JEWELRY DESIGNS FROM NATURE
BY JEWELRY DESIGNER RAYMOND DESCOTEAUX
What is PMC (Precious Metal Clay)?
Precious Metal Clay is a patented material developed by the Mitsubishi Materials Corporation of Japan in the early 1990s. The principle ingredient in PMC is tiny metal particles only 20 microns in diameter. As a point of reference, it would take as many as 25 of these particles to make up a single grain of table salt. The rest of the material consists of water and organic (natural occurring) binder. After firing in a kiln, both the water and binder have been completely removed, so PMC may be hallmarked as will assay as .999 pure. Dried-out PMC or unwanted fired objects can be refined just like conventional precious metal.
The process leaves a metal that is less dense than conventional sheet or wire. This means that a piece of jewelry made of PMC is lighter than the same piece made by fabrication or casting. Because it is less dense, PMC is not recommended for application that requires high tensile strength such as findings. Findings are the clasp, pin stem and joint located on the back of a piece of jewelry that will be used as a pin, so one can pin it to material. PMC is available in two versions: standard PMC, which provides the best modeling and greater shrinkage characteristic, and PMC+, which is denser, has less shrinkage and offers several firing options. Three years after introducing PMC, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation developed a second version called PMC+ Both kinds of clay are worked with the same tools fired in the same kiln, and can be finished exactly the same way. The only difference is that PMC+ has a different firing schedule and it shrinks less
Silver Clay (PMC) represents a dramatic development in the handling of precious metals. It's a pliable material with a consistency similar to modeling clay. Silver clay can be worked with the fingers, and with simple tools to create a vast range of forms and surfaces unobtainable or laborious with traditional techniques. When it is heated to a high temperature, the binder burns away and the metal particles fuse to form solid metal that can be sanded, soldered, colored and polished like conventional material.
I have sold many of my one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, in a frame as you will see below. I feel when a person purchases an expensive piece of art it should be displayed on the wall, along with that expensive painting and not in a jewelry chest or draw.
BY JEWELRY DESIGNER RAYMOND DESCOTEAUX
What is PMC (Precious Metal Clay)?
Precious Metal Clay is a patented material developed by the Mitsubishi Materials Corporation of Japan in the early 1990s. The principle ingredient in PMC is tiny metal particles only 20 microns in diameter. As a point of reference, it would take as many as 25 of these particles to make up a single grain of table salt. The rest of the material consists of water and organic (natural occurring) binder. After firing in a kiln, both the water and binder have been completely removed, so PMC may be hallmarked as will assay as .999 pure. Dried-out PMC or unwanted fired objects can be refined just like conventional precious metal.
The process leaves a metal that is less dense than conventional sheet or wire. This means that a piece of jewelry made of PMC is lighter than the same piece made by fabrication or casting. Because it is less dense, PMC is not recommended for application that requires high tensile strength such as findings. Findings are the clasp, pin stem and joint located on the back of a piece of jewelry that will be used as a pin, so one can pin it to material. PMC is available in two versions: standard PMC, which provides the best modeling and greater shrinkage characteristic, and PMC+, which is denser, has less shrinkage and offers several firing options. Three years after introducing PMC, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation developed a second version called PMC+ Both kinds of clay are worked with the same tools fired in the same kiln, and can be finished exactly the same way. The only difference is that PMC+ has a different firing schedule and it shrinks less
Silver Clay (PMC) represents a dramatic development in the handling of precious metals. It's a pliable material with a consistency similar to modeling clay. Silver clay can be worked with the fingers, and with simple tools to create a vast range of forms and surfaces unobtainable or laborious with traditional techniques. When it is heated to a high temperature, the binder burns away and the metal particles fuse to form solid metal that can be sanded, soldered, colored and polished like conventional material.
I have sold many of my one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, in a frame as you will see below. I feel when a person purchases an expensive piece of art it should be displayed on the wall, along with that expensive painting and not in a jewelry chest or draw.
