Heart Shaped Box Style Pendant
with Bezel Set Cab and Keum Boo accent.

 

 

 
Materials Needed:

25 gm PMC3
PMC 3 paste
PMC3 syringe
olive oil
shaping tools - roller, cards, tissue blade, paint brushes, emery boards, craft knife, files, texture sheet or rubber stamp
quilting template material
polymer clay
pasta machine (or roller and thick mat board strips)
6 mm calibrated gemstone cab
6 mm fine silver round bezel cup
sanding sponges
polishing papers
23.5 or 24 karat gold foil
hot plate for Keum Boo
agate burnisher
long tweezers
finishing tools -  wire brush, burnishers or tumbler
Stone setting tools - stone pusher and curved burnisher
kiln

 

  

 

 Make the templates:

Make two heart shaped templates out of paper, one 1/4" larger than the other.  Transfer half of the smaller heart shape to plastic quilting template material.

 

 Make the polymer clay mold:

OK, so you're thinking to yourself "Wait a minute - I thought this was a METAL clay tutorial?"  Well it is, but I often use polymer clay molds when I form my metal clay.  

 

The first step is to roll out the polymer clay at the machines thickest setting.  You could also roll it out like you would your metal clay - using two thick pieces of mat board as guides.

 

 Use the plastic template to cut out enough of the half heart shapes so that they stack up to be at least an inch thick.   Smooth the edges of the form with your fingers and bake according to manufacturer's directions.

 

 Make the top and bottom of the box:

Roll out the PMC3 -  three cards thick.  Apply texture and cut out 2 of the larger heart shapes.  Allow to dry to leather hard stage.  Refine the edges with sanding sponges, holding both pieces at the same time back to back (that way they will stay the same size and shape).

 

 

 Make the sides of the box:

Set the polymer clay mold on a ball of polymer clay so that the edges are elevated.  Roll out more PMC3 3 cards thick ad trim with a tissue blade to form 2 strips 1/2" wide.  Place the strips on the mold and allow to dry to leather hard stage.  Smooth the box sides with sanding sponges.

 

 

 May the accent for the the top of the box:

Roll out some more clay 2 cards thick and cut out a small triangular shape.  Allow to dry to leather hard stage and refine the edges with sanding sponges.  Sand the top very smooth, starting with the coarsest grit of sanding sponge and working up to the finest grit.  Drill a hole in the center of the triangle and enlarge with a round file until it is slightly larger than the 6mm bezel cup.

 

 

 

 

 Assemble the box:

Check the fit of the box sides and trim if necessary.  Moisten one side of the base heart with water and run a bead of paste along one side of one of the sides strips.  Invert the strip over the heart and press down lightly.  Repeat with the second side strip on the other half of the box.  Allow to dry to leather hard stage.  Fill any gaps with syringe, smooth and allow to dry.  Even to top edges of the box using a sanding sponge.  Moisten the edges of the other side of the box and run a bead of paste along the edges of the box sides.  Invert the heart over the edges, line up and press down gently.  Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 Make the holes for the cord:

Draw a line with pencil showing the orientation of the cord (I wanted mine to hang off center).  Drill a small hole in the side of the box corresponding to the pencil mark and enlarge with a round file.  Repeat with the other hole.

 

 

 Add the triangular accent:

Mark the spot for the accent to be added with pencil.  Moisten the spot with water and place paste on the back of the triangle.  Invert the triangle over the top of the box and press down gently.  Allow to dry.  Fill and gaps with syringe, smooth and allow to dry.  Moisten the hole for the bezel cup with water.  Dip the bottom of the bezel cup in paste and set into the hole.  Allow to dry to bone dry stage.

 

 Place the box up on its edge in a mound of vermiculite.  Fire at 1650 degrees for 2 hours and allow to cool. 

 

 Cut out a piece of gold foil the same size as the triangle.  Punch a hole in the center for the bezel cup to come through. Follow the directions for applying gold Keum Boo in the Dangle Earrings tutorial.

 

 Brush the piece with a with a wet, soapy soft brass brush.  Burnish by hand or tumble for 1 hour.  Before tumbling place a piece of thick yarn or pipe cleaners through the holes so pieces of tumbling shot do not get inside the box.

 

 Follow the directions for setting a gemstone cab in the Book of Kells Pendant tutorial.

 

Sit back and admire your work.