More precious metal clay fine silver earrings

I finally got around to finishing the precious metal clay earrings that I'd made in my pmc class. Working with pmc is fun, but it requires a lot of filing and fine tuning to get the rough edges out of the finished product. But here are my three new pairs of pmc earrings:

When making the leaf earrings, I tried to make the leaves look as realistic as possible. Many people will cover actual leaves with a pmc slurry; the leaf then burns away when fired, leaving a leaf cast. However, I made these freehand and carved out the little veins myself.

The square earrings have a fun geometric pattern in them. That was me just playing around with shapes and textures, but I think they look a bit tribal.

I also textured the triangle earrings with what looks like a pattern of scales. Looking at them on this page, the earrings really look like little fins or dragon tails!

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations.

Funky fine silver earrings made of pmc

I had so much fun in my precious metal clay class! Working with this material is just so relaxing and you can do so much with it. The class was tiny (only four people), but our teacher was great and the other students were interesting.

I managed to make so many pieces during the six week semester and was admittedly very business-minded. I wasn't too experimental; I made many pendants and earrings, things that people would actually wear and that I could sell. The other students, however, made some crazy stuff! One woman made a small pmc basket and then filled it with little baby figurines (which she attached using resin). And just because it wasn't creepy enough, she filled their eyes with cubic zirconias. Meanwhile, the guy in our class had this plan to make a piece with doll eyes (what is it with creepy doll parts?), but ended up making pmc thistles and peanuts. He did so by covering the items with thick coats of pmc slurry; then when you bake them, the items burn out and the precious metal clay cast of the item is left over. Neat!

I felt a little boring making my pretty earrings, but I just wasn't up for making pmc clown heads or something. I wanted something a bit more ... mainstream. Still, I did joke about my items. They had to be dried before they could be put in the kiln so we'd stick our pieces in a toaster for a few minutes. So I'd say things like, "Time to bake the butterflies," or "Time to cook the cat heads." I think we all had a macabre sense of humor!

Here are some of the fine silver earrings I made in this class, all of which I listed at MayaGirl Creations:

I definitely plan to take another pmc class come October when the Y resumes classes. I don't understand why it isn't more popular, but hey, more equipment for me!

To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations. To purchase my grownup jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs.

Fine silver pendant necklaces made of precious metal clay

For as much time as it took me to make pieces in metalsmithing, working with precious metal clay means more "instant" gratification. Sure, skill and time are still necessary if you want to complete a nice piece, but the process is so much quicker, which I love. The way precious metal clay works is when you fire it, you burn out the water and binder ... leaving a pure silver piece of jewelry. It's very cool.

I've now made several pieces from pmc. Here is a look at them:

This one has kind of a tribal inspired design. The shape is a little rough and organic looking, but I think it works with the bold swirls.

This is my music lovers' pendant into which I carved a treble clef and music notes. It's simple, but pretty.

Here's my kitty cat pendant necklace. I'm proud to say that I carved the cat freehand -- no stencils or patterns or cutters were used to make him.

These are my favorite so far of my pmc jewelry. These little discs are so simple, but delicate and the little design adds some texture.

I already have ideas for my next few pieces, so stay tuned! To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations.