TEXTURED SILVER PENDANT
This enchanting process, like modern-day alchemy, allows plants’ shapes and 3D detail to be captured in silver.
YOU WILL NEED
NON-SERRATED KITCHEN KNIFE (OR CRAFT KNIFE) 7G-10G SILVER CLAY (ARTCLAY SILVER 650 SLOW DRY, FROM METALCLAY.CO.UK)
PAPERCLIP
SMALL PLASTIC ROLLING PIN (OR THICK MARKER PEN) CERAMIC TILE (GLAZED)
SPRING FLOWERS AND LEAVES, SUCH AS PRIMROSE, FORGET-ME-NOT, SHEPHERD’S PURSE GREASEPROOF PAPER
MOUNTED NEEDLE (FROM METALCLAY.CO.UK) AND SEWING NEEDLE
DAMPENED KITCHEN TOWEL FOLDED SEVERAL TIMES FIRING GAUZE (FROM METALCLAY.CO.UK) TWEEZERS AND SMALL METAL WIRE-POLISHING BRUSH PRO POLISHING PADS (FROM METALCLAY.CO.UK) A SOLUTION OF BLEACH (1 PART BLEACH, 3 PARTS WATER) FOR OXIDISING AND ENHANCING DETAIL (OPTIONAL) JEWELLERY-MAKING PLIERS
SILVER-PLATED OR STERLING JUMP RINGS 5-6MM DIAMETER SILVER-PLATED OR STERLING FINE CHAIN 1 Use the kitchen or craft knife to cut a 1cm x 1cm (around 2g) piece of silver clay (this will be pale grey in raw form) and place on a glazed ceramic tile. Rewrap the rest of the clay in all the layers of packaging, held closed with a paperclip, to keep it fresh for the next project.
2 Evenly roll out the clay still on the tile into a shape a few millimetres bigger than your plant specimen. Try not to roll it thinner than 2mm or your pendant will be too fragile.
3 Place your plant specimen onto the clay disc, ensuring its stalk overlaps the edge a little – this will make it easier to remove. Carefully, so not to shift the position of the specimen, place the greaseproof paper on top. Rub the paper gently with the pad of your finger to impress the detail of the flowers and leaves into the clay. 4 Very carefully lift off the greaseproof paper followed by the specimen, grasping it by the end of the stalk. 5 Poke the end of a needle into the clay disc near the top, once or twice depending on your chosen design. Flatten any raised areas around the hole/s. Use the mounted needle to trim the edge of the pendant to echo the shape of the specimen. 6 Put your pendant, still on the tile, in the oven at 80°-100°C/gas mark 4 for 15-20 minutes. This will remove the moisture, preventing any water from boiling when it’s fired, which would ruin its surface. Allow to cool. 7 Once cool, the pendant should detach easily from the tile, leaving a flat back. Hold it carefully, supporting the edge with your fingers and use the folded damp kitchen towel to remove any ragged or sharp pieces around the edge.
8 Place your firing gauze over one of the hobs of a gas cooker or a camping stove. Light the gas, turn it up to a level at which one or more areas of the gauze glow orange.
9 Carefully use your tweezers to place the pendant on one of the glowing areas of the gauze. Watch carefully – a wisp of smoke followed by a flame will rise up from your pendant. This is the rice starch binder in the clay burning off to leave fine silver. Once the flame from your pendant has died down, leave the gas burning for another 3-5 minutes before turning it off. This ensures your piece is fully fired. 10 Let the pendant cool for 5 minutes on the gauze. It should look matte white, caused by a crystalline formation of silver particles. It is now solid silver and is no longer fragile. 11 Hold your pendant firmly and rub the polishing brush briskly over it to reveal the silver. Leave your pendant with a matte, brushed-silver finish or polish it firmly with a pro polishing pad to generate a high shine. Highlight the details by immersing it in the bleach solution for 30 seconds. Rinse in water and remove the silver oxide from around the imprint with the pad. 12 Attach the jump ring/s using pliers followed by the chain to finish.
Emma Mitchell is the author of three books (her latest, The Wild Remedy, is published by Michael O’mara at £14.99), a Country Diarist for The Guardian, a designer-maker and an illustrator. Her work has featured on BBC’S Countryfile,
Woman’s Hour and Ramblings, and she has taught workshops at the V&A and Highgrove. Emma posts about this daily on Twitter @ silverpebble and Instagram @silverpebble2. To find out about her silver workshops, visit silverpebble.net.