Crafting a silver necklace using PMC3

This is where PMC3, or precious metal clay, comes into play, since it is one of the most common materials used to make jewellery, and is remarkably effective when it comes to doing its job. As with any clay, PMC3 is very malleable and can be formed into all sorts of parts.

PMC3 clay starts off in a globule form, much like normal clay. It is produced by combining tiny flakes of silver or gold with a binding material, and water to help it be malleable when in the hands of a jewellery maker – professional or amateur. This form is very much like clay, except it has a silvery sheen to it. This is the rawest form of PMC3 and probably the cheapest, since it needs to be formed by craftsmen and refined into what resembles the jewellery you see in jewellery stores.

But it’s hard to imagine this glob of PMC3 becoming a beautiful silver necklace, so how exactly is that done?

First, when making a silver necklace, the craftsmen don’t use PMC3, but rather polymer clay to form the prototype. This gives them an idea of what they’re looking to make, and a reference for the PMC3, without wasting expensive materials. It’s standard procedure with a lot of crafting techniques. The prototype should be about thirty per cent larger than the final design you’re looking for, as the finishing stages will cause it to shrink down and burn away the excess stuff it doesn’t need. With this in mind, once the prototype is completed it should be baked in the oven to give it a finishing sheen.

Once the prototype is out and you are satisfied with its design you simply roll out another ball of polymer clay, laying a sheet of wax paper over it. With a book or other heavy, flat object without impressions, you flatten the ball until it’s a quarter of an inch thick. Then you take your hardened prototype necklace and press it into the wax paper. Make sure to do this directly as when you use this mold to shape the PMC3 you don’t want flaws in the design because it was angled or something.

Finally remove the PMC3 itself from its packaging. Cook the mold and then, once it’s cooled, place the PMC3 into it. Make sure to leave a hole for the necklace chain to be slotted through by poking a hole in the PMC3 itself with a needle. Back the lot of it in the oven so that it solidifies and then give it a finishing polish. This is the finished product, and if everything went well it should be exactly how you designed it using the prototype. You should be left with a beautiful piece of art; a unique silver necklace thanks to your use of PMC3 at home.

A material used by many an amateur jewellery maker, PMC3 is very easy to mold. This article details the steps involved in the creation of a silver necklace with this particular material - click here for even more ideas.

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