You will need:

• Fossil
• Moulding Compound
• PMC Clay
• Hand Torch
• Stainless steel brush
• Agate burnisher or Tumbler

STEP 1

Take equal parts of the Moulding Compound and work the 2 parts together until the Moulding Compound is a uniform colour.

STEP 2

Press your Fossil into the compound and leave it to set.

STEP 3

Once the Compound has set, press your PMC into the mould making sure it is pressed into all the edges. Carefully pop the clay out of the mould, if you re not happy with the result you can work the clay till reformed and press in again. Avoid doing this too much as the clay will start to dry and crack.

STEP 4

Once your PMC piece is dry, sand and refine your edges and back.

STEP 5

Drill a hole for your Jump ring using a hand drill or make a bail from any remaining clay.

STEP 6

The Fossil can be torch or Kiln fired. Torch fire for a minimum of 2 minutes, time this from after the binder has burnt off and the piece starts to glow orange.

STEP 7

Once fired use a stainless steel brush, agate burnisher or tumbler to make your fossil shine. String as desired.

This is a project designed in association with the PMC Studio in Coventry. For similar projects go here! As always if you have any thoughts or suggestions, let us know in the box below.

You will need:

• Rubber Stamp Mat – Fleur De Lis
• 7 x Silver jump rings   7mm heavy
• 2 x Silver jump rings   5mm heavy
• Silver curb chain 7”
• Silver 14.5mm plain Ring and Bar
• PMC3 – 25gm

Tools

• Scalpel 3 handle 10A blades
• 2 x Roller spacers
• Teflon mat
• Needle Files
• Hand held blow torch
• Soldering block
• Oxidising solution (Liver of Sulphur)
• Tweezers
• Pliers: round nosed, flat
• Emery paper fine, extra fine
• Wire brush/ metal burnisher

STEP 1

Carefully cut out four shapes from medium weight card. Use a 10A scalpel blade and a cutting mat then trim the card down on each one.

STEP 2

Roll out the PMC3 clay to approximately 1.5mm on a Teflon mat. Use a plastic roller, and two spacers to roll the clay to an even thickness. Lightly dust the Fleur De Lys rubber stamp with talcum powder and carefully but firmly press the PMC onto the stamp.
STEP 3

Carefully peel the PMC from the rubber stamp and lay it on the Teflon mat. Gently place the card template on top of the PMC and cut out the clay with a scalpel. Work quickly and cut out seven shapes in total, you may wish do make a couple of spares; choose the better ones for the bracelet and the spares can be made into pendants.

STEP 4

Use a 7mm Ø paintbrush protector and cut out a circle from the centre of each shape. Roll the clay into a ball and wrap it up immediately as it can be re-used.

STEP 5

Use a sharp instrument to make a hole in each charm for hanging.

STEP 6

Use a needle file to file all the rough edges on the charms, do this while the PMC is in its ‘dried out plaster’ state. The task will be time consuming once the PMC has been fired and is metal.

STEP 7

Fire the charms on a soldering block with a hand held blow torch. Make sure they glow steadily pale orange all over. Begin timing for 2.5 minutes – enough for pieces under 10g. This stage is known as ‘sintering’. Don’t worry if the charms become curved during firing. Simply leave them curved as I have or turn them over with tweezers and re-fire.

STEP 8

Oxidise the charms in a solution of Liver of Sulphur; use it in a well ventilated room as the fumes can be dangerous.

STEP 9

Polish the charms with emery paper, as the PMC is soft fine and extra fine will be sufficient to create a polished surface. Finish off by burnishing them with a metal burnisher.

STEP 10

Use pliers and add a 5mm jump ring to either end of a silver curb bracelet. Thread on the ring and bar and attach a 7mm jump ring to each charm and hang them from the bracelet. Make sure all of the jump rings are tightly closed. You have finished your Chunky Charm bracelet!

Designer Tip

Peel a little part of the clay away from the stamp and check that a good impression has been made in the clay. If the impression is weak simply apply more pressure to the clay with the fingers.

Make sure the holes made the charms for hanging will be big enough. As the charm shrinks during firing so will the holes.

Hope you enjoy the project and let us know what inspires you this summer!

“Create unique accessories for your own wedding or a friend’s special occasion, with easy to use rubber moulds and precious metal clay.”

Mould pretty charms from silver clay to form Jane Kharade’s wedding gift jewellery.

