Filling Metal Filigree Frames

This is an antique bronze metal frame I decided to fill with clay for a pendant.

I just used a scrap piece of mokume gane left over from another project that just seemed to work for me. This is actually the same mokume gane I show how to do in my Clay Color System Tutorial.

My Fabulous Faux Turquoise tutorial is more than just a lesson on how to make a natural looking turquoise.  It also includes a variety of basic jewelry making techniques such as how to fill metal frames or bezels without requiring any glue to hold them.

Any type of glue will eventually break down over time and if you can secure your pieces by using the clay itself, your piece will be much stronger and less likely to fall apart after several years of use.

In my tutorial, I also show you two methods on how to make your own beads in consistent sizes.  One method is using a clay veneer sheet and the other using cane slices.  You also learn how to create your own cabochons to coordinate with your beads.

And last, you will also learn how to make your own clay "headpins" to use as dangles and accent pieces for your jewelry.

Mini Tutorial - Filling Bead Frames

I've been wanting to add a few belts to my wardrobe and this is the first one I made that coordinates with my Bargello style set from our Chianti Collection.

I found these cool Tibetan silver metal bezel frames that combine beautifully with clay and I show how to fill them without any need for glue in my Fabulous Faux Turquoise tutorial.

We import the frames from Hong Kong and I've had a few people ask if I could sell them so I've made these and a few more of our favorite pieces available in our ArtFire studio.

The other cool pieces I like to use and work great as belt links as well as other jewelry pieces, are the little bead frames and connector links.  These come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are meant to string as is or with a bead inside them.  But rather than use them plain or with any average bead, I like to fill them with clay, making them more special.

I will show you how to fill some simple round type frames and you can then add your own special touch to it later.

This is a round connector link that I used in the belt design I showed above.

Step 1 - Roll a ball of clay that fits nicely in the center with a little space around it.  I experimented with several clay thicknesses and shaped cutters until I found the right combination for this.

Step 2 - Hold the ball of clay that is still inside the frame, between your thumb and finger and squeeze the clay ball until it fills the frame equally on both top and bottom.  Squeeze a little more until the frame becomes slightly embedded into the clay.

Step 3 - You can leave these nice and smooth or you can texture them.  Here I am using a nylon dish scrubbing pad to texture both sides at the same time.  Spray your bead and the scrubbing pad with water and place your bead on one end or piece of the scrubbing pad and with the other end, apply enough pressure to texture your bead but not flatten it too much.

Here I am doing the same thing but I am using a rubber type texture sheet instead.

Step 4 - You can leave your beads as is or you can accent with paints or mica powders to antique or add more contrast.

Here are some samples of bead frame connectors I filled:

Top row:  texture sheet with mica powders,  texture sheet black acrylic paint

Middle row:  scrubbing pad texture with mica powder

Bottom row:  scrubbing pad texture,  plain black with no texture

Variation:  This is a smaller bead frame that has a large hole in the center for adding a bead and a hole that goes through sideways for threading.

I fill this frame the same way as in steps 1 and 2.  After the clay is embedded into the frame, I insert my needle tool through the frame and clay center leaving it in place while texturing.

Samples:

I will show you more types of bead frames and variations later.  Hope you enjoyed this mini-tutorial

More new tutorials available soon

I have two more tutorials that I am finishing up right now and should be ready soon.  Here is a sneak peek of what is to come:

   

   

There seems to be a lot more polymer clay lessons available today but knowledge is a good thing and anything we can share and learn from each other helps to spark our creativity as well as  improve our work in some way.  More people are exploring the wonders of polymer clay and we are just at that leading edge of some more really great discoveries down the road.


In case you've wondered if my lessons are worth the cost, I thought I would share a recent comment I received (shameless self-promotion) that really made my day. 

"Carolyn, I could easily write a paragraph on what I think of your tutorials. From the quality of your photos, wonderful instructions, all the extra suggestions and color breakdowns, the fact that you don't waste our ink with background colors, the easy to read typeface, and not to forget the fact that you have kept the cost down. To sum it up Wonderful Techniques and Quality Quality Quality!!!"


And here is another one:

"You do such a wonderful job of simplifying each process and attaching a succinct explanation to a photo that is almost self-explanatory!  Marvelous work!

It is very rewarding when we receive so many wonderful comments from those who have purchased our tutorials.


And another note in case you are wondering, I provide both the imperial and metric measures, whenever possible, so they are user friendly, no matter what type you are familiar with.