How to Make a Silver Clay Ring At Home: Step-by-step Home Jewellery-making Tutorial 2.0

Hi friends, welcome back to a brand new video where we dive into the exciting world of DIY silver clay rings. By the time this video goes live you'll be able to grab the 2.0 version of our DIY kit. Let's unbox and see what's inside. Before we jump in it's important to check out the extra notes included in the kit. We've put together some crucial tips to help you avoid those common little mistakes. Inside the kit you'll find all the essentials. Acrylic rolling and pressing plates, a mandrel, wire brush, sandpaper, ring sizes, heat resistance cubic zirconian stones, e6000 jewelry glue, a mesh for firing, clay sculpting knives and an agate knife for that final polish. There's also a handy grid paper for precision. Just make sure you have some If your hands feel a bit dry I recommend applying some hand cream before we start. This makes handling the clay much easier. Now onto the silver clay. It's clay in a small amount which means that it can dry out really quickly. So it's a good idea to have your design in mind before you even tear open the bag. I've got some past designs here for inspiration. Feel free to draw up something unique for yourself. All right let's get some tunes going and dive into the crafting part. First off you need to measure your finger. Keep in mind that silver clay shrinks about six to ten percent so choose a size that'll compensate for the shrinkage. Normally one or two sizes bigger. Use tape to secure the grid paper onto the mandrel and mark where the clay will wrap around with a pencil. Carefully open the little bag of silver clay. If it sticks to the plastic don't worry. There's a neat trick. Use the clay itself like a piece of sticky tack to attach any sticky bits to the back of the plastic. Also there's a paper inside the bag. Use it to cover any clay you're not using right away to keep it moist and easy to work with later. Give your clay a good knead until it doesn't feel like it sticks to your fingers. This means that it's at the right moisture level. Start by rolling your clay into a ball using the acrylic plate and then into a noodle shape. Make sure it stretches past your grid lines. This should be enough for an average size. Stop and check periodically to ensure it fits over the mandrel. Once you've got the length right give your noodle a gentle press to flatten it slightly. This will make it fit comfortably around your finger. Now take your clay knife and carefully cut where the clay overlaps. Keep those scraps. We'll reuse them to fashion the ring crown or maybe even a pendant. Next up make the joints rough by scrolling a mini hashtag over them. This helps the ends bond better. Dip a bit of water onto the joint and gently hold both ends together. Use your clay knife to bend the surfaces until they're seamless. Take your time here. Gentle and patient movements are key. Now let's set the stones. Mark where they'll go, create little seats for them and then use tweezers to place each stone into its spot. Press them into the clay until the girdle of the stone is well covered by the clay. If it isn't the stone might pop out later. Feel free to use your fingers to mold the ring into different shapes. Zigzag, wavy, whatever feels right. You can also carve lines into the ring body for more texture. If a stone doesn't seem secure, roll a tiny bit of clay into a noodle and build up a small wall around it. Then you can dip your finger in water and smooth out the ring to a clean finish. For drying, start with a heat gun or a hair dryer for about 10 minutes. This firms it up enough to carve any names or patterns onto the ring. You can also remove unwanted clay, especially if it's covering a stone using the tools or sandpaper. You can either continue with a heat gun for 15 minutes or pop it in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. This should dry it out completely. Watch out for smoke and ensure your space is well ventilated. After it cools down, give it a final sand from low to high grit sandpaper. The more time you spend here, the smoother your ring will be, unless you're going for a rougher finish. The last step is firing. Use a stove with an actual flame, making sure the clay is thoroughly dry to prevent cracking. Place the ring on the edge of the fire, not directly in the centre, for about five minutes, then slowly move it to the centre. If it catches fire, don't panic, that's normal. Final, final step. Brush off the oxidation with a wire brush to rebuild a shiny silver veneer, then polish it with the agate knife for a mirror-like finish if you like. And that's it friends. Thanks for crafting along with me. If you enjoyed this tutorial, don't forget to like, subscribe and share your own creations in the comments below. Catch you in the next video.