All levels of ability
Music is a powerful trigger to our senses. Music can have energy, movement, and emotion. For this lesson, we will let different musical selections guide the way as we explore design and line, and transform the musical melody into an inspired pair of earrings or pendant.
The jewelry will be made with a Music CD set in a frame of fine silver. The techniques learned include cutting the CD, riveting, and polymer plate making, with an emphasis on how line is used to create motion, tension, drama, and direction in your surface embellishments.
Materials Needed: 20g PMC3 or Art Clay, 20 gauge sterling wire, Steel backed photopolymer plate; a Music CD that has an interesting design on the surface for cutting, 400 sandpaper, 3 M polishing papers, polishing cloth.
All basic tools needed for class will be available. (Use your favorite metal clays tools, textures.) Barrel sanding drum for rotary tool, #67 drill bit, Eve® Rubber polishing wheels and knife-edge for Silver, blue (medium), pink (fine) for rotary tool, 3M Radial Bristle Brushes 400 grit to fine, saw frame and spiral saw blade, steel block, riveting hammer, rawhide or plastic mallet, ott light, and pliers sets are optional, Torch or Kiln. 25 g size restriction with torch use.
Jewelry that Rocks! Tutorial by Holly Gage
Lessons are in a PDF format are for students who need no teacher guidance with the lesson. You do, however, have an option to purchase a 1 hour question and answer session by appointment.
To purchase a private session in addition to the self guided lesson, select the "A Private Session with Holly Gage." separately. You can select how many sessions you would like. Sessions are live on the Go to Meeting platform. This option is for seeking answers to questions and have an interest in seeing Holly Gage perform select demonstrations.
©2021 Gage Designs. All rights reserved. This lesson and information within are protected under copyright law. Sharing or reproduction in whole or part are prohibited.Each tutorial suggests what Metal Clay to use, but you can use the clay you choose with these guidelines in mind since clay preference is an individual choice.
I tend to use Metal Clay with a good melting surface, which means adding water to eliminate imperfections on the greenware surface makes an excellent "self slip" that you can move around with a brush or healing tool to smooth the surface. Many of the lessons use this technique.
Since PMC Sterling is discontinued, the handmade 960 (1/2 PMC Sterling and 1/2 Art Clay Silver) you see in some lessons can be replaced with another strong clay with good carving properties — 950, 960, Sterling Clays, and Base Metal Clays that carve smoothly without chipping.