Precious Metal Clay (PMC) made its first appearance in the 1990’s and has become popular in jewellery making. The clay is a combination of binders and tiny particles of precious metal suspended in the clay.

Once heated, the binders burn off, allowing the particles of metal to combine and resulting in a solid metal piece. The most common type of PMC is silver clay, although gold and even bronze clays are available (the gold clay being very expensive).  Read more... (585 words, 2 images, estimated 2:20 mins reading time)

Tags: Bangle, binders, filigree, Gold Jewellery, impressions, lace, metals, Precious Metal Clay, Remarkable Material, rollers, Shrinkage, Silver Beads, Silver Bracelet, Silver Clay, Specialist Equipment, Textured Surface, Tiny Particles

In the 1990’s scientists in Japan developed a combination of binders and fine metal particles to create a material with the malleable properties of modelling clay, known as Precious Metal Clay (PMC). This product is now available to the jewellery making industry and to hobbyists as well.

PMC is also commonly known as ‘Silver Clay’ which, when heated, turns into pure silver. The binder in the material holds the silver particles together. When fired like normal modelling clay, the binder burns away, allowing the silver particles to bond and form a solid piece of pure silver. The beauty of Silver Clay is that it can be easily used at home with just a few specialist pieces of equipment, and can bring a whole new dimension to your jewellery making techniques.  Read more... (607 words, estimated 2:26 mins reading time)

Tags: Blowtorch, High Temperatures, hobbyists, Jewellery Workshop, Kiln, Metal Particles, Modern Materials, Precious Metal Clay, Precious Metal Clay Pmc, Repair Cracks, Shrinkage, Silver Clay, Silver Particles, Surface Texture