Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay - Precious Metal Clay / PMC and Art Clay Silver and Gold
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Ranked #1,046 in How-To, #10,254 overall
Metal clay - best known by brand names Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and Art Clay (Silver or Gold) - is an amazing material to work with. You can create unique handcrafted jewelry and other items that, after firing to burn off the organic binders and water in the clay, are fine silver (.999 silver) or 22K gold!
You can set many different kinds of gemstones - synthetic, lab-grown and even some natural gemstones - into the unfired clay. Other gemstones that cannot survive torch-firing or kiln-firing can be set after firing.
The first step is determining whether your stone can be fired successfully. The next step is deciding among the many different ways in which stones can be set in metal clay, both pre- and post-firing.
This lens will help you learn about many of the most popular techniques and will direct you to some of the best information on this subject.
Enjoy! :)
Margaret Schindel, Owner/Designer
Polished & Put-Together
http://www.p-pt.com/
What's In This Lens
Jump directly to the section you're interested in!
- Gemstones To Fire In Place
- Setting Gemstones in "Wet" Clay
- More Ways To Set Gemstones In "Wet" Metal Clay
- Setting CZ Frit in Metal Clay
- Setting Gemstones in Dried Clay
- Bezel Settings For Cabochons That Will Be Set Post-Firing
- Prong Settings for Faceted Gemstones That Will Be Set Post-Firing
- Prong Settings For Cabochons That Will Be Set Post-Firing
- Settings for Pearls and Half-Drilled Beads
- More Information on Setting Gemstones in Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay
- Learn by Doing!
- Recommended Tools, Supplies and DVDs
- Recommended Suppliers
- Related Useful Information
- Amazon Spotlight
- Books About Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay
- More Books About Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay
- Even More Books About Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay
- Cabochons on eBay For Your Metal Clay Designs
- Additional Cabochons for Setting in Metal Clay - on eBay
- Even more cabs for metal clay on eBay
- Additional sources for gemstone cabochons to set in metal clay
- Feedback, Suggestions, Comments
- Ratings and Feedback
- Link To This Lens
- Copyright and Terms of Use
Gemstones To Fire In Place
There are no hard-and-fast rules about which gemstones will survive torch- or kiln-firing in metal clay. There are only guidelines.Whatever gemstones you embed in unfired metal clay must be able to withstand the temperature and firing times needed for that type of clay. The settings must accommodate shrinkage, and especially if you are planning to fire gemstones in a PMC Standard clay setting, you must make a larger hole to allow for the 30% shrinkage rate (and be sure that the stone can withstand 2 hours of firing at 1650F). Therefore, the "safest" clays to use when firing gemstones in place are PMC3 and Art Clay Low-Fire, whose lowest firing temperatures and low shrinkage rates accommodate a much wider range of gemstones.
I've provided links to several excellent resources for determining which gemstones, natural and mandmade/synthetic, are good candidates for firing with metal clay in the section "More Information on Setting Gemstones in Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay," below.
Tips:
Always ask your suppliers whether the CZ and/or lab-created stones they sell have been tested for firing in metal clay.
Try to buy from suppliers who test their gemstones and stand behind them as being "kiln-safe."
Whenever possible, test-fire a "spare" stone by itself (cover it with a piece of fiber blanket in case it shatters) and see whether it fractures or changes color. Caveat: Even a stone that appears to survive a test firing successfully may be weakened and fracture later on.
Setting Gemstones in "Wet" Clay
Make sure you use stones that can withstand the firing successfully!
Check the depth of the stone vs. the clay thickness. You'll need to add enough clay in the setting area to cover the stone's girdle or shoulder.
Simplest setting. If the clay where is deep enough, just press the stone in so the girdle or shoulder is about 1mm below the clay. It's preferable to cut a hole in the clay slightly smaller than the stone first.
Clay ball settings I. Cut a hole in the clay slightly smaller than the stone's diameter. Roll a small ball of lump clay and flatten it slightly into a disc a bit wider than the stone. Place the disc over the hole and, using a tweezer, place the stone into the center of the disc. Press the stone into the disc until the girdle is covered and the table is level. Note: Hattie Sanderson explains how to make a nifty bezel-making tool out of polymer clay in her excellent instructional DVD set, "Contemporary Metal Clay 1."
