My dad was really sick a few years ago, so I went to Florida to be with him before he died. A girlfriend of mine from sixth grade, Maribeth, was back in town, too. Maribeth decided I needed a break from everything and she invited me over to make jewelry. Mitsubishi is making a silver clay out of their leftover computer silver, called PMC or Precious Metal Clay. You roll it out like cookie dough, design your piece, dry it and cook it in a kiln at 1110 degrees for thirty minutes. It is so fun. Now I’m using Art Clay because it costs less, but is basically the same material.
When I was in high school I made copper enamel jewelry in shop class. Making silver jewelry is just as rewarding and fun. Now I teach classes and sell my pieces locally. My Valentine pieces sold well, and I’m also selling school spirit pieces we’re the Huskys – Go Dawgs!
Within a year I have a viable hobby I love. I’m not getting rich or making a living, but I am paying for my fun.
Unbaked clay:
After firing, the clay looks white but now its all solid silver (99.9%, no copper). Now the price of silver has skyrocketed, with the war. I plan my pieces more carefully. I have started melting more glass to wrap the silver around so that I use less silver. I can cut small slivers of dichroic glass and put them together in patchwork styles, or just cut the dichroic into different shapes. And there is a new copper clay, and it costs a tenth of the silver! I still want to get back to enameling, so I may try that next. A local store in Moro, Yesterday and Today, sells my pieces for me, and The Dalles Art Center showed my art in July 20o9.
Shine it up ( I use a rock tumbler) and sell it!
I add resin to some of the paw pieces, since our school colors are black and orange.
My girlfriend Maribeth and me at the PMC conference in Purdue, summer 2007.
