Creating handmade jewelry began for me several years ago with a small collection of faceted gemstones and some classes in geology and gemology. My traditional jewelry then was made primarily with gemstone beads and precious metals. Today metal clays have given me the ability to hand-fabricate one-of-a-kind textural pieces that I combine with genuine gemstones. I’m particularly fond of geometric shapes, the contrast between oxidized and high gloss silver, and floral designs and coils. Metal clays are made from reclaimed metal particles, such as silver from computers and cell phones, water, and a bonding agent. Once the jewelry piece is created and dried it is fired in a kiln so that the bonding agent burns off and you are left with pure metal.
