Turn leaves, flowers and treasures from nature into beautiful solid silver jewellery

Learn how to capture the tiny textures and details of the natural world in silver, using silver metal clay.

Have you ever picked up a beautiful leaf, acorn or seed pod and wished you could preserve it? Maybe you love nature. Maybe you have some things that have special meaning for you and you want to capture them.

With silver metal clay, you can.

In this online course, metal clay artist and tutor Anna Campbell will show you how to take inspiration directly from nature and transform it into beautiful pieces of solid silver jewellery.

You’ll learn how to create incredibly detailed silver leaves using real leaves, make your own moulds from botanical objects, create jewellery from those moulds, torch fire your pieces and polish them ready to wear.

And you don't need previous jewellery-making experience or a kiln to get started.

Silver Leaf and Botanical Jewellery is suitable for complete beginners and you can work through the course from home, at your own pace.

[ENROL NOW FOR £79]

14 bite-sized video lessons · Step-by-step course notes · Lifetime access

There is something magical about making jewellery directly from nature

One of the things we love most about silver metal clay is its ability to capture detail.

The veins running through a leaf. The texture of an acorn. The shape of a flower or seed pod. Details that would be incredibly difficult to recreate by hand can become part of your jewellery.

And because you're working with real botanicals, each piece is unique and has its own character.

In this course, we explore two different ways of doing this.

First, you’ll learn the silver leaf technique, where we paint layers of silver clay paste directly onto a real leaf. When the piece is fired, the leaf itself burns away and what remains is a beautiful silver version, complete with the tiny veins and texture of the original.

Then you’l look at mould making, so you can take objects you discover in nature - acorns, flowers, shells, sycamore pods, bark and more - and create your own silicone moulds from them.

Once you've learnt how to make the mould, you can use it again and again to create your own jewellery designs.

That means this isn't simply a course where you follow along and make three prescribed pieces.

You'll learn techniques you can go on using with all sorts of things you find in the natural world.

If you've never used silver clay before, you're very welcome here

You do not need to be an experienced jeweller to take this course.

Silver metal clay is quite different from traditional silversmithing. Instead of beginning with sheet silver and using saws, hammers and soldering equipment, you start with a soft, clay-like material that can be rolled, shaped, textured and moulded.

Once the clay has dried and been fired, the binder burns away and the silver particles sinter together, leaving you with solid silver.

It means you can create beautiful silver jewellery from your kitchen table without needing a traditional jewellery workshop.

And for all of the projects taught in this course, you do not need a kiln. I'll show you how to fire your pieces using a jeweller's hand torch.

If you've been curious about silver clay but haven't quite known where to begin, botanical jewellery is a lovely place to start.

What you'll learn to make:

Project 1: Silver leaves

This is one of our favourite silver clay techniques because the finished result really does feel a little bit like alchemy.

We'll start with a real leaf and gradually build up layers of silver clay paste over its surface.

You’ll learn how to choose and prepare your leaf, build the layers successfully, prepare the piece for firing and then torch fire it.

During firing the original leaf disappears, leaving behind its shape, texture and delicate veins in silver.

The result is completely individual because it comes from the leaf you chose in the first place.

Use your finished silver leaves as pendants, earrings, charms or as the starting point for your own botanical designs.

Project 2: Make jewellery using your own botanical moulds

Next, we'll explore mould making.

Rather than relying only on commercially produced jewellery moulds and textures, you'll learn how to make your own silicone moulds using objects from the natural world.

An acorn can become a pendant. A seed pod could become a pair of earrings. A shell, flower or interesting piece of bark could inspire an entirely new collection.

You’ll learn how to make a successful mould and then how to press silver metal clay into it while retaining that beautiful detail.

This is such a useful technique because once you've created your mould, you can return to it whenever you want to make another piece or develop the idea further.

Project 3: Flowers, textures and your own botanical ideas

Once you've understood the techniques, you can begin experimenting.

