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Keum Boo earrings

Master the ancient technique of Keum Boo and create these simple yet effective earrings.
By Tracey Spurgin

Tools & Materials

  • 20g Art Clay Silver
  • Roller and spacers
  • Water
  • Cling film
  • Sanding papers or grits
  • Wire brush
  • Small file
  • Paint brush
  • Gas hob
  • Mesh grid
  • Ear wires
  • Texture plates
  • Cookie cutters
  • Agate burnisher
  • Tweezers
  • Gold foil

Step 1

Open the 20g packet of clay and place directly into cling film. Add a little water and gently massage into the clay. Use spacers bars, texture plates and cookie cutters to make the desired shape.

Step 2

To give the earrings a little more interest, drape them over an edge or corner of a container, allow them to dry, either in an oven for 20 minutes at 130 °c or naturally.

Step 3

At the plaster dry stage, file and refine the shape with sanding grits and files. Once these are ready, fire them in one of the following three ways; on a gas hob on full power over a metal grid for 6 minutes, with a handheld blow torch for three minutes or in a kiln for 5 minutes at 800°c.

Step 4

To prepare the gold foil, use a sharp pair of scissors and cut it to size between two pieces of paper. Use saliva to keep it in place. Heat the kiln (for best results use an ultralite kiln) then wearing a protective glove, test the temperature with a cocktail stick. When it burns easily it is hot enough.

Step 5

Brace the piece down with tweezers and use an agate burnisher to firstly tap on the foil until it starts to stick then continue to gently rub over the gold with the burnisher. Check for loose bits or air bubbles.

Step 6

Remove the piece and quench in water. Start with a gentle wire brush and continue to polish using either agate burnisher or tumbler machine. Finish with a little jewellery polish and a soft cloth.

fashion tips

These timeless elegant earrings most certainly fit into the investment jewellery category. The pure silver with the 24ct gold inlay make these earrings a real collectors’ item. Wear them with a classic silk shift dress or exotic katan. Team with structured sandals, tortoiseshell sunglasses a raffia bag and scarf trimmed hat

Tapio leaf kimono dress £25 boohoo.com.

Sunglasses £5 George at Asda

Wood frame straw clutch bag £6 Primark

Designer tips

  • Only use 24ct Gold Foil, as this is thicker than gold leaf
  • Keep even the smallest of scraps of gold, they can fill in gaps and small areas
  • The tools you use to apply the Keum Boo get very hot too, so place them carefully after use
  • Once the gold is securely attached, remove the piece from the heat, otherwise the gold will continue to sink into the silver, and become extremely faded

Resources

Tracey delivers a full programme of silver clay workshops as a professional tutor of more than ten years. Project kits are also available on request.

Contact details for further information on all workshops:
Email: tracey@craftworx.co.uk Website: www.craftworx.co.uk Tel: 07961 883115