Copper clay course and knotted silver

Hi, the Copper clay course I attended at the London Jewellery School last thursday was great. It was the first time they had run the course and Emma the tutor was well prepared and full of ideas and inspiration. I had so much fun that I wanted to do it all again the next day. Here are a couple of pieces that I made during the course.

Here is a convex copper pendant with a grape vine texture applied. I used the texture plate again to make some impressions of the vine leaves which I cut out of the wet clay with a needle tool. I dried all the pieces separately then attached the vine leaves with clay slip before drying again. When totally dry I used  sanding pads to make the edges smooth then fired it in the kiln.  Copper clay pieces must be dropped immediately into water when taken from the hot kiln so that the firescale is removed. If you allow the piece to cool without removing the firescale it may ping off as the metal contracts. I like the bright copper colour you get with kiln firing.

Although I made the components for this bracelet during the class I finished it off at home over the weekend. It took me 3 hours to do the wire wrapping as I was 'playing it by ear' and had to backtrack a couple of times.  Its a bit rough (lets call it a prototype) but I now realise that I need more help with wire wrapping especially in the planning stage. How do you estimate the length of wire you need to cut for a project like this? How long IS a piece of wire?

I have been playing around with knotted silver and made this pendant last week. I have just made the bezel setting for the turquoise and added it as a drop. I like the way it looks and now I have to make a chain that it can hang from. I am quite pleased with the way this project is going as there were a couple of problems which I have managed to resolve. Overcoming these small problems helps to build my confidence.