Metal clay is the medium in which I work with to make your treasured keepsake jewelry. Fine silver metal clay was introduced in Japan in the early 1990's by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and finally made it's way to America around 1995. Since then, there are many other companies offering metal clay, and it is now also available in gold, bronze, copper and steel.
Metal Clay is made from powdered metal combined with an organic binder and water. It can be modeled, molded, or sculpted then when heated to a high temperature in a kiln, the binder burns away, and the metal particles sinter (or fuse) into solid metal. I work with numerous forms of metal clay and they contain the following properties:
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Metal Clay is made from powdered metal combined with an organic binder and water. It can be modeled, molded, or sculpted then when heated to a high temperature in a kiln, the binder burns away, and the metal particles sinter (or fuse) into solid metal. I work with numerous forms of metal clay and they contain the following properties:
- Fine Silver is .999 fine silver after firing. It is a bright silver and tarnishes less quickly than sterling silver.
- Sterling Silver is .960 silver after firing. Standard sterling is .925, but I use a higher percentage of fine silver to help hinder tarnishing as quickly. Sterling silver is a bit harder than fine silver and is recommend for bracelets, keychains, rings, or anything else that will get bumped around more.
- Gold metal clay is equivalent to 18k gold in terms of strength. It is very expensive so it is not widely used by metal clay artists. Some silver items are plated with gold, which is usually 22k or 24k gold.
- Bronze is solid bronze after firing. It is not as bright as gold, but is gold toned. While I protect all base metals with a sealant, bronze may patina over time.
- Brilliant Bronze is solid bronze after firing. This bronze is as close to gold color as you can get with base metal. While I protect all base metals with a sealant, bronze may patina over time.
- Rose Bronze is solid bronze after firing. This bronze has a pink tint to it...not as bright as copper, but somewhere between bronze and copper. While I protect all base metals with a sealant, bronze may patina over time.
- Copper is solid copper after firing. I typically leave the copper in its natural state, but it can be antiqued for a more rustic look. While I protect all base metals with a sealant, bronze may patina over time.
- Steel is solid steel after firing. This metal is very lightweight and very strong and durable. The color can vary from light gray to almost black, depending on the process. It has a silver tone to it, but is not as bright as silver. Steel is protected with a sealant to prevent rust and is not recommend to be worn in water at all.
- White Satin is a unique combination of iron, copper and tin. This metal is also very lightweight and very strong and durable. The color can vary from dark silver to light gray to dark gray. When polished to a high polish it has a silver tone, but is not as bright as silver. White Satin is protected with a sealant to prevent rust and is not recommend to be worn in water at all.
I sincerely thank you for visiting A Timeless Impression and invite you to subscribe to my mailing list, where you will be notified of new products, special promotions and new events.
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