A double-ended modeling tool: a contoured pearl-white plastic body with a slim steel shaft at each end, each tipped with a polished ball. The body is widest in the middle and tapers toward both ends, so it sits in the hand like a pen rather than a rod — lighter and warmer than an all-metal tool, and easier to hold steady through fine, repeated work.

The shafts are slender enough that you can see the ball and the spot you are working on, instead of having your own hand in the way. That is most of the difference between a clean impression and one placed by guesswork.

It presses, dents, hollows and smooths clay without leaving a fingerprint — eye sockets and mouths in figure work, cupping petals in flowers, and an even round dimple wherever you need one. Because the balls are polished steel they burnish as they press, so the tool also smooths a seam or a joint that fingers would only smudge.

Two different ball sizes on one tool means less swapping mid-piece.

On this pair: fine detail at a size you can still see. Good for small facial features, dotted texture, and the tight curl at the center of a small flower.

Getting a clean impression: a whisper of cornstarch on the ball stops it dragging or lifting the clay as it comes away, which is what causes a torn socket. Press and lift straight up rather than rocking. For a deep hollow, work up through the sizes rather than forcing the large ball in at once.

• Cernit reference: CE917C
• Ball sizes: 2mm and 1.5mm
• Ends: Double-ended
• Balls: Polished steel
• Body: Contoured pearl-white plastic
• Marked on the pack: Ø 2mm + 1,5mm