Use a flexible rubber mould and precious metal clay to create these stunning keepsake gifts for a wedding, all of which can be worn after the special day has long gone. The mould features a selection of pretty elements, that can be used to create charms suitable for a number of occasions. Find out how to design a pretty pendant and stunning charm bracelet for the bridesmaids, embellished with glittering Swarovski crystals, plus striking cuff links for the best man.

You will need:

• Bicones, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, 6mm, light peach x 11
• Crystals, round, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, 6mm, Indian pink crystals x 11
• Chain: snake, sterling silver; plain curb, loose, silver
• Jump rings, silver: 5mm, light ; 7mm, heavy
• Head pins, 3 bead end, silver, 50mm
• Clasp, lobster clasp, 13mm
• Clay, precious metal, PMC 3 x 25g
• Cuff links, silver
• Mould, flexible rubber, Occasions
• Badger Balm
• Needle
• Pliers: round-nosed; flat-nosed
• Cutters, wire
• Mat, Teflon
• Blow torch, hand-held
• Soldering block
• Brush, wire
• Files, needle
• Burnisher, metal

STEP 1

Lightly coat a teacup, teapot, flower, shoe, bonnet, and dress moulds with a thin layer of Badger Balm, using your finger. This will stop the clay from sticking to the mould and damaging the pattern of the charm as it is being removed. You will need to make up six flowers and one shoe, dress, bonnet, teacup and teapot charm for this project. Form each one individually by pinching a piece of precious metal clay from the block, then wrapping the rest back up to stop it from drying out.

STEP 2

Roll the clay into a ball and press it into your chosen mould, then push a needle into the charm to create a large hole for attaching a jump ring. Bend the mould slightly and carefully release the charm out; if the clay doesn’t have a good impression, simply ball it up and re-mould. Lay the charms on a Teflon mat to dry out overnight; once they feel like plaster, use needle files to remove any rough edges and create a smooth finish.

STEP 3

Fire the charms on a soldering block with a blow torch until they glow orange, then maintain this glow for a minimum of two minutes. Alternatively, fire in a PMC kiln on the PMC3 fast programme or 700°C for 10 minutes. Quench in cold water, then brush the charms with a wire brush, front and back, and use a metal burnisher to polish the high points. Thread each charm onto a 5mm jump ring. Hang them from a 18cm curb chain at regular intervals so that the charms are balanced throughout the bracelet.

STEP 4

Thread 10 pink crystals and 10 peach crystals onto head pins. Use round-nosed pliers to form a neat loop. Wrap the end of the head pin around itself three times and trim the excess. Thread one pink and one peach crystal onto 5mm jump rings then hang them between each charm. Attach a lobster clasp to the bracelet with a 5mm jump ring to one end, and a 7mm jump ring to the other.

STEP 5

You have completed the project. This is the finished Special Occasion bracelet. You can get everything you need to design it by clicking here. Have fun making your own!

You could also try…

Pendant

Step 1: Lightly coat a teacup and a flower mould with a thin layer of Badger Balm. Pinch a piece of precious metal clay from the block, divide it in two and push each piece into the teacup and flower moulds. Make holes in the charms with a needle for the jump rings, then carefully ease them out of the mould.Leave the charms to dry out overnight, then remove any rough edges with needle files. Fire the charms with a hand-held blow torch, quench and brush with a wire brush, then use a metal burnisher to create a mirror finish on the high points.

Step 2: Add a 5mm jump ring to each of the charms. Thread one pink and one peach crystal onto individual head pins. Using round-nosed pliers, form a neat loop and wrap the end of each head pin around itself three times with the aid of flat-nosed pliers, then trim off the excess. Open up a 7mm jump ring with pliers and thread the two crystals onto the jump ring, add the teacup charm and close tightly, then slip it onto a snake chain. Add the flower next to this.

Cufflinks

Step 1: Coat the top hat mould with a light film of Badger Balm. Pinch a piece of precious metal clay from the block, roll into a ball and push it into the top hat mould. Carefully ease the charm out, lay on a Teflon mat and repeat to make a second charm. Once they have dried out overnight, remove any rough edges with needle files.

Step 2: Fire the charms on a soldering block, quench and brush with a wire brush, then use a metal burnisher to polish to a mirror shine. Mix up epoxy resin according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stick the top hats to cuff link findings and leave the resin to cure overnight.

