Thursday, 25th August 2005 (4549 views)

Producing stunning gold jewellery from clay may seem a far-fetched idea but that is precisely what some Chinese jewellers are doing.

Chang Chi-Cheng of De Colour jewellers described this phenomenon to the Tapei Times and revealed how precious metal clay, or PMC, works.

Silver clay contains pure silver power, water and glue and its consistency is an important factor in manufacture as it is easily malleable and mouldable so that amateurs can produce their own jewellery or even sculptures.

PMC saves a lot of time as it eliminates the need for laborious hammering and bending of precious metals.

The clay must be left to dry before being kilned during which the silver crystals fuse together, which only occurs in non-oxidising metals such as silver and gold.

Gold is not so commonly used in clay form as silver is because it is a more expensive metal, however it is capable of undergoing the same processes.

Mr Chang is offering courses at his shop to create a new generation of silversmiths.

 

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