Who is this course for?
Imagine that you want to learn this skill, but you don't have an in-person workshop nearby. This course was designed to fill that need. Techniques are shared in a thoughtfully paced, step-by-step manner. Close up footage brings you right into the project details.
All steps are both explained verbally and shown visually, with additional on-screen text cues, to meet multiple learning styles.
This 1 hour, 12 minute course is divided into lessons, which can be watched and rewatched at your pace.
THE FIRST 3 MINUTES OF THIS COURSE ARE AVAILABLE TO WATCH BELOW. THIS INCLUDES WHAT TOOLS YOU WILL NEED.
Takeaways
Shrinkage: How to calculate and make a properly scaled template to account for the shrinkage rate of Art Clay Silver
Design: How to cut a structurally sound back plate in silver clay, plus ideas for how to show off your stone
Prongs and Tabs: How to measure, shape and attach to them to the back plate
Bails - How to craft 4 styles of bails; tips for balanced design
Finishing: How to polish your setting using a hand-held rotary power tool, with tumbler
Setting the stone
Troubleshooting
Intro to course, what tools you'll need & pendants made using the methods shared in the course
Learn which TOOLS you'll need to complete the projects described in this course, and tips on a good size of STONE to start with.
The course lessons are as follows:
Ok, not bonus material - just sections that I wanted to make so comprehensive that — in case these topics are new to you — you'd get to the end of this course with all you need to know for making LOTS of different kinds of designs.
I teach you how to make the bail styles pictured at left, including which are harder and easier to accomplish, and how to attach them seamlessly and elegantly.
Not all bail designs need jump rings. Of the styles we learn here, one does not, but three do need jump rings. Knowing how to add them makes you more versatile as a designer. This section is about how to securely close your jump rings.
Caitlin of BLUE DOT JEWELRY
If you follow me on social media and have ever wanted to know EXACTLY how I make my silver clay settings for stones that have to be set after firing, Setting Stones in Silver Clay answers that question in great detail. I share how I work, and the techniques I have come to over time of refining my own processes.
Please first attend my Working with Silver Clay 101 course. This two minute sampling of clips gives a flavor of the flow and pace of the lessons in that course (but not the depth of the lessons - these clips just skim the surface). Setting Stones is not considered a beginner course.
Caitlin started working with silver clay in 2011 and never looked back, finding it to be the medium that fully unlocked her creativity. The journey wasn’t without trial and error. The joy was there, but the learning curve was long!
Years later, wanting to help make this material she loves accessible to others, Caitlin began sharing about her process in short-form videos on social media. The questions started coming: How can I get started? What tools do I need? How do you polish your silver?
Caitlin set about making resources that would answer all these questions, thoroughly, in video format. The goal was to help those new to silver clay feel confident, comfortable and informed, not just in making designs, but in firing and finishing, in keeping clay hydrated and restoring dried clay - and doing so within a range of access to different tools.