Natural Beeswax for Silver Clay – Make Hollow Chunky Rings
1 sheet of natural beeswax – approx. 23 g – assorted colors
Make big, bold silver rings without using a big amount of silver. Shape our natural beeswax on your ring mandrel and cover it with a thin layer of silver clay. Then melt the beeswax out in your home oven. You're left with a hollow chunky ring: a statement piece that is lighter to wear and needs much less clay.
Why use beeswax under silver clay?
- Chunky look, less silver. A hollow ring needs just a fraction of the clay a solid ring would, so your silver clay goes much further.
- Lighter to wear. Bold, sculptural rings that feel comfortable all day.
- Easy to shape. Natural beeswax softens in your warm hands, so you can build domes, wide bands and organic shapes right on the mandrel.
- Melts out in your home oven. No kiln needed.
- Reusable. Collect the melted beeswax and use it again for your next ring.
- Natural. Made from natural beeswax.
How to make a hollow chunky ring with silver clay
- Prepare your mandrel. Wrap a piece of parchment paper around an oven-safe ring mandrel. The mandrel in our Silver Clay Starter Kit is oven-safe.
- Shape the beeswax. Warm the beeswax in the regular oven, 104°F (40°C) for about 10 minutes, (or use your hands or hairdryer to warm it) and model it onto the mandrel in the shape you want your ring to have.
- Cover with silver clay. Roll out a thin layer of silver clay. Drape it over the beeswax and smooth it down, just like putting fondant on a cake.
- Add your stones. Press your stones into the clay while it's still soft.
- Melt out the beeswax. Put the mandrel in the oven at 194°F (90°C) for about 10–15 minutes. Place parchment paper underneath, because the beeswax will drip out.
- Remove carefully. Take it out of the oven carefully, because it's hot. Slide the ring off and peel away the parchment paper. Keep the dripped beeswax, because you can reuse it.
- Finish your ring. Sand away any leftover beeswax. You can leave the ring open and hollow, or close the opening with another thin layer of silver clay.
- Dry and fire as normal with silver clay piece. Let the ring dry completely and make sure it's clean of beeswax. A tiny bit of beeswax will burn away when you torch-fire, but too much can make the silver bubble.
What's included
1 sheet of natural beeswax, approx. 23 g.
Assorted colors: the color of your sheet is picked at random and can't be chosen.
Craft as self-care: slow down, shape something with your hands and wear what you made.
FAQ
Can you make hollow rings with silver clay?
Yes. Shape a beeswax core on a ring mandrel, cover it with silver clay and melt the beeswax out in your oven at 90°C (194°F). What's left is a hollow silver ring, ready to finish and fire.
Do I need a kiln?
No. The beeswax melts out in a regular home oven, and you can torch-fire the ring afterwards.
Which mandrel can I use in the oven?
Only use a mandrel that is oven-safe. The mandrel in our Silver Clay Starter Kit is suitable for the oven.
Why does my silver bubble after firing?
This usually happens when too much beeswax is left inside the ring. Sand away the leftovers and make sure the piece is clean before you fire it.
Can I choose the color of my beeswax sheet?
No. Our beeswax sheets come in assorted colors and the color is picked at random. Every color works the same way under your silver clay.
Can I reuse the beeswax?
Yes. Let the beeswax that drips out cool on the parchment paper, then warm it in your hands and use it for your next ring.
