Bezels - Creating an appropriate house for my beloved stones!

Working with Pam previously I learnt some of the basics of metal clay, which allowed me to create all sorts of pieces that made my heart sing, partly because I thought it would take me months to learn the necessary skills and partly because we made such lovely little adornments!......but the one thing I've been desperate to learn is how to set stones in silver clay. If you don't already know you'll soon see, I am just a little bit obsessed with crystals, gem stones and things of the earth!

So here I am learning how to create suitable house for my beloved stones!


CREATING A BEZEL
1.Using a pre-made bezel wire measure the circumference of the stone/bead.

2. Then the bezel wire needs to be cut and the ends filed to fit together snuggly.
3. The ends now need to be joined using a metal clay slip or plug.
4. The bezel is then let to dry fully before firing.
5. The bezel can either be fired in the kiln or with a hand held torch.
6. The bezel in now ready to be fixed to your clay base for a pendant/earring etc(Woohoo!).

                                   My fired bezel set into the metal clay pendant!