Clay ball settings II. Create a ball of clay about twice the size of the stone you are going to set. Moisten the main piece and press the ball of clay onto it. Use a pencil, pointed clay shaper, etc. to make a cone-shaped hole for the stone. Press the stone into the hole so the girdle or shoulder is about 1mm below the surface.
Syringe bezels. Cut a hole in the clay slightly smaller than the stone to be set. Extrude a line of syringe clay to create a rim surrounding the edge of the hole. If necessary, add a second or third line of syringe clay to make the bezel tall enough to cover the girdle of the stone. Using a tweezer, place the stone in the setting and gently press the girdle into the syringe clay until the stone's table (top) is level and the girdle is covered by the syringe clay. You can also add syringe decorations on top of the bezel (and even draping over the stone) for added security.
Syringe prongs. Start with the "simplest setting," above. Moisten the clay around the stone and add syringe prongs over the stone.
More Ways To Set Gemstones In "Wet" Metal Clay
Coil settings. Roll a coil of lump clay and brush it lightly with water. Let the water soak in for a few seconds, then form the coil into loops just slightly smaller than the stones you want to set. Using a tweezer, place the stones in the loops and press them into the clay so that the girdle is covered and the table is level. This technique is explained and illustrated extremely well in "Introduction to Precious Metal Clay" by Mary Ann Devos.
Alternate method: Press the stone into the clay and add a line of syringe to cover the stone's girdle.
Layered cutout setting. Moisten the area where you want to set the stone and add a small clay cutout (made with a knife, straw, aspic cutter, etc., from plain or textured clay). Press to adhere and wick a little water around the edges of the seam. Use an appropriate sized drinking or cocktail straw to remove a plug of clay slightly smaller than your stone from the center of both layers. Press in your stone to cover the girdle or shoulder. (It's sometimes easier to set the stone into the top layer before cutting it and then center the cutter over it.)
Faux pavé settings. Press tiny faceted stones nearly touching into a narrow coil of clay to create a faux pavé effect. Roll out the clay for the main body of the piece and cut a slit slightly longer than the "pavé" strip. Brush some slip or paste over the coil and lay the clay slab on top, carefully opening the slit just enough for the row of stones to show through. Press the seam gently and smooth the edges with a damp brush and some paste or slip. When dry, turn over and apply a generous layer of paste or slip to the back of the seams. Special thanks to Angela B. Crispin for sharing this technique with me.
Setting CZ Frit in Metal Clay
Setting Gemstones in Dried Clay
Gypsy settings. Make sure the clay is thick enough so the girdle of the stone will be covered after pre-finishing. When the clay is bone dry, pre-finish it (sanding, etc.). Use a very small drill bit in a hand drill/pin vise to drill a pilot hole all the way through the clay. Replace the drill bit with a jeweler's stone-setting bur approximately 10% larger than the stone you will be setting, or use a drill bit that's the same size as the stone but drill a little deeper than usual. Test-fit the stone in the hole to make sure that the girdle is slightly below the surface of the clay. If necessary, remove the stone and enlarge the hole slightly. Carefully brush off any loose dust from the clay and from the gemstone. Clean the stone thoroughly, then place it back in the hole. Make sure it's level and clean the top of the stone with alcohol and a sponge-tipped cosmetic applicator or cotton swab. Note: If the stone is set on a curve, use white glue to hold it in place on the way to the kiln.Optional step (but I find it really helps to make sure the stone is shrink-locked securely after firing): Using an applicator tip with a tiny hole, extrude a very fine line of syringe just inside the edge of the drilled setting hole. Alternatively, brush a little paste clay inside the setting hole. Place the stone into the hole as described above, then wipe the edge of the setting with a damp brush to make sure no syringe or paste clay squeezed out above the stone. Let the paste or syringe clay dry completely. If any clay ends up on top of the stone, scrape/flake it off the stone gently once it has dried. Clean the top of the stone with alcohol and place in the kiln.
Idea: Create a photopolymer plate to impress starter holes in the clay where the stones will be set.
Special thanks to Mary Ellin D'Agostino, Tonya Davidson, Maggie Bergman and Priscilla Vassão for their advice on this technique!
