The Process

Taking a plain piece of silver clay or metal, then turning it into a unique item of jewellery is such an enjoyable process.  I make the majority of my pieces from either fine silver metal clay or sterling silver sheet metal/wire.  I use recycled precious metals in all of my pieces.

​

Using my ever growing collection of tools, I hand cut, shape, hammer, solder and fuse my silver into unique designs.  Everything is made by hand so no two pieces are exactly the same.

​

The silver clay I use consists of fine (999) silver particles mixed together with natural pulp fibres.  I use various techniques to mould, cut and make impressions in the clay, working carefully to ensure the clay stays well hydrated until the piece is fully formed.  When dried, the clay is carefully sanded and fired at 900 degrees Celsius to sinter the fine silver particles together, while natural pulp fibres are burnt off until only pure silver remains. Despite being true silver at this stage, the items still appear to look like clay due to the fine crystalline structure on their surface.  I then burnish each piece, which flattens down the surface, revealing the silver shine.  This is my favourite part of the whole process! With a few strokes of a brass brush, an item will appear to magically change from a dull piece of clay to a beautiful shinning piece of fine silver!

I file, sand and polish all of my pieces by hand and if necessary, attach jewellery findings such as earring posts and jump rings, soldering with eco silver solder or fusing argentium  recycled sterling silver.  I use environmentally friendly pickle solutions (as an alternative to standard harsh chemical pickles) to remove oxidation to clean my pieces post-soldering.  If I want to intentionally oxidise a piece of silver to create a blackened effect, I use an all natural process.

​