Designer Tip

Take care when filing the charms after they have dried, as they can be fragile in this pre-fired state.

What you need:

• PMC3 6.3g silver
• Rose and calyx cutter
• Teflon or work mat
• Spacer and roller set
• Badger balm
• Rubber texture mat
• Plastic measuring spoon
• Paintbrush and cup of water
• Sandpaper
• Hand drill
• Earring wires
• Rubber block
• Stainless steel brush
• Burnisher or tumbler polisher
• Torch and block to fire or Kiln

Step 1 – Texture

Rub some badger balm on your hands, roller and on the rubber texture mat. Remove the clay from the pack and place on a piece of Teflon or work mat. Place a spacer either side of the clay and use the roller to roll the clay. Press the rubber texture mat into the clay.

Step 2 – Shape

Use the calyx cutter to cut a flower shape. (Put any left-over clay back into the pack to keep it fresh.) Smooth the edges using a damp paintbrush. Rub some badger balm on the inside of a plastic measuring spoon and use a damp paintbrush to position the flower in the centre of the measuring spoon. Leave to dry. Repeat step 2 to make the second flower.

Step 3 – Hole

Gently sand the edges of the flower using the sandpaper. Place the flowers on the rubber block and use a hand drill to drill a hole in the centre. Make the hole about 10 per cent larger to allow for the shrinkage of the clay during firing.

Fire the earrings using a butane gas torch (they should glow a pale, orange colour for at least 2 minutes) or fire in a kiln at 600C for 10 minutes.

Tip: you may wish to use some kiln pillow to support the flowers during firing. Once fired, quench in a cup of water and dry.

Step 4 – Polish and finish

Place on a rubber block and polish using a stainless steel brush. Continue using a burnisher or place in a tumbler to achieve a high shine finish. To complete your earrings use a pair of pliers to attach the earring wires.

For details about Carol Merkl please visit www.1offstudio.com.

Did you like this article? Find it useful? If you want  to see any particular projects featured please leave a comment below.

In case this is not reason enough to order, we hope to entice you with some of our great offers:

• Gemstone Extravaganza: 10% off selected stones. We have over 400 gems in a beautiful multitude of sizes and shapes – you’re sure to get your eyes on something!
• 25% OFF Top 20 Essentials: some of you are going back to school and some of you will only look to renew your tools, kits & accessories collection, in any case the bigger this is, the better! We have great prices on our Hand Torch, the Student Starter Kit, Starter Soldering Unit and Solder Block, PMC, Silver Chains and more!
• Our NEW Reflections Collection:  our great NEW Silver alloy, which we think it might even inspire you for your new piece! In case you need help with it, our team is there to guide you so just try something new!
• Moreover, there are new products in our Art Clay and Creative Metals at Cooksongold and always a great variety of over 11,000 jewellery making products. Just one stop and your jewellery will get the best treatment!! You’ll get fabulous prices and FREE POST!! Free Post ends on the 3rd of October at midnight, but don’t forget you can claim it more than once: make the most of it!! Click here to check out some of the products we thought you’ like!

We’d love to hear what you thought or what you bought so don’t forget to leave a comment!

We’ve just launched the 32-page Jewellery Guide for those of you who are going back to work, starting work or just looking for new pieces to buy for your workshop!!  It contains the essential products to every jewellery maker’s workshop: machinery, clay, starter kits, books, chains and bullion are amongst the many products you will find in this useful catalogue.  Our Top 20 Essentials at discounted prices -UP TO 25% OFF – will most likely catch your eye too! It’s sure you’ll find something you love or need for you next piece!!

and the best part…COOKSON TECHNICAL INFORMATION BOOKLET

What makes this guide even better is the booklet inside, which you can download here or order for FREE here (where you get the whole mini catalogue for a change). The booklet includes useful data sheets and answers frequently asked question on various techniques like soldering and polishing. It provides you with the best hints &tips you’ll want to know before starting to make an art piece.

We’ve been in the jewellery industry for quite a while and now you can benefit from Cooksongold’s resourcefulness even further by login onto http://www.cooksongold.com/technical/. Here you’ll find the jargon used in the trade explained, even more data sheets and instant conversion calculations. Our knowledge base is easily accessible: you can search specific words and you  can almost instantly view “Hot topics”, “Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions” or “Latest articles” .