Bezel Settings For Cabochons That Will Be Set Post-Firing
Fine silver bezel wire. Wrap a strip of fine silver bezel wire around the base of a cabochon. Test fit and adjust the bezel over your cabochon on a flat surface. There shouldn't be any gaps but the stone should slide in and out of the bezel easily. When you have a good fit, mark the spot where the wire overlaps. Cut it flush (err on the side of too long vs. too short) and file the ends, if necessary, to create a tight seam when the ends are butted together. Check the fit again before sealing.
Method 1: Embed the bezel into the clay and seal the joint neatly with paste clay. (Keep most of the paste on the outside of the joint so you don't change the fit of the bezel.) Let the clay dry, fill any gaps, dry and fire.
Method 2: Seal the joint of the bezel with paste clay or, better yet, Art Clay Oil Paste. When dry, fire the bezel separately, file the seam smooth and embed in "raw" clay as above.
Tips:
1) The bezel wire must be wide enough to hold the stone in place securely after burnishing, plus 1mm to embed in the clay.
2) Scuff/sand the area of the bezel that will come in contact with the metal clay to give it some "tooth."
3) With a fine-tipped marker, draw a guide line scant 1mm away from the lower edge of the bezel wire to help you embed the bezel in the clay to an even depth.
Paper-type or sheet metal clay bezels for cabochons. Beautiful custom bezels can be created with paper-type (sheet) metal clay to accommodate cabochons of any size and shape. This technique was pioneered by metal clay artist Jennifer Kahn. Her excellent chapter in the superb book "PMC Technic" (see "Books About Setting Gemstones In Metal Clay," below) explains in detail how to size the bezel setting so that it fits correctly after firing and offers some variations.
Embedded silver bezel cup settings for calibrated cabochons. For calibrated cabochon stones, you can embed either 1) fine silver bezel cups or 2) sterling silver bezel cups that have been "depletion gilded" (heated and pickled repeatedly to bring the oxides to the surface and remove them, leaving a layer of fine silver on the surface). The settings must be embedded securely into the clay in such a way that the clay can shrink-lock them into place. For depletion gilding sterling silver findings, you can use a traditional pickling product like Sparex, or Silver-Prep from Cool Tools which is supposed to be safer.
Prong Settings for Faceted Gemstones That Will Be Set Post-Firing
Prong Settings For Cabochons That Will Be Set Post-Firing
Variation: Before firing, decorate the prongs with syringe clay, paper-type clay cutouts or other metal clay adornments secured with paste clay or syringe.
Settings for Pearls and Half-Drilled Beads
More Information on Setting Gemstones in Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay
- Jennifer Kahn's Lapidary Journal Article on Metal Clay Bezels
- Jennifer Kahn - Celie Fago's apprentice and a wonderful metal clay artist in her own right - developed a terrific technique for making accurately-sized bezels from PMC+ paper type clay for cabochons that can't be fired in place. Her excellent step-by-step instructions was published in the May 2005 issue of Lapidary Journal. Unfortunately, LJ no longer sells reprints of the individual article, but this link will take you to the magazine's online store for back issues and you can order the May 2005 back issue as long as they still have copies available. Otherwise, check your local library. It's well worth the effort to track this down!
- Natural Gemstones To Fire In Place or Set Afterwards
- This page from Mary Ellin D'Agostino of MED'A Creations lists natural gemstones that can be fired in place successfully as well as some that should be set after firing.
- Lab-Grown Gemstones and CZs to Fire In Place
- This page from Mary Ellin D'Agostino of MED'A Creations lists the colors of lab gemstones and CZs that can be fired in place successfully at 1650F vs. 1110F.
- Attaching And Setting Stones Into Pure Silver Settings
- From Jackie Truty at Art Clay World USA, this terrific PDF provides clear, detailed instructions on how to successfully embed fine silver settings into metal clay and how to set the gemstones in the settings properly after firing.
- Firng Gemstones and Natural Stones
- This PDF from Art Clay World USA provides tips for selecting stones suitable for firing in metal clay and for testing stones.