We'll look at using natural textures and shapes to create your own pieces and at the practical skills that turn those pieces into wearable jewellery.

You aren't limited to the exact botanicals used in the course.

Go for a walk. Look in the garden. Explore the beach or woodland. Notice the shapes and textures you're naturally drawn to.

The intention is that, by the end of the course, you won't only know how to reproduce my projects.

You'll know how to look at something in nature and start thinking:

I wonder if I could make jewellery from that?

By the end of the course, you'll know how to…

• Make a detailed silver leaf using the paste-painting method

• Choose botanicals that work well for silver clay jewellery

• Make your own silicone moulds from natural objects

• Use those moulds successfully with silver metal clay

• Texture and shape silver clay

• Make impressions while retaining fine detail

• Refine and finish your clay before firing

• Create a bail so your piece can be worn as a pendant

• Drill holes for jump rings and findings

• Torch fire your silver metal clay safely

• Polish and finish your jewellery

• Add depth and definition to bring out the beautiful botanical textures

Most importantly, you'll have a collection of techniques you can take away and make your own.

Imagine where you could take it next…

Perhaps there is a flower that grows in your garden every summer.

A leaf from a tree somewhere meaningful to you.

A shell collected from a favourite beach.

A seed pod whose shape you've always loved.

Botanical jewellery can become incredibly personal because the inspiration doesn't have to come from a jewellery catalogue or a pre-made texture plate.

It can come from your own surroundings, memories and experiences.

Once you understand how to capture those forms in silver, you can begin creating jewellery that is completely individual to you.

And if you make jewellery to sell, these techniques can also give you endless inspiration for developing your own recognisable collections rather than making exactly the same designs as everyone else.

What's included in the course?

When you enrol, you'll receive immediate access to the complete online course, including 14 professionally filmed, bite-sized video lessons.

The lessons are deliberately divided into manageable sections, so you don't need to remember where something appeared in one enormous video. If you want to revisit mould making, firing, bails or polishing later, you can go straight back to the lesson you need.

You'll also receive full course notes with step-by-step instructions, along with your tools and materials information.

And you have lifetime access, so there is no pressure to complete everything within a particular week or month.

Watch the course from beginning to end, make alongside me, pause while you work or return six months later when you've found the perfect leaf you want to turn into silver.

This course is yours to learn from at your own pace.

Get 50% off now

The course is £79 for lifetime access but right now you can get 50% off in our Summer Sale. £39.50.

Your course lessons

Lesson 1: Introduction and Samples
We'll look at what's possible with botanical silver clay jewellery and the pieces we'll be working on.

Lesson 2: Making Moulds for Metal Clay
Learn how to create your own silicone moulds from botanicals and other interesting natural objects.

Lesson 3: Texturing Silver Metal Clay
Explore ways to capture texture successfully in your clay.

Lesson 4: Adding Layers to the Silver Leaf
Learn the paste-painting technique and how to build the layers needed to create a successful silver leaf.

Lesson 5: Making Impressions from the Moulds
Use the moulds you've created to make detailed silver clay pieces.

Lesson 6: Preparing the Silver Leaf for Torch Firing
Get your delicate leaf ready to become solid silver.

Lesson 7: Making a Bail for Your Piece
Learn how to create a bail so your finished piece can be worn as jewellery.

Lesson 8: Torch Firing the Silver Leaf
I'll guide you through firing your silver leaf without the need for a kiln.

Lesson 9: Drilling Holes and Polishing
Learn how to prepare your pieces for findings and begin bringing out their silver finish.

Lesson 10: Sanding, Filing and Refining
Discover how to get a neater, more professional result before your pieces are fired.

Lesson 11: Attaching a Bail with Silver Metal Clay
Learn another method for incorporating a bail into your design.

Lessons 12 & 13: Torch Firing
We'll work through the firing process for your silver clay pieces.

Lesson 14: Polishing and Finishing Your Pieces
Finally, bring everything together and finish your botanical jewellery beautifully.

What will I need?

You will need some silver metal clay and a small selection of jewellery-making tools and equipment for the projects.

The course includes a full tools and materials list, but the main materials we'll be working with are:

• Fresh leaves and other botanicals such as acorns, flowers, bark, shells or seed pods

• Silver clay paste

• Silver metal clay

• Silicone moulding compound

• Findings such as jump rings, earring wires or chain

You'll also need some basic equipment for rolling, shaping, refining and polishing your pieces, along with a hand torch, firing brick and appropriate firing tools.

You don't need to purchase a kiln for this course.

If you're new to jewellery making and don't already own everything on the list, don't worry. You can build up the tools you need, and Jewellers Academy has a worldwide jewellery tools and materials supplier directory to help you source them.

Is Silver Leaf and Botanical Jewellery right for you?

This course is for you if you…

Love nature and botanical jewellery and would like to turn those inspirations into your own silver pieces.

Have always wanted to try silver clay but aren't sure where to begin.

Are new to jewellery making and want a beginner-friendly way to start creating in precious metal.

Already work with silver clay and want some new techniques and ideas to add to your repertoire.

Would love to make more individual jewellery rather than relying solely on bought textures and moulds.

Sell your jewellery and want techniques that could help inspire distinctive botanical pieces and collections.

Or perhaps you simply want the pleasure of taking something beautiful you've found outside and preserving it in silver.

You don't need to arrive with a fully formed jewellery collection in mind.

You can start with one leaf.

Frequently asked questions

I've never made jewellery before. Can I take this course?

Yes. Silver Leaf and Botanical Jewellery has been designed to be suitable for beginners, so you don't need previous experience of silver clay or traditional silversmithing.

I'll take you through the techniques step by step.

What exactly is silver metal clay?

Silver metal clay contains very fine particles of silver combined with water and an organic binder.

While you're working with it, it behaves like clay, which means you can roll it, texture it, mould it and shape it.

Once it has dried, it is fired. During firing, the water and organic binder burn away and the silver particles sinter together, leaving you with solid silver.

This ability to pick up very fine textures is one of the reasons it works so beautifully for botanical jewellery.

Do I need a kiln?

No.

The projects in this course can be torch fired, and I'll show you how to do this in the lessons.

If you already own a kiln, you can of course fire suitable pieces in your kiln according to the firing instructions for the brand of silver clay you're using.

Which silver clay should I use?

I use Art Clay Silver in the course.

You can use another suitable brand of silver clay because the making techniques remain largely the same, but always follow the manufacturer's firing schedule for the particular clay you're using.

Do I need to buy all of the tools before I enrol?

No. You can enrol, look through the course and download the tools and materials information before beginning your first project.

If you're completely new to silver clay, this can be a good way to see exactly what is used before you start buying equipment.

How long will I have access to the course?

You receive lifetime access, so you can work through the course whenever it suits you and revisit the lessons whenever you need them.

Can I work at my own pace?

Absolutely.

This is a self-paced online course. You can binge the videos over a weekend, work through one project at a time or come back to the course whenever inspiration strikes.

What could I make using these techniques?

The course demonstrates silver leaves and pieces created using moulds from botanicals such as acorns and flowers, but the techniques can be adapted to all sorts of natural objects.

You might use them to make pendants, earrings, charms or components that become part of a larger jewellery design.

The exciting bit is discovering what you want to preserve in silver.

Your next walk might contain your next jewellery collection

Once you start looking at the natural world through the eyes of a jeweller, you notice things differently.

The tiny veins on the underside of a leaf.

The shape of a seed head.

A beautifully imperfect shell.

The texture of a piece of bark.

They stop being simply things you walk past and start becoming possibilities.

Silver Leaf and Botanical Jewellery will give you the skills to take those possibilities and turn them into something you can actually wear.

You'll receive all 14 video lessons, step-by-step course notes and lifetime access, so you can learn from home and return whenever you want to create something new.