Rings & Things Design Gallery: A Gallery of Jewelry Ideas

RSS feed Add to Google Add to My Yahoo!
Gallery Home Most Viewed Search Post a Question
Designer Tip Sheets Design Contest Magazine Features

Home > Design Contest Winners > 2005 Contest Results > Honorable Mention Winners

Art Clay™ Silver
African Patina


Artist: Jerri Shepard (Spokane, WA)
Honorable Mention, Art Clay™ Silver

"[This piece] was inspired by the concept of transformation, which has been a part of Africa since the beginning of time. People of Africa are strong and have persisted despite wars, famines, droughts and forced relocations ...

"[My] process began with porcelain beads, which were brush-painted with four layers of Art Clay™ Silver paste, brushed on each end while the bead rested on a chopstick, which was stuck in a Styrofoam base. They were then dried in a toaster oven, sanded and placed back on the chopstick so that the design could be created with the Art Clay™ syringe. After air-drying, they were placed back in the toaster oven to dry and then gently sanded. The smaller beads were hand-formed and underwent a similar process. The beads were kiln-fired for ten minutes at 1650 degrees. After cooling, they were brushed with soapy water with a wire brush and later sanded or burnished with a burnisher.

"The patina was created with liver of sulfur ... " — Jerri Shepard

The finished necklace also includes metal African trade beads.

Review the 2005 contest details to see what this contestant was up against. Or check out the 2004 contest winners.
karen_mckeown_3.jpg jerry_shepard_1.jpg kelli_spandl_2.jpg
RSS feed Add to Google Add to My Yahoo!

Admin Login FAQ