- Bling, Bam, Boom, and Things That Go Poof in the Kiln
- If you're a Member of the PMC Guild, get this wonderful article on gemstones by Deric Metzger, G.J.G. A.J.P. in the Fall 2004 · Volume 7, Number 3 back issue of Studio PMC Magazine.
- Tips on Creating Jewelry with Titanium and Metal Clay
- This superb tutorial by Holly Gage is focused on creating fine silver settings for use with titanium, which can't be fired with metal clay, but it is equally valuable for creating settings for any stone or inclusion to be set after firing.
- Natural and Synthetic Gemstone Tests (Rio Grande)
- Kevin Whitmore of Rio Grande put together this seminal chart of his test results on natural and synthetic gemstones, both dry-fired and fired in PMC3.
- Gemstones In Metal Clay (Cool Tools)
- This fabulous guide by Mardel Rein of Cool Tools shows which natural and synthetic gemstones can be fired successfully in metal clay, by what methods (kiln and/or butane torch), and at what temperatures. It's formatted as a PDF file for easy printing, and you'll want to keep a copy in your work area for frequent reference.
- Setting Dichroic Glass in Art Clay Silver, Precious Metal Clay, ACS, PMC, Metal Clay
- If you're interested in learning how to add dichroic glass cabochons as well as gemstones to your metal clay designs, Lisel Crowley's informative Squidoo lens is a great place to start.
Learn by Doing!
Pick up a copy of Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay by Lorrene Davis. Read about a variety of ways to set stones in metal clay, then use all the techniques you've learned to create a beautiful stone-setting sampler pendant.
Recommended Tools, Supplies and DVDs
- Silver Prep citric pickle (Cool Tools)
- Silver Prep is designed as a safer alternative to traditional pickling products for depletion-gilding sterling silver findings for use with metal clay. Cool Tools owner Mardel Rein has posted an excellent video tutorial on YouTube that shows how to use Silver Prep to prepare sterling silver for firing in metal clay.
- Hattie Sanderson's Instructional DVDs
- PMC Supply carries Hattie Sanderson's instructional DVDs, including "Contemporary Metal Clay 1" which demonstrates a bezel-making tool you can create from polymer clay.
Recommended Suppliers
- Art Clay Canada
- Art Clay Canada is run by three of Canada's first Senior Art Clay Instructors: Carrie Steele, Dick Tse and Cara-Lee Ireland. The company carries sterling prong settings that can be fired in place with silver metal clay. The real treasure here is the selection of cabochons and faceted stones, natural and manmade, fire-in-place and non-fireable. They test-fire all their manmade fireable stones to ensure that they will hold their color after firing. They've posted a very handy gemstone size reference chart as a PDF that you can download from their site, which contains true-to-size images of various different stone shapes in a range of sizes.
- Art Clay World USA
- Art Clay World offers a fine silver prong settings in a wide range of shapes and sizes, as well as some sterling settings with attached, serrated "tongues" that can be embedded in low-fire clay so that the setting portion extends from the clay. Art Clay World sells a very nice selection of CZs, also in a good range of shapes, sizes and colors, as well as some lovely natural gemstone cabs (to be set after firing) and limited quantities of gorgeous abalone shell slices designed to be embedded in, and covered with, UV resin (also available on the site). You'll also find the Metal Clay Veneer kit, which can be used to create textured clay bezels for your stones.
- Cool Tools
- Mardel Rein is one of the most knowledgeable people in the field about which stones are safe to fire in metal clay. In addition to offering a wonderful selection of CZs, lab gems, natural gemstones, dichroic glass, fine silver bezel, tube and prong settings and bezel wire, and lacy sterling silver gallery bezel wire, she also sells Silver Prep citric acid pickle, which can be used for depletion-gilding of sterling silver findings so they can be fired in PMC3 or low-fire Art Clay.
- Gem Resources International
- Shirley is incredibly helpful and honest, and her prices for CZs and lab-created gemstones are fantastic. She also sells natural faceted and cabochon cut gemstones, some of which can be fired in metal clay, and sterling silver bezel settings and prong settings (which can be fired in low-fire metal clay at low temperatures after being depletion-gilded). Get on her mailing list to be notified of the terrific monthly special deals!
