Jewelry Making Resources | Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Ask the Experts Metal Clay Q&A

Q: Can you mix the different Art Clays, the slow drying and the regular? Or do they need to be used seperately because of different working times?

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Ask the Experts Art Clay® Q&A

Q: I recently made a ring out of Art Clay silver, and can't get it off the mandrel! I've found a lot of suggestions for preventing Art Clay from sticking in the future, but none that help me fix what's already been done. How do I get my ring free without breaking it or having to start over?

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Ask the Experts Metal Clay Q&A

Q: Can I use different metal clays on the same piece, e.g. bronze, copper, and or silver?

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Ask the Experts Metal Clay Q&A

Q: Can I cross the gold precious metal clay with some of the copper to successfully have rosegold precious metal clay?

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Ask the Experts Firing Q&A

Q: I just bought a new kiln and have tried the time and temperature listed, but my pieces are coming out not completely fired. How do I adjust the time and temperature without ruining more silver and copper clay?

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Ask the Experts Release Q&A

Q: I was wondering if you need any kind of release with the flex molds? I'm thinking for PMC you'd want to oil them, but what about resin?

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Ask the Experts Art Shows Q&A

Q: I am interested in selling jewelry at craft fairs and shows. I will need to have a pretty large inventory of necklaces, bracelets and earrings. What do you recommend as a good amount of inventory for a fair or show? Thank you!

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Dry Sifting Enamel

Explore the art of dry sifting enamel. Learn how wet paper stenciling and sgraffito can create stunning, intricate designs with professional results.

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Ask the Experts Molds Q&A

Q: I am interested in creating my own jewelry company. I have started out by making bracelets, however I need to separate my bracelets from other bracelet makers. I have many ideas of beads I want to design myself but am not sure how to go about getting them created. For example, some companies have their logos as pendants on a lot of their jewelry. I want to make a logo pendant for my bracelets but am not sure how to "create" it. Are there jewelry supply companies that can make my logo into a pendant or is this something I have to create on my own?

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Annealing Metal

With these instructions, you will master the art of annealing, a process that softens metal, allowing you to shape it according to your creative vision.

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Ask the Experts Art Show Q&A

Q: I just had a bad experience selling at a local show. It was well-attended, but there were mostly ''bargain-hunters'' there who complained about my prices. What can I do to make sure I don't wind up at another ''flea market''?

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Ask the Experts Setting Marcasite in Art Clay® Q&A

Q: I'm interested in doing silver clay jewelry. What's the best way to get started? I love marcasite. Can I put them in the silver clay and then heat or is it best to glue them in later. Would I use jewelry glue or slip?

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Art Clay Silver - Paste Type

Learn the steps for using Art Clay® Silver Paste for safely filling molds, embellishing porcelain and glass, connecting clay pieces and attaching silver wire.

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Artistic Wire® Oval Ear Wire Jig

The Artistic Wire® Oval Ear Wire Jig enables you to fashion smooth curves and consistent shapes for flawless results. Master the art of wire shaping and watch your earring designs take flight.

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Ask the Experts Metal Clay Q&A

Q: I have many large uncalibrated stones. I would like to create my own mounts with Artclay. Will the prongs bend and not be too brittle for setting the stones after firing?

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Ask the Experts Art Clay® Is Pure Silver Q&A

Q: I am interested in working with metal clay but was wondering if there is a difference between the silver clay and the pure silver that you can buy. Also, if I sold a piece of silver made from the clay, would I have to make a special note of it to the customer or could I just say it is pure silver?

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Ask the Experts Paper Beads Q&A

Q: I am winding paper that is sparkly on one side and smooth on the other and when I go to glue it I can't get it to adhere and the bead becomes unwound. Help!

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Ask the Experts Kumihimo Q&A

Q: I'm trying to learn Kumihimo, but I'm not sure what kind of thread I should use. Do you have any suggestions for me?

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Ask the Experts Resin Q&A

Q: What can be used to color resin? Also, what can be added to resin? What can be added to resin to give it a pearlized effect? Thanks.

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Ask the Experts Shows Q&A

Q: A friend of mine is a jewelry maker whose style is very different from mine. We both want to sell at the same local arts event, and she suggested we split a booth and sell together to save money. I'm not sure if I should take her up on this offer because of any hard feelings if one of us sells more than the other.

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Ask the Experts Sculptural Seed Beads Q&A

Q: I would like to know how to create the 3-D seed beaded items I have seen here. The animals that I have seen here are incredible. But I don't know how to begin; or using a cow skull to cover with seed beads. Any resource would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Ask the Experts Metal Clay Q&A

Q: I had some left over Art Clay and wrapped it back into the original packaging. When I went to work with it again a few weeks later, it crumbled. I added some water and put it back in the packaging but it is still in pieces. Can you suggest another way of reconstituting it?

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Ask the Experts Resin Q&A

Q: How can I preserve flowers to be used in resin pendants?

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Ask the Experts Selling Finished Jewelry Q&A

Q: I'd like to know if it would be practical to promote/sell pieces on more than one website--I suppose I'd also have to split the pieces between sites instead of showing them all on all sites--yes?

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