costs £11.09. The brass garden flower pattern wire is slightly wider, measuring 0.5mm x steel. They are ideal for using on soft
7.9mm, and has a repeating flower and leaf design. It costs £9.98. Other patterned wire in Sterling metals, such as aluminium, copper, brass
silver and gold is available on the website. and Sterling silver. These can also be used
cooksongold.com with other mediums such as clay, leather
and some fabrics. Place your metal sheet
on a steel bench block and position the
stamp. Strike the stamp with a hammer,
such as a brass mallet, to add the design
to the metal. The harder you strike the
stamp, the deeper the design. If you are
working with copper or Sterling silver
sheet, the design can be accented using
Liver of Sulphur. Use wire wool to remove
the patina created, leaving it in the
stamped design only. You can also rub
acrylic paint over the design, removing
the excess paint with a cloth, or use a
ART CLAY FOILS permanent marker on the impressed
Add extra detail to your metal clay design, removing any excess ink with
jewellery using these silver foils, wire wool. This Dandelion design stamp
exclusive to Art Clay. Each sheet measures 6mm and costs £6.50.
measures 10cm x 10cm and is applied to If you are new to metal stamping,
the fi red piece of jewellery. Instructions then these Impressart aluminium blank
for this can be found on the website. Swirly Hearts are a cost effective product
This particular foil is called ‘Wave’ and and are perfect to practise with before
costs £13.29. A book called Colorful moving on to more expensive metals. At
Silver Accessories, also featured on the just £3.49 for a pack of eighteen 31.8mm
website, details a project using this foil, x 0.8mm (20 gauge) hearts, they would
onto which a layer of enamel has been make fabulous stamped pendants,
applied. This book is written in Japanese charms or earrings. These can also be
but has clear step by step photographs to used with low temperature enamels
STENCIL SHEETS follow. It is priced at £15.95 and includes such as the Efcolor range. There are a
These Art Clay Exclusive stencils are many ideas for adding colour to o your wide range of metal blanks in stock, in a
designed to be used with metal clay, glass metal clay jewellery. variety of shapes and other metals, such
and ceramics. The stencils are made metalclayltd.co.uk as copper, brass, Sterling silver and gold.
from a slightly see-through plastic to cooksongold.com
help you position the patterns where
required. When using with metal clay,
the components must be dry and sanded.
Attach them to the piece using the sticky
backed side, brush or sponge a thin layer of
paste onto the metal clay and remove the
stencil carefully once the paste is dry. This
stencil sheet, Pattern B, costs £4.96. Other
designs are also available on the website.
metalclayltd.co.uk

makingjeweller y.com 87

MJ112_P86-87_Product Review SHSD.indd 87 14/09/2017 09:44

 FREE
DELIVERY
& RETURNS *
Quote code:
MAKE17
TE E
RM IN
SA NL
N D C ON DITIO N S O

088_MAJ_112.indd 88 9/14/17 11:13 AM

 NEXT MONTH
PROJECTS
70 IN THIS ISSUE...
Wirework, Powertex,
& IDEAS

cold enamel, silver clay,

polymer clay and
much more...

ON SALE
9 NOVEMBER

MJ112_P89_Next Month.indd 89 14/09/2017 09:55

 CLASSIFIEDS

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MAKING

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MAJ_112.indd 90 9/20/17 2:14 PM
 CLASSIFIEDS

The Jewellery Boat vou

cher
s

Learn to make silver jewellery onboard a Floating Workshop: Gift ilable!

ava

Join us on board our

narrowboat and learn
to make your own silver
jewellery. One day
courses include*
Bangles* Pendants *
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MAJ_112.indd 91 9/20/17 10:28 AM

 Hokusai’s ‘Wave off Kanagawa’, 1830s.

Wood panelling at
Montacute House

IT’S A
JEWELLER’S LIFE
We share life behind the scenes with blogger Anna
Mcloughlin, who is a gold and silversmith with a passion
for using environmentally friendly and ethically sourced
materials in her designs.

