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©2010 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

Claymaker Metal Clay

designed by Irina Miech

Bejeweled hollow beadsThese beads are inspired by Art Deco floral designs. The patina evokes the vintage character reminiscent of the era.

materialsone bead ¼ x ½ in. (6 mm x 1.3 cm) to 7⁄8 x 1¼ in. (2.2 x 3.2 cm)• cork clay• PMC 3 paste• PMC 3 syringe• 2–6 4 mm kiln-ready cubic zirconias (CZs) or lab-created stones• abrasive pad or polishing cloth• agate burnisher• craft knife• flexible sanding pad• kiln• liver of sulfur patina gel (optional)• nonstick work surface• pencil• small paintbrush• tweezers• wooden toothpick

Include these beautiful beads in jewelry designs with chain, beads, or wire.

stepbystep[1] Form a bead shape with a piece of cork clay. With a wooden toothpick, pierce a hole through the center of the bead. You will leave the toothpick in the bead through step 13 to be burned away in the kiln. Allow the bead to dry thoroughly.[2] Use a small paintbrush to apply a generous layer of PMC paste to coat the bead (photo a). Continue to apply paste, allowing it to dry thoroughly between coats, until you have applied six to eight layers of paste (the bead should be noticeably heavier). Allow the bead to dry.[3] Use a craft knife to care-

fully remove excess paste around the top and bottom of the bead where the tooth-pick exits (photo b).[4] With a pencil, lightly draw your design on the dry bead, designating the cubic zirconia (CZ) placement. [5] With a craft knife, carve holes where you intend to set CZs. Carve away a layer of clay as well as some of the cork clay, creating a hole deep enough to accommo-date the base of the CZ. [6] With a clean, slightly wet paintbrush, create a wet outline around the perimeter of the hole.[7] Place a blob of PMC syringe at least 4 mm in size in the hole (photo c). Flatten

and smooth the blob with the paintbrush.[8] With the tweezers, set the CZ in the center of the blob, and push it in so that the girdle (widest part) of the CZ sinks in below the line of clay. [9] Repeat steps 6–8 to set the remaining CZs.[10] Create a wet trail along the pencil lines with your brush (photo d). [11] With syringe, embellish over the pencil lines to create a three-dimensional design. Follow around the hole made by the toothpick on both ends of the bead to create a smooth edge. Continue to embellish with syringe until your design is complete. Allow the bead to dry.

a b c

d e

f

[12] Use a flexible sanding pad to gently sand over the syringe embellishments to create a smooth finish.[13] Clean the CZs (photo e). Fire the bead according to the manufacturer’s instructions.[14] If desired, use liver of sulfur patina gel to antique the bead. For a darker, more traditional patina, use hot water. For a lighter, greener patina, use warm water.[15] With an abrasive pad or a polishing cloth, gently remove patina from the raised syringe embellishments.[16] Use an agate burnisher along the syringe lines to polish and create contrast (photo f). w

Irina Miech owns Eclectica bead shop and The Bead Studio in Brookfield, Wis., in the U.S. She is the author of several books on metal clay, beading, and wirework. Contact Irina at eclecticabeads.com.