Long ago (it seems) my husband and I had bits and pieces of a traditional metalworking setup, torches, solder, etc., but never a rolling mill. We packed it all away when we moved 12 years ago, and only started unpacking it a couple of months ago. In late 2005 I started up with silver clay to satisfy my urge to make silver jewelry and have textured surfaces. In late 2008, with no background whatsoever, I started enameling on silver clay.  And with no torch nor solder, I figured out a way to make bezel settings with silver bezel wire and metal clay.
This is not for silver clay beginners. You really need to have a feel for the properties of the particular metal clay you are using. IÂ got some of my ideas for making settings from Deb Fitz.Â
I like my bezel set jewel to sit lower in the setting, so rather than attach fine silver bezel wire to the top of a (silver clay) sheet, I make the backing in two layers and sink the bezel down past the top one.
Silver clay shrinks when fired; the amount of shrinkage depends on the brand and type of clay. I use almost exclusively Art Clay Silver 650 Slow Dry, which shrinks about 8 – 12%, depending on firing time and temperature. When firing silver clay with fine silver wire, the clay shrinks around the wire as far as it can, and then, if it’s not yet fully sintered, continues to shrink, causing deformation around the fine silver wire and, in the worst case, it may crack and split and spit out the wire. You need to account for this shrinkage when designing your piece.
Bend your fine silver bezel wire around your enamel jewel, leaving it somewhat loose, allowing a bit of wiggle room. “Solder†the bezel, either by dabbing on a bit of Art Clay Oil Paste (formulated to join regular fine silver and/or fired silver clay) and firing it according to instructions, or with actual solder that will not flow at enameling kiln temperatures. Check the fit and clean up the join.
Roll out a slab of silver clay that will be the back of your piece, and texture if desired. You want it to be about two cards thick (0.5mm), so if you have a deep texture, start with it about three cards thick (0.75mm) and roll it into the texture sheet until it’s two cards thick (thicker is OK). Cut it to the desired shape. You can lighten the piece, reduce the amount of silver clay used, and accommodate more shrinkage if you cut holes in the backpiece. I often use different sizes of straws or cutters to make a pattern, or cut out a large hole if I want to be able to see the back of the enamel jewel. Remember to leave a place to attach a finding. Set aside to dry.
For the top, roll out a slab of clay that will be three cards thick (more if you want your bezel deeper) after texturing. While still wet, use your bezel like a cookie-cutter to remove clay where your bezel will go. You will also need to remove an additional 1.5 - 3 mm of clay around this opening to account for shrinkage, depending on your type of clay. I use a combination of wiggling the cookie-cutter bezel at this step and filing when the clay is dry. You can also calculate the size the opening needs to be, make a photocopy of your bezel, and then make an appropriate enlargement and use that as a template to cut around. If the bezel has relatively smooth curves, you can wrap two layers (or whatever it takes) of bezel wire around it and use that as the cookie cutter. After cutting the opening, cut around the outside to your final shape, just slightly larger than the back piece (which shrank while it dried). Let it dry.
Here is a picture of an enamel where I want both the front and back of the enamel to be visible, so I made a large hole in the textured top for the bezel and a single hole for the plain back. In addition, this became a box lid that could also be worn as a reversible pendant.
After the top piece has dried, file and refine the opening until it is the right size and shape to hold the bezel with a 2 mm (or whatever you calculate) gap. If you are planning to have a narrow frame around the bezel, filing this fragile ring can be difficult without breaking it.
Moisten both back and top pieces and join them together with silver paste, making sure you have a little bit squishing out the sides. Let dry, then file the outside edge until you can’t see the seam. Fill, dry and file any gaps.
Attach any findings you want to use, such as a bail or pin finding. For brooches I use fine silver pin findings from Art Clay World http://www.artclayworld.com/ or depletion gilded sterling findings from Whole Lotta Whimsy http://www.wholelottawhimsy.com/wo/content/shopping/product?s=4945947&c=4804580&p=1037639 style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Lately I’ve been cheating (I feel) and using glue-on combination bail/pin findings from Rio Grande.
