Sapphire and fine silver ring made by me! Many jewellery makers haven’t heard of silver clay. It is a moldable material made from silver particles, an organic binder and a bit of water. Once the clay is dry it can be fired with a torch or in a kiln to burn away the binder to leave silver. It is a flexible way of working with silver and I’m often asked if stones can be pressed into the clay and fired. Sadly it’s not as simple as that! Some stones can be fired in place, others are damaged by the heat of the kiln/torch and these stones need to be set in a more traditional way familiar to silversmiths e.g. using a bezel setting. However, there are some stones that can be set and fired in the clay and here is some advice about using these. Cubic zirconia Cubic zirconia are manmade stones that come in different shapes, sizes and colours. They are a very flexible stone for silver clay as they can be fired in place, both with a torch or in a kiln. Hints You do need to be w...
by Anna Campbell