Bogged Down in the Details or My Obsession with Bezels

Have you ever started a project and all of a sudden you realize your concentration is focused on a part of the project and you aren’t progressing?  You’re just stuck thinking about the same thing over and over?  Well, as most of you know, I make jewelry using silver metal clay.  I like to put the Mojave Stone cabochons that my dad cut and polished in bezels and design around the stone.  Let me share with you how I got stuck in the process.   



Bezel shaped to fit a stone



I decided that I would make the bezels (the thin strip that goes around the stone and holds it in place) out of the same silver metal clay as the setting.I made a mold for the stone by pushing it into polymer clay (plastic clay that holds its shape) and carefully removed it.  Then I poured jeweler’s investment (that is a type of plaster) into the mold, let it dry and used it as a plug.  The plug holds the space for the stone and can be fired with the clay in a kiln.  Some stones can be fired in the kiln but Mojave Stone is not one of them. 



Plug in fired setting



I made the ¼” wide clay bezel strip the length I needed and attached it to the clay leaving a little extra room for shrinkage.  The high temperature fuses the micro pieces of silver and the piece comes out being fine silver (.999).  I sanded and finished my piece of jewelry and put it into my kiln.  I love taking the piece out of the kiln after it cools.  It is the color of white and when I take my brass brush to it the color changes to silver.  Magic! 

 All that sounds like I was doing everything by the book.  At least I thought so.  But when I put the  stone in the fired bezel, it did not fit.  In fact the bezel shrank and was too small for the stone.  Fortunately I have several sizes of stone and I was able to ‘save’ the necklace.  Perhaps I should say I redesigned it with a turquoise stone that fit!   

redesigned necklace

  Metal clay shrinks about 10% when it is fired which I thought I had compensated for. Hmmm!   So I continued to work on bezels and more bezels.  I also used sterling silver bezel wire and became so involved in bezels that I was not designing jewelry.  I was just making holders for stones. Not creative. Just frustrating.   

Bezel Wire - Holders for Stones



The light went on in my head and I decided to stop.  I needed to design jewelry and relax about the bezels.  I needed to find the fun again.

In the meantime, I came across Lisa Barth’s book Designing from the Stone.   I was ready to read it and try the method she describes.  Her instructions are very clear and her jewelry is lovely to see.  So this week I designed a pendant and used the tabbed bezel wire she recommended.   It is pretty cool stuff and I have another method for making bezels.  I made sure the bezel was the correct size, poured the jeweler’s investment as a plug and fired the piece last night.  This morning I took it out of the kiln and the stone fits!  So now I am putting the finishing touches on it and have a success!  I am much less frustrated because I am looking at the whole process instead a obsessing over a part. 

Checking the fit of the stone



 

Fired Setting

   

I don’t expect anyone to run out and make a piece of jewelry from this explanation.  I am hopeful you will appreciate the process of making jewelry from silver metal clay more. Mostly I hope the next time you and I get bogged down in the details we stop, take a step back and look at the big picture.  Find the fun again.  The details will work out.  

Finished Necklace Using Tabbed Bezel Wire