Paper Quilling Reborn as Earrings in Quilled Metal Clay Jewelry
A Renaissance paper art adapted to silver jewelry through quilled metal clay jewelry
By Arlene Mornick
The art of paper filigree known as quilling is an ancient technique used during the Renaissance to decorate book covers, cards, jewelry, and religious items. It involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, looped, curled, and twisted to create individual shapes, which are then assembled into elaborate designs.
This project demonstrates quilled metal clay jewelry or how to make quilled components out of silver metal clay paper, a unique composite of 99.9 per cent fine silver metal clay formed into a paper-thin sheet. It remains soft during working time and requires no drying time. We’ll roll, shape and fire strips of this clay and then attach the quilled metal clay components in a larger design using Silver Metal Clay Paste.
Skills: Metal clay work
Materials:
Silver Metal Clay Paper Type
5 grams Silver Metal Clay
Silver Metal Clay Paste
2 4mm faceted cast in place stones
earring wires
Tools:
Quilling: Cutting mat, steel ruler with cork backing, knife with sharp blade, quilling tool, two-sided sticky tape, circle template, tweezers
Metal Clay: Nonstick work surface, roller to flatten clay, playing cards or other thickness guides, 5mm inside diameter tube, 1.5mm inside diameter tube, brush, straight edge cutter, tweezers, snack roller, kiln
ARLENE MORNICK is a Master Instructor for Art Clay World and teaches in the San Francisco Bay area. She wants to open new doors and paths of expression for others. Her work can be viewed at www.lemordesigns.com, and she can be reached at arlenemornick@yahoo.com.
This project is featured in the May/June 2018 issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist. See inside this issue in the Lookbook!
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