My final Collar- style neck piece!

Here is my final collar-style neck piece. This type of neck piece is really popular on the runway these days and that puts me in the mood to create a new one! (We’ll see if time actually allows this. Sigh)

• The grommets used for this piece are gun metal (although they do appear almost black in the photo)
• I used some vintage clip-on style earrings.I liked the rounded triangle shape of the clip-ons and because they were metal, it meant that i could bake them without any worries.
•  After baking the “Get to the point!” bezel, i made an eye pin from wire and placed on the back before adding another layer of clay and re-baking.  Always make sure that you bend the wire so that it can’t pull out!
• Click on the link to see how i made the texture sheet for use in the cabochons and also for the beads.  It’s part of my contribution to the on-line resource at Art Jewelry Magazine. You may have to join first but it’s painless and free to join.  There is a wealth of info on the Art Jewelry  site. Free projects, forums, resources and more!
• http://art.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/en/Resources/Reference.aspx

• The collage above shows the tools used to create the “negative” texture sheet.
• I used an awl, a pen, a few different screwdrivers and some of the grommets too. (remove the grommets before baking)

• After baking the “negative”, you then create a “positive” texture sheet and this is what is used to create the texture in the tube beads and the cabochons.
• To make the cabochons press the the “positive” texture deeply into your sheeted clay. (use water as a release). Then use the cabezel mold.  You don`t need to press to hard to create the cabochons and in this instance, pressing too much will cause you to lose the texture.
• After the cabs are cut out,  baked and cooled, add your acrylic paint.  Make sure you get it into all of the crevices.  Wipe the surface of the cab to remove excess paint before it dries.  OR, your other option is to let the paint dry and then sand the surface but who the heck wants to sand anything?!?!
  That’s it! I hope that you found this helpful.
  Email me here with questions or comments!