Sunday, December 11, 2016


Create Beautiful OOAK Jewelry 

With these beautiful metal forms you can create rings and bracelets quickly and easily.
Great for giving as gifts, selling at Craft Fairs or for keeping yourself!


In under an hour you can have all of these pieces ready for the oven.
These projects are a great way to use up Mokume Gane slices or leftover canes. Or, use textures and silk screens like we did here.
We know you will come up with even more ideas on your own.
let's get started.





Let's work on the Hinged Bracelet first.
  • Condition your polymer clay and using a pasta machine, sheet it on a medium-thin setting.
  • Choose your silk screen and paint colour. (Follow the directions that come with the screens and allow the paint dry).
  • Cut a piece of clay just a bit longer and wider than the area you are trying to fill.  (Image 2)
  • A bit of liquid clay on the underside of the form will help guarantee that the clay will have a permanent bond once baked. 
  • Push the clay against the bracelet to get a good bond. 
  • Treat the open area of the bracelet like a die form. Using a small, soft brush., gently push the clay between the edges of the form to create a 3D effect (Image 3).  
  • You can do a little or a lot. This will depend largely on the consistency of your clay.
  • Now it is time to trim the clay.  Work from the front so that you can see where to cut. Then, on the under-side cut the clay away from the hinge. 
  • Using your fingers, smooth all of the edges one final time to make sure that the clay is adhering everywhere. 
  • Now using a sharp scalpel or X-acto blade clean up the edges.
  • I would suggest baking the bracelet with just one side done.  Once cooled you can complete the other side.
  • Complete the other side in the exact same manner or use a different surface treatment.
  • 1 Gift done!

                                
       Let's customize the Ring Forms. This couldn't be easier.      
       We'll use the channel ring first.


  • Lightly impress the back-side of the decorative clay with the channel ring.  This marks the width you need.  Using a long blade, cut a strip. This is great for using up small leftover bits of your cherished canes.
  • Add a bit of liquid clay to the channel.  Press the clay inside the channel and pull the strip slightly if needed, to stretch the clay so that it fits neatly inside the channel.
  • When the clay over-laps at the end, use a knife to cut through both thicknesses. Remove the excess by lifting up the strip and with the sharp tip remove the tiny piece from underneath. Your 2 edges will butt up against each other perfectly.  
  • Smooth the seam.
  • Bake
  • 2 gifts done!

        Now, let's work on the Rectangular Bezel Ring. 

  • Impress the ring into the back-side of the decorative clay to get a sense of the size of the rectangle you will cut. (This is also sheeted on a medium-thin setting).
  • Apply some liquid clay inside the bezel of the ring.
  • Place the cut rectangle of clay into the ring.  Roll the clay lightly in place.  If the clay goes beyond the edge just use your tissue blade to push it back inside the bezel. 
  • Bake.  I told you this would be easy! This ring has a lovey weight to it.
  • 3 gifts done!

         Last but not least, let's work on the rolled edge Channel Bracelet

  • The clay for this bracelet is sheeted on a medium thickness.
  • Measure the width of the channel and, using a ruler and a sharp blade, cut a strip from the sheeted clay.
  • Apply a scant amount of liquid clay inside the channel.
  • Place the plain or decorative strip inside the channel and smooth.
  • If plain clay was used you can now apply texture and lightly rub with with PearlEx powders, Gilder's paste or similar to highlight the raised design.
  • Using the pressure of your finger (or a sharp knife), clean up the edges of the clay if needed.
  • Bake!
  • 4 gifts complete!


 A while back, 
Tina Holden and I traded. She gave me a few of her lovely silk screens to play with and I gave her a few CaBezel molds to try!
 I used Tina's silk screen's for the projects described above.

You can find Tina's line of silk screens here
Thanks Tina!


   Can't wait to get started? 

Here is a quick reference guide to the supplies you might need to complete the projects.

           Jewelry Forms:

·         Channel Ring

·         Rectangular Bezel Ring

·         Hinged Bracelet Form

·         Channel Bracelet Form

          Tools and Supplies: