I have been making lots of new jewellery in the New Year! I discovered freeform silver casting and I love it!
I have been teaching myself how to freeform cast silver over salt, spaghetti, pine sprigs and chickpeas. My favourite at the moment is chickpeas or bean casting as its usually called.
You take a small empty clean can (I used a sweetcorn can) and fill it with dried chickpeas. You then melt your sterling silver pieces in a crucible, and pour the molten silver over the chickpeas. They smoke and smell a little so I open the back door to let the smoke out!
Then I tip the can in a bowl of cold water and look for the silver pieces. The larger pieces have chickpeas stuck in the silver so I then have to winkle them out. Small pieces can be used to make stud and drop earrings, bracelets, rings etc. and the larger pieces to make pendants.
Here are a few things that I have made through bean casting.