- MED'A Creations
- Mary Ellin D'Agostino carries natural gemstones that can be fired in place as well as fantastic CZ assortments in gorgeous colors and great shapes! She also offers a wonderful kit for making molded silica-free red investment replicas of stones or other objects that must be set after firing. These investment placeholders ensure that you will have perfectly-sized and -shaped "seats" for your stones after the clay has shrunk during firing. The kit includes Mary Ellin's excellent instruction booklet.
- Metal Clay Findings
- Anthony at Metal Clay Findings has developed a fabulous line of fine silver findings specifically for metal clay artisans.These include .999 fine silver bezel settings and bezel wire with tabs that can be embedded securely into metal clay. Their growing line of innovative products for metal clay artists include ring bands and "ring liners" onto which you can add metal clay embellishments (including gemstone adornments) to ensure a perfect fit every time, embeddable earwires, flared bead cores that can be used with metal clay (as well as lampworked glass, polymer clay, and other media), "artist kits" with project instructions by well-known metal clay artists and instructors, and much more. I've written a product review of the Metal Clay Findings product line.
- Metal Clay Supply
- Metal Clay Supply carries Hattie Sanderson's excellent instructional DVDs, a nice selection of kiln-safe stones and dichroic glass cabochons, half-drilled freshwater pearls, fine silver bezel cups and bezel wire (plain, scalloped and serrated), the Makin's Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder (great for tube settings), Jay Humphreys' Metal Clay Veneer kit (for making textured clay bezels), stone-setting burs, and much more.
- PMC123
- Sherry and John Fotopoulos of PMC123 carry two very nice, well priced assortments of kiln-safe CZs in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. They also offer fine silver bezel wire and their own stone-setting kit with everything you need to create molds of non-fireable stones (or other objects to be set after firing) and then make replicas of the original stones in silica-free investment replicas that can be embedded in metal clay as placeholders, ensuring perfectly-sized and -shaped "seats" for your stones after the clay has shrunk during firing. The kit includes an instruction booklet written by Mary Ellin D'Agostino of MED'A Creations.
- PMC Connection
- PMC Connection offers a great selection of CZs, a nice assortment of lab gemstones, and synthetic star sapphire cabochons. The company carries fine silver prong settings, bezel wire, and Jay Humphreys' Metal Clay Veneer starter kit. They also sell 24K gold and fine silver casting grains that can be embedded in the clay.
- Rio Grande
- Rio carries not only a huge selection of CZs and natural gemstones (including half-drilled freshwater pearls), but also fine silver bezel wire, bezel cups, setting tools, sterling settings and Sparex pickling solution for depletion-gilding them, stone setting burs, and much more.
- Whole Lotta Whimsy
- Tonya Davidson offers a huge selection of CZs and lab gemstones in absolutely gorgeous colors, as well as excellent stone assortments and crushed CZ frit that is made especially for Whole Lotta Whimsy. She also carries fine silver bezel cups and bezel wire, bezel rollers, and Jay Humphreys' Metal Clay Veneer kit (and refills), which can be used to create flexible texture sheets that can be cut into textured silver clay "bezel wire" for setting stones. Whole Lotta Whimsy carries a huge and frequently expanding product selection and offers excellent prices, especially to certified artisans.
Related Useful Information
- Basic Gypsy (flush mount) Setting
- An article by metalsmithing guru Charles Lewton-Brain on the traditional "gypsy" stone-setting method for metals.
Amazon Spotlight
Setting Stones in Metal Clay
Amazon Price: $27.50 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $27.50
Jeannette Landenwitch has written a fabulous new book dedicated entirely to the various approaches for setting stones in metal clay. This book will show you literally dozens of ways to set stones in metal clay in much greater depth than I can cover here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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Books About Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay
PMC Technic: A Collection of Techniques for Precious Metal Clay
A phenomenal book - don't miss the chapter by Jen Kahn on creating bezels for stones to be set after firing.
Amazon Price: $30.00 (as of 07/12/2009)
Setting Stones in Metal Clay
The most comprehensive book on setting stones in metal clay! If you get only one book on this subject, make it this one.
Amazon Price: $27.50 (as of 07/12/2009)
Metal Clay Beads: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration (A Lark Jewelry Book)
An extraordinary book about sophisticated techniques for making metal clay beads, it also includes variations for making complex and gorgeous constructed box and box-type settings.