The reason you made the bezel a little loose is that it can be deformed by the shrinkage of the silver clay during firing. One way I combat this is to fill the bezel with jewelers’ investment plaster before firing. I press the bezel about a millimeter or so into a rolled-out slab of polymer clay
and fill it with investment. The polymer clay keeps the wet investment from leaking out. Make sure the investment is thoroughly dry before setting it on your silver clay!
Center your filled bezel as well as you can in the opening in your setting. Fire the piece according the instructions for your type of clay. The investment will wash out after firing.
Odds are that the shrinking of the clay caused your piece to dome (pull down) around the bezel. I’ve learned to control this and use it as a design feature. Pieces that are totally flat stick to my skin (another excuse). The larger your opening around your bezel, the less the doming, so plan
accordingly. Odds are also that there are some gaps between your silver clay setting and the bezel and, in any case, you want to make sure the bezel is secure. Fill any gaps and, perhaps, add a line of Art Clay Oil Paste around the inside of the bezel, making sure you do not add so much thickness that your enamel jewel won’t sit in it properly. You may or may not need to fill gaps on the outside of the bezel as well. Fire again, according to instructions for the Oil Paste. Inspect and repair again, if necessary.
Brush/tumble/burnish/polish/patina your piece as desired.
This is a fired piece from the front.
Â
This is the back, fired, but before I set the enamel and added the pin.
Â
Here it is with the pin finding and the set enamel. Later I figured I should have made the counter enamel prettier and place the holes better!
Â
The finished piece. I didn’t do a good job filling gaps around the bezel. I got better at this, I swear, but haven't taken pictures of the process.
Â
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Front side
Â
Backside
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Finished silver clay box with removable lid that becomes a pendant
If you do not have holes in the back behind the opening, lay a piece of dental floss across the opening and check the fit of your jewel. (You can use the holes to poke out or the floss to lift out the jewel if it gets stuck). Mount your enamel jewel as usual, remembering that you can’t use sawdust or anything smaller than your holes to level your piece if you made holes in the back. Â
Take a picture and post it here!
Aloha, Tina
Â
Long ago (it seems) my husband and I had bits and pieces of a traditional metalworking setup, torches, solder, etc., but never a rolling mill. We packed it all away when we moved 12 years ago, and only started unpacking it a couple of months ago. In late 2005 I started up with silver clay to satisfy my urge to make silver jewelry and have textured surfaces. In late 2008, with no background whatsoever, I started enameling on silver clay.  And with no torch nor solder, I figured out a way to make bezel settings with silver bezel wire and metal clay.
This is not for silver clay beginners. You really need to have a feel for the properties of the particular metal clay you are using. IÂ got some of my ideas for making settings from Deb Fitz.Â
I like my bezel set jewel to sit lower in the setting, so rather than attach fine silver bezel wire to the top of a (silver clay) sheet, I make the backing in two layers and sink the bezel down past the top one.
Silver clay shrinks when fired; the amount of shrinkage depends on the brand and type of clay. I use almost exclusively Art Clay Silver 650 Slow Dry, which shrinks about 8 – 12%, depending on firing time and temperature. When firing silver clay with fine silver wire, the clay shrinks around the wire as far as it can, and then, if it’s not yet fully sintered, continues to shrink, causing deformation around the fine silver wire and, in the worst case, it may crack and split and spit out the wire. You need to account for this shrinkage when designing your piece.
Bend your fine silver bezel wire around your enamel jewel, leaving it somewhat loose, allowing a bit of wiggle room. “Solder†the bezel, either by dabbing on a bit of Art Clay Oil Paste (formulated to join regular fine silver and/or fired silver clay) and firing it according to instructions, or with actual solder that will not flow at enameling kiln temperatures. Check the fit and clean up the join.
Roll out a slab of silver clay that will be the back of your piece, and texture if desired. You want it to be about two cards thick (0.5mm), so if you have a deep texture, start with it about three cards thick (0.75mm) and roll it into the texture sheet until it’s two cards thick (thicker is OK). Cut it to the desired shape. You can lighten the piece, reduce the amount of silver clay used, and accommodate more shrinkage if you cut holes in the backpiece. I often use different sizes of straws or cutters to make a pattern, or cut out a large hole if I want to be able to see the back of the enamel jewel. Remember to leave a place to attach a finding. Set aside to dry.
