Material Information Sheet

WHAT IS PRECIOUS METAL CLAY?

PMC or Precious Metal Clay, is a clay based craft material made from tiny metal particles, an organic binding agent and water, hich can be modeled and shaped just like normal clay.

Originating in Japan in 1990, metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. It can be rolled flat, shaped, molded, textured, carved, sanded, filed and formed.

Once dried and fired to a high temperature it becomes a solid piece of sintered metal at which point it is formed and polished like standard metals. The PMC silver used in my artwork is 99.9% pure silver.

WHAT IS POLYMER CLAY?

Polymer clay is vinyl, similar to what makes many plastic items today. You might also know this material as Fimo, Sculpey, sculpty, or polyclay.

All flexible vinyl, whether it’s a doll or the insulation on electrical wires, starts the same. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is mixed with plasticizer, stabilizer, lubricant, and pigments. It’s then shaped and heated to form a solid material. It never dries out and hardens when you cure it in a home oven. It comes in a vast range of colors that can be mixed together as you do with paint. You can mold it, sculpt with it, and shape it in infinite ways.

After curing, polymer clay can be carved, sanded, painted, polished, or enjoyed as-is. It’s durable, strong, lightweight, comfortable to wear as jewelry, and incredibly versatile. Originally used solely by children, in the hands of fine artists it has become a medium for making everything from simple figures to complex art installations. The end result is guided by the skill and imagination of the artist.

Complex patterns are often intricate constructions made with multiple colors that are fashioned into one of a kind creations. It is a safe material to work with and use and wear, but is not recommended for food containers.

WHAT IS VIKING KNIT?

Viking knit is actually the oldest form of jewelry making known to date. Examples have been found at archaeological sites across the globe, but pieces found at a site in Scandinavia dated to 800-900AD are responsible for this technique’s namesake.

Viking knit is not actually a form of knitting at all, and the process is much closer to naelbinding (think about those little plastic mushroom looking tools you probably made yarn cords with as a kid). Viking Knit is a series of linked rings formed with a length of successively looped wire resulting in a long tube which is then stretched.

The flexible wire “chain’ was used to make bracelets, trim on clothes and other decorative items. It is considered weaving in most handmade circles. It’s a semi easy technique to learn, but is very labor intensive when compared to most other chain-making techniques.

Viking knit is now often used to complement a one of a kind piece of art jewelry, giving it a distinction lifted well above a simple chain