1. Easy
  2. Calendar project 6 steps

English rose lariat

Celebrate spring with fine silver clay roses and pearls from The PMC Studio

Helen O’Neill runs The PMC Studio in Amersham, Bucks where she has been teaching PMC for the past five years.

These roses are similar to the ones used to decorate cakes, although instead of making them with sugar paste, we will be making them in fine silver using Precious Metal Clay. The best clay to use is the PMC3 as it will give you more time to add the petals. It also has the lowest shrinkage rate so that the roses will be closer to actual size. To achieve the best finish have a paintbrush and water at the ready to smooth the petals as you go along. This way you will only need to sand the edges. And if you have a tumble polisher don’t be afraid to tumble them for an afternoon for a super high shine!

Designer Tips

  • Use your fingertips to mould and shape each petal
  • Use plenty of paste to secure each petal in place. Should a petal fall out at any point, add more paste and reinsert
  • Avoid breaking your PMC during sanding by simply putting it down from time to time. This avoids tension building up in your hands. Sounds strange but it's true!

MATERIALS

  • PMC3 16g
  • PMC3 paste
  • Teflon sheet
  • Rose & calyx cutter
  • Paint brush
  • Clean up tool or wipe out tool
  • Badger balm
  • Snake roller
  • Roller and spacer set
  • Fine sandpaper
  • Stainless steel brush and burnishing tool or tumbler

Step 1

Rub some badger balm on the edges of the rose cutter. Cut out one rose. Use your clay shaper or needle tool to cut off three of the petals. (Replace the remaining clay back into the pouch.) Take one petal and use your fingers to roll it into a bud shape. This becomes the centre of the rose. Stack the three leaves on top of each other so that they overlap on each side. Wrap these around the bud shape using PMC3 paste.

Step 2

Roll out a piece of clay approx. 1mm thick and cut out a complete rose. Create individual petals by cutting it with a wipe out or clay shaper tool. Add the five petals behind the first round of (3) petals using plenty of PMC3 paste.

Step 3

Roll out a third piece of clay approx. 1mm thick and cut out one complete rose. Add some paste in the centre of the rose and wrap the entire rose shape around the second layer. Place the rose on a piece of Teflon and leave to dry.

Step 4

When dry, file and sand. Rub some badger balm on the calyx cutter and cut out one calyx to go on the back of the rose head. Add some paste to the outside of the rose and add the calyx. Hold for a few seconds to allow the clay to bond.

Step 5

Leave to dry before adding a bail. Use a snake roller to roll a coil of clay. Flatten the coil by pressing it down with your snake roller. Wrap this around a plastic straw, secure with some paste, and leave to dry. Once dry, use paste to add the bail to the top of the pendant.

Step 6

Check your finished piece and file and sand until you have a smooth finish. The roses are best kiln fired due to the thickness of the pieces. Fire on the PMC3 fast programme (700C/ 10 minutes). Once fired, polish with a stainless steel brush. For a high shine use a burnisher or a tumbler.

Resources:

All tools and materials can be purchased from The PMC Studio:
Tel: 01494 434545 Web: www.thepmcstudio.com Email: info@thepmcstudio.com

If you do not have a kiln, The PMC Studio offers a kiln firing service: Wrap your unfired piece in a piece of bubble wrap and place in something like a Tupperware box. Post to The PMC Studio, 17 Chiltern Business Centre, 63-65 Woodside Road, Amersham, Bucks HP6 6AA. Enclose a note with your name and address, whether you would like your pieces polished and payment. This service takes a couple of days and costs £2.50 per item or £10 for a kiln load, plus return postage of £5.50.