T
his month I thought I’d share some of
my very initial ideas for a competition/
open call that I’ve decided to enter.
We regularly enjoy family visits to National
Trust properties and for a while now, I’ve been
taking photos of things that have caught my
eye. These are usually bits of architecture
– door handles, wood panelling, window
frames, small sections of furniture etc, with
the intention of turning them into a collection
of jewellery. Like most ideas though, life (and
paying commissions) always gets in the way and
my idea stays as just that.
A few days ago though, I got an email
from an online jewellery community that I
subscribe to, with details about the National
Trust Artisan & Craft Open Call. For the
winning entrant, this includes making a new
range to be sold in National Trust shops. Just
the push that I needed to start turning my
photos into actual pieces of jewellery!
The callout is a joint venture by the
National Trust and the Crafts Council, so is
a pretty big deal, with the shortlisted makers
having to pitch their work to a panel from
the National Trust and the Crafts Council.
There’s also a pretty tight deadline, which is in
about three weeks’ time! I’ve done the initial
research though by collecting photos from
several different properties, so I’ve decided to
give it a go, and write about my ideas in this
month’s blog.
Obviously by the time you’re reading this, the
deadline will have long passed and the selection
process will be underway, but I thought (or
maybe hope!) it will still be interesting to see
the very beginnings of my ideas that may, or
may not, eventually end up on sale at a National
Trust property near you!
As much as I’d love to be able to be more
minimalist, mainly in order to be able to see
more of my shelves and floor space and save
time on dusting, I always seem to be drawn
towards detail and decoration. The photo of
the wood panelling that I’ve used as inspiration
for my first idea (that is nowhere near what I’d
call a finished product yet), is one that I took at
Montacute House in Somerset.
The National Trust describes Montacute as
‘…A masterpiece of Elizabethan Renaissance
architecture and design. With its towering
walls of glass, glow of ham stone and
surrounding garden, it is a place of beauty and
wonder…’, so I guess however my design does
finally end up, it will need to go some way
towards fitting in with this!
However, as well as well as impressing the
judges with an amazing design, it’s also vital
to remember the purpose of the work and
who the customer will be. In this case, it’s
final destination will be in a National Trust
shop, with the intention of being sold to the
sort of people who mainly like to visit large
stately homes, learn about their history and
walk around big landscaped gardens. In my
experience of visiting these sorts of places,
I would come to the conclusion that there
are two ‘main’ types of visitors to National
Trust properties. 1. Families (parents and
grandparents), either with young children that
enjoy taking part in the organised activities – or
with older children that are either into history,
or have been dragged there by their parents
in the hope that they might learn something!
2. Older-ish (maybe 50+, but remember I’m

92 makingjeweller y.com

MJ112_P92-93_Blog SHSD.indd 92 14/09/2017 09:56


generalising and there will obviously be
exceptions), couples and groups.
Now here, I think anyway, lies a bit of a
dilemma with regards to which group to pitch
my designs to. As a 40-year-old mum, I guess I
fit into the first group of people, and I assume,
like most other visitors, I enjoy having a browse
around the shop at the end, and would really
enjoy seeing a cabinet containing work that
has been handmade by UK designer/maker, but
and again, I would say, pretty typically, I can’t
afford to actually ‘buy’ any of it, and also I don’t
usually have the time to have a proper look as
I’m too busy making sure that small pairs of
hands aren’t breaking anything!
I also know that the National Trust are pretty
forward thinking people and are really keen
to bring in new and exciting ideas in order to
attract younger visitors. I certainly know this
is the case with my nearest National Trust
property anyway – so I’m sure they’ll be looking
to see some modern designs. However, the key
word in the brief is ‘retail’. These designs, in
whatever media the panel choose to include in
the final collection, will need to be something
MJ112_P92-93_Blog SHSD.indd 93
BLOG
Using CAD to work
out spacings
Soldering
Making the
prototype
Initial ideas
drawings
that will sell. This is where how I usually design,
on a one-off commission basis, differs from what
I know the National Trust are looking for. So, for
this brief, I’m going to need to take my photos
of beautiful and detailed decoration and turn
them into something that can be easily batch
produced and sold at a price that will appeal to
your average National Trust visitor.
Here’s where my retail brain will have to
really kick into gear and come up with a range
of unique pieces that are clearly influenced
by National Trust designs but that also, are in
keeping with my ethical ethos. I think I can
answer the brief, but obviously there will also Finished base
be many other wonderful designer/makers that metal prototype
will also be just as deserving of that place in the
National Trust’s cabinets as me. So please keep
everything crossed that I’ll be successful and
keep an eye on my social media channels for
updates on the designs.
Find out more about Anna’s jewellery at
annafinejewellery.co.uk
makingjeweller y.com 93
14/09/2017 09:56

