I design and create one-of-a-kind fine silver jewelry.
No molds or mass production. Every piece I make is by hand and unique.
I make my necklaces and earrings out of Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and sell them on Etsy.
I also take custom orders, so if you have a design in mind, please drop me a line!
Can metal start out as clay?
Sounds crazy, but it can. A relatively new material out there called precious metal clay, it is made by taking reclaimed silver from electronics, grinding it into tiny particles, and putting in a non-toxic binder so it can be formed just like clay. The binder then burns away when fired in a kiln and sinters into fine silver. Metal clay happens to be in line with my own values of repurpose, recycle, reuse.
Sculpting
Metal clay behaves just like earth clay. It can be manipulated with my hands using tools and clay syringes. Water is used to keep the clay supple. Both professional and DIY tools are used. Basically, the sky is the limit.
Greenware
Once the clay completely dries to greenware, I can sand it smooth, etch into it, or add clean holes (a very tedious task). This is when the finesse happens. Then they get batched and ready for the kiln.
Kiln Fire
The greenware then goes into a small kiln made just for metal clay. Silver clay fires at 1280ºF and goes through a sintering (melting together) process. It’s fun to watch the binder go *poof* into flames at the start.
Kristen loves her silver dhamma wheel necklace
I love custom orders!
The pieces below are examples of necklaces that were custom made. They were all a collaboration between the client and myself, to be given as gifts. If you would like me to make you something custom, either for a gift or for yourself, drop me a line!