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/12/2009)
Metal Clay Jewelry: Projects. Techniques. Inspirations.
A terrific all-around book on making metal clay jewelry, with clear instructions for a variety of settings.
Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 07/12/2009)
More Books About Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay
Natural Gemstones in Metal Clay. A Bench Resource Manual.
An extremely detailed and thorough discussion of this topic by the foremost expert on gemology related to metal clay. Covers 107 unique natural gemstones) and dozens more variations): definitive verdicts on each stone's suitability to be fired in place, identifying characteristics, cleaning methods, and much more. It also includes a very useful glossary of common gemological terms.
Amazon Price: $31.45 (as of 07/12/2009)
Art Clay Silver & Gold: 18 Unique Jewelry Pieces to Make in a Day
A terrific, thorough and informative book about metal clay (silver and gold). Jackie is the president of Art Clay World USA and the book focuses on Art Clay products, but the majority of the techniques apply equally to PMC products. Several stone setting methods are presented clearly.
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 07/12/2009)
Creative Metal Clay Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration
This book was one of the first metal clay books for beginners, and remains one of the best. CeCe Wire's projects are simple, and the explanations and photos make it easy to get good results. Covers basic fire-in-place stone setting methods.
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/12/2009)
New Directions in Metal Clay: 25 Creative Jewelry Projects
A more recent book by CeCe Wire that explains more sophisticated stone-setting methods (among many other techniques).
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/12/2009)
The Art of Metal Clay (with DVD): Techniques for Creating Jewelry and Decorative Objects
Sherri Haab's book is another excellent choice for metal clay newbies. Her projects teach several stone-setting methods, and the most recent edition includes an instructional DVD so you can watch Sherri demonstrate the techniques.
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/12/2009)
Even More Books About Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay
Introduction to Precious Metal Clay
One of the first books ever written about metal clay, by one of the first metal clay instructors.
Amazon Price: $17.96 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $23.95
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Precious Metal Clay In Mixed Media
A more recent book by Mary Ann Devos that explores some of the many ways to combine metal clay with other materials. Includes several methods for setting stones in clay.
Amazon Price: $18.68 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $23.95
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Metal Clay for Beaders
The first in a fabulous series of metal clay books by Irina Miech. These projects focus specifically on creating fine silver components and then stringing them along with (other) beads. Several of them include stone-setting techniques.
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $19.95
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More Metal Clay for Beaders: 18 Innovative Projects
The second book in Irina Miech's series, these projects are even prettier than the ones in her first book!
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $21.95
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Inventive Metal Clay for Beaders: Exciting Projects for All Levels
The third book in Irina's series of metal clay projects for beaders. In addition to stone settings, she also shows how to make great metal clay bails for capturing gemstone "donuts" (as shown on the book's cover).
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/12/2009)
List Price: $21.95
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Cabochons on eBay For Your Metal Clay Designs
Most of these should be set AFTER firing your clay!
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Additional Cabochons for Setting in Metal Clay - on eBay
These need to be set AFTER FIRING!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byEven more cabs for metal clay on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byAdditional sources for gemstone cabochons to set in metal clay
- Tao Gems
- Affordable, attractive gem cabochons cut from a nice variety of minerals. Tao Gems offers unusual and interesting matched earring cabochon pairs as well as a large selection of freeform designer cabs. Rough and slab available for those of you with lapidary skills and equipment.
- Cabs by Mitch
- Affordable, attractive designer cabochons and matched pairs hand cut from drusy chrysocolla, cuprite, azurite, eudialyte, serpentine and other interesting minerals. Some are cut from unique materials found and mined by Mitch himself. Inventory is updated with new cabs every Friday at 5:00 P.M. CST.
Feedback, Suggestions, Comments
I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this lens! :)
MSchindel wrote...
in reply to Noadi Thanks so much, Sheryl! I'm delighted that you found the information helpful. If your CZs are colored, I encourage you to test-fire them loose at the same firing schedule as you plan to fire your finished piece to make sure the color doesn't change. If the stones survive the heat without changing color, you'll know it's safe to embed them in your metal clay.
Thanks again for the great feedback! :)
Posted February 25, 2009
Noadi wrote...
