Silver Clay Jewellery I’ve been on this course myself three times so far and I still haven’t got it out of my system just yet! What is it with jewellery that’s so fascinating? Perhaps it’s something to do with how it makes you feel, as it is special and maybe we associate it with dressing up and celebrations. Jewellery is also a way of expressing ourselves - a chance to be individual. When you make it yourself, it's even more special and definitely something to be proud of. How do you make silver clay jewellery? Silver clay is a lovely new material which is fully mouldable, just like clay. You can shape it free-hand, or use moulds and tools to texture and shape it, and then fire it into fine silver (99.9% pure silver). Firing is by specialist kiln or there are alternative firing techniques you can do yourself at home, such as a domestic blow torch or on a gas hob. You do need to be careful with these methods though as they are less reliable than a kiln, and it can be more difficult to get to an accurate temperature . You can learn the basic techniques in a good workshop, then go on to design and create jewellery in your own way. Silver clay responds and can be worked very much like Play-Doh, so if your design works there, it will look even better in fine silver. TIP: practice on Play-Doh first, not on your silver clay! I made two pendants on my first workshop, and three rings on the next one. Give them a polish (by machine or by hand), add chains or fixings, jewels, pearls and a lovely box, and your indulgence is complete. The possibilities for designing individual pieces are endless, and I have since gone on to make lapel pins using moulds, as well as more pendants and rings. Silver clay comes in a lovely paste too, so you can paint it onto leaves and other treasures from nature to preserve them perfectly in this precious metal. BBC recently featured silver clay on Countryfile, turning ferns and twigs into fine silver gorgeousness. I cast a leaf pendant on my third workshop and now wear it almost daily on a long chain. It feels wonderful, so very tactile and is often admired. Our Tutor Melanie Blaikie How did you start teaching Silver Clay Jewellery? Melanie teaches silver clay at Ardington together with her sister Karen Blake. She says “I was always in the field of jewellery, working first as a diamond valuer at De Beers in Hatton Garden, and then moved onto design for Asprey and Tiffany. I wanted to learn silver-smithing but you needed so much kit. Then I discovered silver clay, and as there were no workshops around then, I learned as much as I could and then started to teach others. I found Play-Doh after the first few expensive experiments!” What is your favourite piece so far? “I love the piece on the front cover of my book (see top right photo below). I made it as a pendant for my Mum. The lily motif is so special I decided it had to be included in my book. I still love it and I know my Mum does too.” What’s your advice to newcomers to silver clay jewellery making? Try and find a class to learn the basics. Most of the techniques are quick and easy to learn but the little tricks and tips you’ll pick up in a class will save you money further on. After that, just give it a go and don’t compare yourself to others as this can affect your confidence and the joy you’ll feel from being creative. What you make will please you and give a great sense of satisfaction. A little practice is all it takes.” It never too late to learn a new skill. If you would like to learn more then we recommend you book on one of our workshops - you can use the button below which takes you directly to our latest dates and workshops!
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Welcome to the results of the Ardington School of Crafts Wellbeing Study 2018 (as featured in Craft & Design Magazine March 2018) We had over one hundred responses to the study from people aged 25 to over 75. The largest group of study respondents was aged between 55 and 64. Strikingly, there were very few men – just four out of a hundred were male. Why was this? The invitation to take the study was sent to a wide variety of people and aimed to achieve a good spread of age and gender. On social media, it reached an audience that was made up of 37 percent men. Perhaps one reason that we had such a small number of men respond is that not enough men yet realise how important it is to be creative and that, as we will see from the results, creativity has such a strong beneficial impact on health and mental wellbeing-being, evidenced by our respondents in a long list of positive outcomes. The student base here at Ardington School also reflects a much smaller percentage of men than women attending courses. Our view is that more people, (especially more men!), should take up a creative activity in order that they can benefit from better health and wellbeing, feel less anxiety but a stronger sense of purpose and achievement. The study results show conclusively that people feel much happier, have a stronger sense of purpose and are more relaxed because they are involved in arts and crafts activities. Most interestingly, almost half of the people in the study are now making an income from their crafts. This is becoming more important as we live longer, and need to finance that additional lifespan. Why not earn money by doing something you love and makes you happy? You can see the full results of the study here, and read the commentary on the findings below. What types of art and creativity do people enjoy? The study results showed that most people enjoy more than one art or craft activity, on average almost 3.5 each. The top activities in our study included textiles and needlework (69%), painting, drawing and illustration (37%), and mixed media work (28%). Also, very popular were calligraphy (23%), ceramics, clay and mosaics (23%) as well as paper crafts (25%). Jewellery making and metalwork also scored highly (22%), as did photography (22%) and printmaking (21%). Garden design and glasswork were favoured by around 15% of respondents, and finally willow-work (12%), writing (10%), floral art (8%), stonework and woodwork (4%) and furniture (3%). There may be some gender related preferences in these results, as a deeper review of the individual answers for men shows a preference for painting and printmaking in this group, albeit a small sample. What types of arts and crafts do people do? |
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