Paula Beckett

Cloisonné & Silver Metal Clay Instructor

Silver Metal Clay

Silver metal clay is fine silver particles suspended in water and an organic binder. Silver clay is always metal. It begins in clay form and ends in a solid piece of silver after firing. The advantage of working with metal clay is that most of the refining is completed while in the dry stage. Metal clay can be rolled, sanded and carved to form finished jewelry or components of jewelry. As a beginning student you will learn how to roll and texture clay to make pendant s and earrings. As a mid-level to advanced student, you will learn how to make rings, hollow forms and to set cabochons. All the pieces taught in this studio are made without soldering. The sky is the limit as to what you can make.

Cloisonné Enameling

Cloisonné is a metal work technique that makes use of fine silver or gold wires that are bent into shapes to create small cells. The cells make up the design of the art work. The cells are filled with small particles of colored glass. The glass is added in layers to create depth of color and shading. Each layer is fired in a kiln. The finished piece is smooth and polished. In this class, students will use silver metal clay to form the base on which the wires and enamel will be fired. After the enamel cabochon is finished, students will make a setting on which to set their cloisonné.

A Little About Paula:

I often admired hand crafted jewelry at art shows. An artist suggested I learn to make my own. She mentioned that I could find metal smithing classes at Brookhaven College in Farmers Branch. I took several semesters of traditional metal smithing, which I loved. During that time, I read an article about the wonders of metal clay. I was hooked on this exciting new medium. I pursued an education in metal clay because I knew I wanted to teach this to other people.

Over the next few years, I earned teaching certifications from Art Clay World, PMC, Rio Grande and Mokume Gane certification from Aida in Japan. I took what I learned and taught students at Collin College for over 12 years. During that time, I taught fine silver clay, bronze clay and copper clay. I decided that I needed to add color to my work. I took classes from master enamellists as I threw myself into learning this beautiful craft. I’ve been teaching Cloisonné and Champlevé enameling on fine silver metal clay at the Craft Guild for a couple of years now. I love the artistic creative energy here, and especially the wonderful students I have been lucky to teach during this time.

My metal clay classes focus on teaching students how to add texture, combine different elements and parts to create beautiful earrings, pendants, bracelets and rings. I focus on the ease of making hollow forms in metal clay. Best of all, there is no soldering or mastering the use of torches that can be intimidating to some new students.

My Cloisonné and Champlevé classes focus on color and design in addition to learning how to shape wires into a flower, a bird or whatsoever their hearts desire. The wires are shaped into cells that will be filled with enamels, in layers, to achieve different depths of color and shading of color. They learn what colors work best on silver and how to prevent discoloration of enamels. Students tell me they are most impressed with is what they are able to achieve after completing my metal clay or enameling classes.