For the top, roll out a slab of clay that will be three cards thick (more if you want your bezel deeper) after texturing. While still wet, use your bezel like a cookie-cutter to remove clay where your bezel will go. You will also need to remove an additional 1.5 - 3 mm of clay around this opening to account for shrinkage, depending on your type of clay. I use a combination of wiggling the cookie-cutter bezel at this step and filing when the clay is dry. You can also calculate the size the opening needs to be, make a photocopy of your bezel, and then make an appropriate enlargement and use that as a template to cut around. If the bezel has relatively smooth curves, you can wrap two layers (or whatever it takes) of bezel wire around it and use that as the cookie cutter. After cutting the opening, cut around the outside to your final shape, just slightly larger than the back piece (which shrank while it dried). Let it dry.
Here is a picture of an enamel where I want both the front and back of the enamel to be visible, so I made a large hole in the textured top for the bezel and a single hole for the plain back. In addition, this became a box lid that could also be worn as a reversible pendant.
After the top piece has dried, file and refine the opening until it is the right size and shape to hold the bezel with a 2 mm (or whatever you calculate) gap. If you are planning to have a narrow frame around the bezel, filing this fragile ring can be difficult without breaking it.
Moisten both back and top pieces and join them together with silver paste, making sure you have a little bit squishing out the sides. Let dry, then file the outside edge until you can’t see the seam. Fill, dry and file any gaps.
Attach any findings you want to use, such as a bail or pin finding. For brooches I use fine silver pin findings from Art Clay World http://www.artclayworld.com/ or depletion gilded sterling findings from Whole Lotta Whimsy http://www.wholelottawhimsy.com/wo/content/shopping/product?s=4945947&c=4804580&p=1037639  Lately I’ve been cheating (I feel) and using glue-on combination bail/pin findings from Rio Grande.
The reason you made the bezel a little loose is that it can be deformed by the shrinkage of the silver clay during firing. One way I combat this is to fill the bezel with jewelers’ investment plaster before firing. I press the bezel about a millimeter or so into a rolled-out slab of polymer clay
and fill it with investment. The polymer clay keeps the wet investment from leaking out. Make sure the investment is thoroughly dry before setting it on your silver clay!
Center your filled bezel as well as you can in the opening in your setting. Fire the piece according the instructions for your type of clay. The investment will wash out after firing.
Odds are that the shrinking of the clay caused your piece to dome (pull down) around the bezel. I’ve learned to control this and use it as a design feature. Pieces that are totally flat stick to my skin (another excuse). The larger your opening around your bezel, the less the doming, so plan
accordingly. Odds are also that there are some gaps between your silver clay setting and the bezel and, in any case, you want to make sure the bezel is secure. Fill any gaps and, perhaps, add a line of Art Clay Oil Paste around the inside of the bezel, making sure you do not add so much thickness that your enamel jewel won’t sit in it properly. You may or may not need to fill gaps on the outside of the bezel as well. Fire again, according to instructions for the Oil Paste. Inspect and repair again, if necessary.
Brush/tumble/burnish/polish/patina your piece as desired.
This is a fired piece from the front.
Â
This is the back, fired, but before I set the enamel and added the pin.
Â
Here it is with the pin finding and the set enamel. Later I figured I should have made the counter enamel prettier and place the holes better!
Â
The finished piece. I didn’t do a good job filling gaps around the bezel. I got better at this, I swear, but haven't taken pictures of the process.
Â
Â
Front side
Â
Backside
Â
Â
Finished silver clay box with removable lid that becomes a pendant
If you do not have holes in the back behind the opening, lay a piece of dental floss across the opening and check the fit of your jewel. (You can use the holes to poke out or the floss to lift out the jewel if it gets stuck). Mount your enamel jewel as usual, remembering that you can’t use sawdust or anything smaller than your holes to level your piece if you made holes in the back. Â
Take a picture and post it here!
Aloha, Tina
Â