Great lens! 5 stars for you! I'm just getting started with metal clay and this lens is a big help because I want to add these lovely cubic zirconias I bought to my pieces. Quite an adjustment from using polymer clay.
Posted February 25, 2009
MSchindel wrote...
in reply to IsabellasBeads Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, Isabella! I really appreciate your adding this lens to your web site's blog roll. You may find some of my other lenses about metal clay here on Squidoo to be useful to you as well. Thanks again! :)
Posted February 17, 2009
IsabellasBeads wrote...
I LOVE this lens! Thank you for something so informative. I wanted to find information on how to fire a gemstone (onyx) into a metal clay ring that I am making, and you gave me that and so much more! I have added this lens as a favorite obviously, and I have also added you to the blog roll on my website's blog page, www.isabellasbeads.com/blog. I hope you keep providing us with this wonderful and educational material. Thanks again!
Posted February 15, 2009
Glyphman wrote...
Super duper lens!
Right up my alley. Gave you the five star vote, and lens rolled you to my Bezel Setting Lens
http://www.squidoo.com/BezelStones
Drop by when you can and I really did enjoy your lens.
TaoGem Gemstones
Posted September 03, 2008
MSchindel wrote...
Hi, Aleta - If you're making a very wide band, you might well consider going up 1/2 size. This is true for rings fabricated from sheet metal as well as those made from metal clay.
As far as either enlarging the ring yourself with a rawhide mallet and a ring stick or taking it to a jeweler to be stretched, be sure that the ring has been fired at 1650F for 2 hours first. That will ensure that the metal is as strong as it can be. However, any metal made from metal clay will be more porous than, and therefore not as strong as, fabricated sheet metal. So there's always a risk that it could crack during the stretching process. I have stretched metal clay rings successfully with a rawhide mallet and smooth ring stick, but it requires patience, time, gentle taps, and working your way around the band evenly. If you give it to a jeweler, DEFINITELY specify that it was made from metal clay!
In the future, fire with a ring-sizing patty to ensure the correct size.
Best of luck with the ring!
Posted August 12, 2008
Louise M wrote
Absolutely superb!
Just what I have been looking for (especially being new to PMC!).
Many thanks,
Louise, UK
Posted August 11, 2008
Wahab wrote
Outstanding, classic information and very very helpful
Posted August 10, 2008
Aleta Knapp wrote
Hi all - this is my first time on this site and I was actually surfing around to see if I could find information on sizing a metal clay ring after it's been fired. I made a wide band with a set stone for a friend and she gave me her size via a tracing from an existing ring. I measured it with my ring size set to be a 5 1/2. The final ring after firing measured a true 5 1/2, but my friend said it was too small. I'm thinking that maybe if a band is wide, I should size up by a half size in the future to assure proper fit? That was the first thing I was trying to find out. The second is if anyone knows if there is any issue in taking a metal clay ring to a jeweler to have it sized up - would there be any issue because they're sintered and not cast? Would I advise my friend to tell the jeweler it's metal clay? Any help or place to find this type of information would be greatly appreciated. My e-mail address is mermaid@fuse.net. Thanks in advance!
Posted August 06, 2008
JLally
This lens has given me lots of new ideas about how to set gemstones in metal clay. Thanks for pulling this all together!
Posted July 22, 2008
Jason wrote
Brilliant information.....very helpfull and has set me off in a new direction....
Posted June 20, 2008
DazzlingDesigns wrote...
Very nice lens. Definitely 5-Stars. Please feel free to stop by my Unique Handmade Jewelry Lens.
Thanks,
Donia
Handmade Beaded Jewelry Gallery
Posted March 24, 2008
Deric Metzger GJG AJA AJP wrote
I just thought I should add that there is a book out there (mine) that has been out for some time and took a few years of intense research to write. It shows 107 unique stones and dozens of varieties of each. Take a look if you are into natural gems: www.lulu.com/dericmetzgerPMC
Posted March 21, 2008
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©2007 Margaret R. Schindel. All rights reserved.
by MSchindel
I design unique handcrafted jewelry, so precious metal clay allows me to create truly one-of-a-kind jewelry designs with unique handcrafted beads...
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