If you have a question that hasn’t been answered already (or to which you simply cannot find the answer) you can always opt for “ask a question” and you’ll quickly receive a personal response!

So what do you think of it? Have you used it already? If so, is there anything else you would’ve wanted to see in it?

For as little as £7.13 for PMC or £7.07 for Art Clay you can start modelling your great piece of art today!!  There are 30 products to choose from! Our range includes: Art Clay 650 Slow Dry for a more elastic feel, Art Clay Cooper, Precious Metal Clay + and Precious Metal Clay 3.

Free your imagination this weekend! This offer is only valid until Monday, the 13th of September 2010 at midnight so hurry up!! And if you stopped here, we would love to know what you thought of our products!

PMC Suggested TOOLS:

A roller – used for rolling out the clay

A rolling surface – Non-stick as possible e.g. a glass board or polished tile

Spacers or playing cards – for getting the depth of the clay even

Cutting blade, scalpel – For getting straight edges and making your shapes.

A small lidded pot – to put filings & tiny offcuts into so you can save them for making silver clay paste or slip

Various grades of sanding pads - or get a 4 way nail filing block and strip the sides off.

Badger Balm or Olive Oil for stopping the clay sticking to your hands and tools.

Tools for Precious Metal Clay

FIRING METHODS:

For Hob firing, stainless steel mesh with protection net.

Torch firing – Handheld torch and a firing brick (asbestos substitute not a household brick )

Kiln – If you can get access to a kiln then use it, the metal is normally denser and the results more consistant.

Stainless steel or brass brush – for brushing off the white post firing and leaving you lovely silver.

Silver polish & Cloth – for getting the final buffed up shine.

Some Optional Extras:

For ring making – A sliding ring guage, A wooden ring mandrel, and ring papers (to stop clay sticking to the mandrel).

For Better finishes – A small set of metal files for neatening edges quicker than sanding them down.

Long Tweezers – For holding / moving the pieces when firing

Liver of Sulpher – For antiquing or bringing out fine detail

Burnishers & ultra fine sanding pads – Post firing for a REAL shine!

Cutters & Shapers – Using pre-shaped cutters e.g. hearts will same time and give you more consistant shapes

Tiny drill bits – you can twist them in your fingers to drill through the unfired clay & make jump ring holes & hanging points.

Texture Mats/plates – Roll the clay out on these and you’ll have fabulous patterns straight away!

Letter Stamp Set – For stamping words into unfired (rubber stamps) or fired clay (metal stamps).

Why not check out our ready-assembled Starter Precious Metal Clay kit packed with everything you could possibley need to get started with PMC. Alternatively, if your not a PMC novice click here to view our full range of silver clay kits including our Art Clay kit and complete silver clay accessories kit, tumbler kit and tool kit.

Starter Kit for Precious Metal Clay

Cooksongold's Deal of the Day

If you missed Monday’s official Deal of the Day launch e-mail then click here to find out what fantastic offers we have in stall for you over these first 5 days. If you don’t already receive our weekly e-mails detailing all our daily offers, then click here to sign-up right away! Also, why not claim your FREE Christmas is Here mini catalogue packed with new products, perfect presents and stocking fillers!

FREE Mini Catalogue

Make sure you stay especially vigilant at the weekends as we will be hosting some suprise offers to make your Christmas online shopping that bit easier! Why not check out our first 5 days worth of daily deals below, but remember you’ll need to keep checking back to find out whats coming up for the remaining days before Christmas.

Fantastic Daily Offers

Monday 30th November  – 10-15% OFF Hobby Drill Kits
Tuesday 1st December – 15% OFF Starter Tool Kit
Wednesday 2nd December – 10% OFF ALL Gems
Thursday 3rd December – 10% OFF Art Clay & 5% OFF PMC
Friday 4th December – 35% OFF Starter Bench Pack
Saturday 5th – Christmas day – Remember, the offers just keep getting better in the build-up to the Big Day!
(Please notes these displayed offers will expire 04/12/2009)

In the meantime, why not check out our fantastic festive themed web pages full of incredible gift ideas including jewellery, kits, tools, clay, packaging and more…

Workshop Treats
Christmas Kits
Stocking Fillers Under a Tenner
Gifts Under £20
Top 10 Presents
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Midas Touch
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Tis the Season to be Red
They’ll be Green with Envy