In this Saturday workshop led by certified metal clay artist Terri Hickey, you will learn to create jewelry using silver PMC (precious metal clay).  Rolling, texturing, cutting, finishing, polishing and adding a patina.  Your kit will include a 16 G pack of PMC 3, ear wires (enough to make a pendant and pair of earrings, or two pairs of earrings.)   The tools needed will be provided by the instructor.  Chains will be available to purchase if required.   During this five hour workshop, Terri will give an introduction and explanation of PMC, demonstrate each step of the process.  A lunch break will take place while the pieces fire in the kiln.  The registration cost of this workshop is $100.00 and must be prepaid, and an additional kit fee of $40.00 is to be paid to the instructor on the day of the workshop.  The fee may vary slightly according to silver prices.  PMC 3 has a fine silver rating .99  Variations in shape and texture are available.  Registration Deadline is August 11, 2018; this workshop is limited to 6 students.

Terri Hickey had a B.S in Fashion Merchandising and Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and spent some years in the fashion world on both the design and manufacturing sides of the business. After many years of being a stay-at-home-Mom, Terri decided to head back to the drawing board and resume classes. She got sidetracked along the way by the exciting new world of Precious Metal Clay. Always a lover of jewelry, she immediately recognized how easily her design skills could merge with the properties of metal clay and her jewelry career was off and running. Now a certified metal clay artist, her jewelry has branched out in several directions to include chain maille, dichroic glass, and traditional metal work.

Metal clay is a crafting medium consisting of tiny particles of metal such as silver, gold, bronze, or copper mixed with an organic binder and water for use in making jewelry, beads and small sculptures. Originating in Japan in 1990, metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, the clay can be fired in a variety of ways such as in a kiln, with a handheld gas torch, or on a gas stove, depending on the type of clay and the metal in it. The binder burns away, leaving the pure sintered metal. Shrinkage of between 8% and 30% occur (depending on the product used). Alloys such as bronze, sterling silver, and steel also are available.

PMC Workshop Project with Terri Hickey