answers to some common questions about making jewellery from silver clay
So you’d like to make jewellery from silver clay but you have some questions. No problem! Here are answers to your questions about making jewellery from silver metal clay.
How do I make jewellery from silver clay?
The clay is moulded, shaped, textured etc to make jewellery or other objects
The clay is left aside to dry - either on a hot surface e.g. hot plate, food dehydrator, on top of a radiator etc
Once dry, the clay can be filed and finished ready for firing
The clay is then fired. For silver clay, small pieces around the size of a £2 coin or smaller can be fired with a jeweller’s torch. Larger or more complex pieces tend to be fired in a jeweller’s kiln. During the firing process, the organic binder in the clay burns away so a small flame is seen briefly. The piece is then heated for 3 minutes. During this heating phase the metal particles form together - they sinter to make one solid piece of silver.
Once cool, the silver can be polished. Findings e.g. jump rings and earrings wires are added and the pieces are ready to wear
If selling silver clay jewellery, pieces over 7.78g need to be sent to one of the UK Assay offices for hallmarking. You can find a guide to hallmarking for metal clay artists here >
Check out this FREE online course that will give you a taster of how to make jewellery from silver clay.
How do I dry my metal clay pieces?
Metal clay needs to be complete dry before it is fired because any moisture in the clay will turn to steam and make holes in the piece. Metal clay can be left to dry, overnight, for example. To dry it more quickly, metal clay artists will often use a low heat source e.g. a coffee mug warmer that is like a hot plate, or a food dehydrator.
How do I tell if my metal clay pieces are dry?
Put them onto a compact mirror and move them about. If there is any moisture in the clay you will see condensation on the mirror.
Can you solder silver clay?
Once it is fired it is silver so you can do everything you can do with silver including soldering. Soldering Silver Clay is one of the modules on our Diploma in Silver Metal Clay.
How do you reconstitute metal clay?
Reconstituting metal clay means grinding dry clay (unfired) and adding water to make it back into clay again. That means there’s zero waste and you don’t have to worry if you make a mistake. You can watch a free video tutorial on how to do this for yourself.
Can you engrave silver clay?
Yes. You can get fired silver pieces engraved like any other metal.
However, as it is clay there are alternatives to traditional engraving. Your clay design can be stamped in its wet form. This is shown in our FREE Make a Silver Name Necklace online course.
You can also carve a design into dry clay using carving tools or an engraving pen. This is covered in our Diploma in Silver Metal Clay.
Can you fire silver clay in an oven?
No, an ordinary oven is not sufficient for firing silver clay. For firing in a kiln Art Clay Silver, for example, needs to reach a temperature of 800ºC.
For smaller pieces the size of a £2 and smaller can be fired using a simple jeweller torch, a kiln is not always required.
CAN YOU MAKE RINGS FROM METAL CLAY?
Yes! The stacker rings photographed above are all made from Art Clay Silver. You can learn to make your own with our online course.
Where can I buy silver clay and other metal clays?
Many jewellery suppliers stock metal clays so it’s worth doing a search for it. Here are just a few suppliers worldwide.
UK
Europe
USA
Cool Tools
Canada
Australia
diploma in silver metal clay jewellery
If metal clay is for you and you would like to learn more then do check out the one year online Diploma in Silver Metal Clay starting in September 2023. This course takes you quickly from beginners level to more advanced projects and techniques with masterclasses taught by world-renowned metal clay artists including Julia Rai, Anna Mazon, Tracey Spurgin and Joy Funnell. You can find out more about the course on the button below