Submarine Rock

    This is the third out of four of my rock pendants (the fourth one isn't done yet.  It is one of those that is still speaking to me..... been doing that for three months now!)  While working on this piece, I was drilling a hole with a bur setting bit (creates a conical hole for the stone to set in), when I pushed a little too hard.  (There I go again!)  So, time to be creative.  I had a red CZ already set in a metal clay bezel that fit perfectly over the hole.  (Actually it was rather cavernous.)

    The piece also makes use of the same texture as "Mother Earth" but for some reason this piece reminded me of a submarine, hence the title.  All three rock pendants also have syringe work on them.  (I've come a long way baby with that syringe.  Now I control it.... somewhat.)  The fourth pendant does not, (so far.  Only time will tell.)

   I had a strand of garnet beads that seemed to go well with the CZ.  I also made some end caps to finish off the strand of beads and tie in with the texture on the bead. Okay, I just took a second look and I guess they aren't end caps but beads.  (Another mental lapse.) The picture didn't turn out as well as I wanted it to, but it still shows what it looks like.  Still working on the picture taking so I can start posting things on Etsy again.  

Underwire

  NO I'm not talking about bras in this post.  (Although I did just buy a new one with underwire support.  It's obvious I need one.)

   I'm talking about wire under the metal clay to help form it.  The book PMC Technic and Barbara Becker Simons new book both demonstrate the technique.  The first one I tried is rather large and is not yet done.  At first it looked very sculptural to me and I thought about turning it into a sculpture until my friend Carol said she could see it as a piece of jewelry with tubes in it.  So, last week I bought some brass and some copper tubing.  Will share when it finally gets done (don't think that will be any time soon though as the old brain is sometimes slow.)

   The third charm on my bracelet was created with a much shorter (not smaller) piece of copper wire.  The wire was bent into a shape with twists and turns (so far I find it is impossible to predict what the finished clay piece will look like.)  It is important to make sure that the wire sits on the table and that there are no sharp points to tear through the clay.  Then a sheet of clay, 2 cards thick, is rolled out and draped over the wire.  At this point the clay can be formed into the recesses of the wire with the fingers.  Dry the clay and carefully remove the wire.  I thought it would be difficult to take the wire out, but it wasn't.  When the form is totally dry, lay the piece on another 2 card slab of clay (to form the back)and cut around it with a needle tool.  Then paste the back piece to the front piece, smooth the edges together  and fill in any gaps with extra clay or paste.

   Before I joined the back to the front on this piece, I made a wire loop, twisted the ends of the wire and inserted it between the front and back piece.  What I thought was fine silver wire (that's what it said when I bought it), turned out to be sterling silver wire which turned black during the firing process.  As an after thought I decided to add the peridot, so I refired the piece with a readymade bezel cup (and covered the black wire with metal clay paste.)  

Water Etching

    This charm is an example of water etching.  The technique is fun, easy, and can be used to create different levels of depth in a work.  

    The technique is done by drawing a design on a dry clay piece.  Then, using nail polish, the areas that are to be raised are painted.  The polish acts as a resist.  It is a good idea to paint the back of the piece too as it can get water on it.  The edges can be painted to create a raised effect or left unpainted to recede.  Since this process removes clay, the original clay piece should be made several cards thicker to make sure it doesn't get too thin.  When the polish is dry, take a damp sponge and begin wiping across the surface of the piece.  Rinse the sponge and repeat until the desired depth is reached.  (Be sure to save the dirty rinse water..... there's silver in there!)  Texture can be added to the recessed areas (while they are still wet) with a stencil brush, using a stippling effect.

   

Swarovski melt

    I've added another new charm to my education bracelet, (actually three more which I'll share over the next few days.)  Two of the techniques I learned at the Arrowmont retreat.  The Senior Instructor from South Africa, (sorry I can't remember her name.) showed us this.  It only takes a few seconds and can add a spark of color to your metal clay creations.

   Drill a hole in the piece you want to decorate (of course it is easiest to do in the dry clay before firing.)  Also, make sure the hole is fairly large.  (This helps the crystal to melt down into the hole better.)  After the piece is fired and cooled, position the crystal on the hole.  I used a 4 mm crystal bead.  (Metal backed swarovski beads and AB swarovski beads are not good for this technique.)  Using a torch, begin heating the area around the crystal and over the crystal until it begins to turn orange and balls up.   That's it.  That's all there is to it.  How cool is that? 

   My charm has held up (which for me was a test of the strength since a bracelet gets lots of pounding.)  I did not tumble this piece as I liked the white inside the dish shape.   I also tried it in a by-pass ring I made but the holes were too small for the bigger crystal to melt down into.  It might have worked if I had used a smaller crystal. 

  

 

Got Rocks in my head

    I stopped in the Appalachian Rock Shop on Route 19, north of Pittsburgh yesterday.  Haven't been there for a while.  Not sure why, as it is such a neat place for geology and art lovers.  They carry lots of Geodes, fossils and gems; along with finished pieces of jewelry.  And, they offer classes in silversmithing, beading and wire wrapping.  (And, if you are a dog lover, have two adorable dogs!)

    My daughter and I have taken a couple of beading classes there, (probably nine years ago.)  The class was fun and I learned some things I use with my metal clay pieces.  One thing I remember when taking the class was how little I knew about rocks and stones.  (I did take a geology class in college and did very well.  But, like my silver fabrication class, that was so, so long ago that I don't remember much. Except that if you bite sandstone it will be gritty and don't build your house downhill from the neighbor's outhouse.)  Anyway, during those classes the other ladies were all talking stones and they could tell just by looking at it what kind of stone it was.  I felt very stupid and tried to crack some kind of joke about the stones in my driveway, but they didn't see the humor in it.  

     Now that I'm into jewelry it is probably a good idea to get to know what certain stones and gems look like and what their properties are.  (There is just so much darn stuff to know!)  So, I bought myself "The Crystal Bible" which will be my new bathroom read.  (Sorry to share that with you, but that is my favorite reading spot.)   Did you see the Seinfeld show where they wouldn't take back George's library book because it had been read in the bathroom?  Funny show.  Guess I'll have to keep my new book.  

   Hopefully this book will make me more knowledgeable.  For now, any stone I don't know I usually classify as a jasper.  I can't even remember which stones my CZs are representing.  Now that is sad.