About Metal Clay |
Metal clay is a clay-like medium used to make jewelry, beads and small sculpture. It consists of very small particles of precious metals (such as silver, gold or platinum) mixed with an organic binder and water. Metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, it can be fired in a variety of ways including in a kiln, with a handheld gas torch, or on a gas stove. The binder burns away, leaving the pure metal. Silver metal clay results in objects containing .999 pure silver - aka fine silver. There are two popular brands of this material, Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and Art Clay Silver (ACS).
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Source: Wikipedia's Metal Clay page
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The PMC pieces from Artisans are made using all of the forms of PMC. Some are sculpted and layered cut outs from rolled clay. Rubber stamps may be used to impress a pattern or image on the clay. The leaves are made using the "slip" form of PMC, painting it in layers on the back of the leaf until thick enough, then fired in the kiln - burning off the natural leaf and leaving the fine silver impression, which is then polished and perhaps colored with a patina.
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About Argentium® Sterling Silver |
| Tarnish is the term given to the lustre-destroying discoloration of metal surfaces, which is formed by exposure to, or contact with, sulphur compounds in the atmosphere and sulphur-containing materials/substances. Argentium® Silver alloys contain a small quantity of germanium. The germanium oxidises preferentially to the silver and copper in Argentium® Silver, to form a transparent germanium oxide surface layer. This protective oxide gives excellent tarnish resistance. |
Cleaning Argentium® Silver: Goddard's Silver cloths (www.goddards.com) and Tiffany & Co. mitts (www.tiffany.com) are recommended. |
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