 |
Making Rings
Making rings with Silver Clay is easy – once you know how! It’s important to allow for shrinkage during firing so make your ring larger than you want the finished size to be. Art Clay Silver is made in Japan so the items on this page measure in Japanese finger sizes! For a medium width band ring, make the ring 3 (Japanese) sizes larger than your finger. Here are my ring making essentials; all the handy bits and pieces that will make creating rings easy and fun.
Art Clay Silver Work Mat
This is the official work mat from the people who make the clay at Art Clay Silver. I find this mat most useful when I’m making rings because those little numbers across the top of the mat equate to the length needed for the circumference for a ring of that size. This will help you to roll the clay to the correct length for your ring.
£5.50
Ring Starter Kit
Contains the essentials you need to successfully make a ring; 7grms of Art Clay Silver Slow Dry, a two piece ring mandrel, cardboard ring size scale, paper ring size strips, a narrow wire brush to polish the inside of your ring and sandpaper.
Wooden Ring Mandrel
A mandrel is the round, finger shaped stick that jewellers use to shape rings around. This one is made from wood, so ideal for silver clay and comes in two parts so it’s easier to work with. The sticky post-it notes (below) are recommended to use with the mandrel.
£6.95
Ring Size Post It Notes
A simple but brilliant idea. These little strips of paper wrap around the mandrel giving you a guide line for the centre of your ring and once the clay is dry, the paper and the ring can be easily slipped off the stick so you can start all over again…..! The gradation lines correspond to Japanese ring sizes. This booklet contains 40 strips.
£4.50
Ring Size Gauge - Cardboard
This handy gauge measures in Japanese sizes. Choose the size that fits snugly over the knuckle and is comfortable around the finger, then, for a simple band ring add three to your chosen size and make the ring to the larger size. This allows for the slight shrinkage of the clay during the firing process.
£2.50
Snake Maker
This smooth Perspex surface is invaluable for creating thin ‘snakes’ of silver clay, ideal for ring shanks or pendant bales. Much easier than using fingers.
£5.95
Narrow Brush
Stainless steel brush to bring a shine to your rings after firing. The extra short bristles mean you can easily brush the inside of your ring as well as the outside.
£4.50