BASIC TECHNIQUES
1. Thread a bead onto a head or
eye pin. Grip the wire with round
nose pliers next to the bead.
5. Keep pushing the wire around
the jaw until you meet the bead.
1. Thread the bead onto a head or
eye pin and cut the pin about 1cm
above the bead. Bend the wire to a
right angle above the bead.
94
MJ112_P94-95 Basic Techs SHSD.indd 94
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
HOW TO MAKE A WRAPPED LOOP
2. Bend the wire above the plier 3. Move the plier jaws to sit at the
jaw to a right angle. You will need top of the bend.
about 2mm of wire above the bead
before the bend.
6. Move the pliers around the 7. If attaching the loop to a chain
loop and continue to bend the this is the stage to do that. Use a
wire around until it is facing out pair of chain nose pliers to hold
at a right angle and you have a across the loop firmly.
complete loop.
MAKING A SIMPLE LOOP
2. Using round nose pliers, grasp 3. Roll the wire around to meet
the wire at the very end and curl it the bead. If it does sit centrally
around the plier jaws. move the plier jaws around the
loop to sit by the bead away from
the open end. Bend the loop back
to sit directly above the bead.
makingjeweller y.com
4. With your thumb push the wire
back around the pliers, keeping it
tight to the jaw.
8. Wrap the wire around the neck
of the loop until it meets the bead.
Snip off any excess wire and push
the end against the coil to finish.
PHOTOGRAPHS: SIAN HAMILTON
4. Use chain nose pliers to tighten
the loop by twisting it from side
to side. Do not pull it outwards as
that will distort the shape.
14/09/2017 09:58

USING JUMPRINGS
Always make sure you follow this
guide and don’t pull jumprings
apart as they can easily distort.
Take a jumpring in two pairs of
pliers with the opening centred at
the top.
Hold the jumpring either as shown
in the step above or this step.
Whichever way you hold the
jumpring, the opening motion is
the same. Twist one hand towards
you and the other hand away;
never pull apart. Reverse the
action to close.
MJ112_P94-95 Basic Techs SHSD.indd 95
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
CRIMPING A BEAD
To show this process clearly it is
being shown without using thread;
the thread or wire should be inside
the bead.
Hold the crimp bead in the pliers
with the bead sat in the hole that
has a round side opposite
a ‘W’ shape.
Before closing the pliers, check
that the bead is sat straight. When
you close the pliers the thread
should fall either side of the bend.
Move the ‘U’ shape crimp to
the other hole with two round
sides. Turn the crimp so the ‘U’
faces sideways, press the pliers
closed tightly.
makingjeweller y.com
ADDING A COVER
Crimp covers make your finished
jewellery look more professional
and clean.
Take a crimp cover and place it
over the crimped bead, making
sure the bead is completely inside
the cover.
Take a pair of chain or flat nose
pliers and carefully grasp the cover.
Gently press the cover closed.
The finished bead should be closed
into a perfect bead shape. Nylon
nose pliers do this job very well as
they won’t mark the cover.
MAKING AN EYE PIN
Make your own eye pins using
0.8mm (or 0.7mm) wire. You can
use 1mm if you need strong pins.
Take the very end of the wire in
round nose pliers. If the wire is
quite hard it may slip out of the
pliers, so start the loop about 2mm
in and snip off the straight piece as
you make the first curve.
The shape you want to create is a
P. The advantage to making your
own eyepins is that you can make
the loop any size you need.
To finish the pin so the loop sits
centrally on the wire, take the
round nose pliers and place them
where the round P shape meets the
wire. Press the wire back against
the pliers until the loop is centred.
95
14/09/2017 09:58

BASIC TOOLS
ROUND NOSE
These are a must-have for a basic kit. When
making jewellery, being able to create loops and
rings is essential.
NYLON NOSE
Another similar style to flat nose, these pliers
have jaws that are covered in nylon to stop
them marking the metal.
CRIMPING
These pliers are used with crimp beads. If you
want to have a nice finish to your crimping
then these pliers are a good investment.
96
MJ112_P96 Basic Techs SHSD.indd 96
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
TYPES OF PLIERS
CHAIN NOSE (SNIPE)
Also called half round, these are the most
versatile. They are used for many jewellery
applications, so are another must-have for the
basic kit.
BENT NOSE
Used for getting into small tricky spaces where
a straight nose pair cannot reach.
CUTTERS/SNIPS
These pliers are also called side cutters. They
come in a vast range of prices and styles. Be
careful what you cut as they can blunt easily if
used with hard or large dimension wire.
makingjeweller y.com
FLAT NOSE
Similar to chain nose, these pliers have a wider
jaw that is completely fl at. Good for holding
jumprings/findings as the wide jaw grasps a
large area.
BAIL MAKING
These pliers have fixed sized jaws, with each
jaw being a different size, usually with a 2mm
difference (such as 3mm and 5mm). They come
in a wide variety of sizes and are great if making
a lot of the same size jumprings or coils.
MEMORY CUTTERS
Used exclusively for cutting memory wire. If you
are going to use memory wire you must invest in
these; the wire will damage standard cutters.
14/09/2017 09:59
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IBC_MAJ_112.indd 1 9/14/17 11:14 AM

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