People are often surprised when I tell them that every piece in my shop started life as a soft, grey lump of 'clay'. Silver clay is one of the most magical materials I know, and I'd love to show you how a piece goes from my workbench to your jewellery box.
What is silver clay?
Silver clay is made from tiny particles of pure silver mixed with water and an organic binder. It feels a little like modelling clay, so it can be rolled, shaped, textured and cut by hand. Once it's fired, the binder burns away and the silver particles fuse together, leaving a piece of solid fine silver (99.9% pure).
1. Shaping and texturing
This is my favourite part. I roll the clay out and press real leaves, ferns and flowers into the surface to capture every vein and edge. Many of the textures you see in my pieces come straight from plants I've gathered, like the sage leaf behind my Sage Leaf Pendant.
2. Drying
Once a piece is shaped and cut, it needs to dry completely. At this stage it's still very fragile, and can easily snap.
3. Refining
While it's dry, I carefully sand and file the edges smooth and make any final adjustments. It's much easier to perfect a piece now than after firing.
4. Firing
Next, the piece is fired at a high temperature. I usually use a kiln but sometime I will opt for a small blow torch. The binder burns away and the silver particles fuse into solid metal. The piece shrinks slightly as this happens, so I always make things a touch bigger than the finished size.
5. Finishing
Straight out of the kiln, fine silver looks white and matt. Brushing, burnishing and polishing bring out the shine, and sometimes I add a patina to make the detail in the textures stand out.
Why no two pieces are the same
Because every piece is shaped and textured by hand, using real plants, no two are ever identical. Those small variations are what make handmade jewellery so special. Yours will be the only one exactly like it.