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(PMC) Bell Earrings
These earrings are made from one sheet of PMC+® Paper (sheet) that is cut, folded, and glued over fine silver wire to form the bell shapes. Each earring body uses two four-sided pieces of sheet and each dangle uses one triangular piece of sheet. Photo of finished piece by Frank DeSantis; all other photos courtesy of the author.
Carl Stanley and several other designers talk about the advantages of PMC® in "Feats of Clay" in January 2004 LJ. |
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On a smooth firm surface suitable for cutting, cut the strip with a safety knife using a straight edge as a guide. Set this aside to be used later for the dangles.
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You also have 8 wedge-shaped scrap pieces and a 3/16" strip. |
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The idea is to create a crease that will position the wires and preform a tab that will be folded over the wire in the next step. |
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After wetting the brush, wipe it on a rag to remove any excess liquid, and be sure to moisten just the tab, not the whole sheet. If the sheet gets soggy, it could tear. Now fold the tabs over the wire and glue them down, capturing the wire in the crease. Use the edge of a piece of card stock to gently smooth the join and force the wire into the crease. This is important for a clean and consistent finished product.
Repeat this on the other side, creating a bell shape that suspends the sheet on a wire frame. Align and adjust each wire as in Step 14, then repeat Step 15 for the three remaining pieces of sheet and wire.
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Take a whole of piece of PMC+® Paper (sheet) from the package and measure a 3/16" strip along the edge, going the full length of the sheet.
Cut along this line with the knife to form two pieces.
Cut along these lines with the knife. You now have four rectangular pieces of equal size (approx. 30mm x 27mm) and a single 3/16" strip. Keep the rectangular pieces oriented with the longer measurement on the horizontal plane.
Bend and shape the four 4" pieces into the bell shape pictured. 
Cut a piece of index card stock to the same size as one of the four rectangular pieces of sheet. This will be made into a pattern template.
Refine the bell-shaped wire pieces so that they lie on top of the card stock pattern leaving a 1/8" left and right margin at the bottom. The wire will angle to the top making these margins wider at the top. The curved top of the wire should extend past the top of the pattern by 3/8". Remember to keep the longer measurement of the pattern on the horizontal plane.
Carefully trace the outside of one of the properly aligned wires on the surface of the card stock pattern, leaving a drawn image of the wire.
With scissors or your knife, cut the pattern paper 1/8" wider than the mark you have made. This should start at the lower bottom corner up along the mark, staying 1/8" out all the way up. Repeat this on both sides. This will be your template for cutting the sheet into the proper shapes.
Place one of the bent wires into the space defined by the folded tabs. Adjust it so that it fits into the crease and the top of the wire extends 3/8" above the top of the piece. On an index card, make a drawing of where the wire and paper cross. Use this drawing to align the wire for each of the other pieces of sheet. This will keep the wire and sheet alignment consistent, making for a better-finished product. Keep them aligned for the next step.
