This is my second attempt with Precious Metal Clay (PMC3) and this time I used almost an entire package to make a floral pendant.

It was just as much fun as the first try!

It may look complex, but if you can cut out shapes and do simple sculpting in polymer clay, you can make this pendant.

Well, you also need to be able to handle a torch. <g> But that’s not hard, it just requires care and attention to detail.

About Precious Metal Clay

• PMC3 comes in 5, 15, 25 and 50 gram packages
• 15 grams ($50 in April 2023) was enough to make this 12 gram floral pendant, with a little slip and about a 1/4″ ball left over
• A 5 gram package is $23 right now, and will let you juuust dip your toes in
• The price goes up and down with the market price of silver, so you may want to keep an eye on it and pick some up when the price is low (Go to RioGrande.com to see the daily prices of gold, silver and platinum)
• If you buy a different type of precious metal clay be absolutely certain that it is able to be torch fired! (Unless you already have a kiln in which you can fire it)

You’ll need a smooth work surface, this can be:

• A plastic mat
• A laminate countertop
• Teflon sheets – I cut a Teflon sheet into small pieces so I can easily move each project around

Many common polymer clay supplies work with metal clay:

If you are a polymer clayer, you will already have many of these items on hand.

• Polymer clay to practice
• Acrylic roller or small rolling pin
• Clay blade
• Craft knife
• Needle tool
• Clay sculpting tools
• Sculpey Mini Geometric set
• Ball tool

Household items:

You may have many of these things around your house already.

If not, they can all be found at either a craft store or the Dollar Store.

• Olive oil, for keeping clay from sticking to hands and tools
• Small spray bottle of water, for keeping clay hydrated
  • If you are going to be keeping your clay for any length of time, add 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar per cup of water to prevent mold developing in your clay 
• Small paint palette with wells for holding olive oil, water, slip and paste 
• Small airtight storage containers
• Small terra-cotta pot (soak in water)
• Saucer or plate to put terra-cotta pot on (cannot be unglazed terra-cotta)
• Or, you can simply wrap your clay in plastic wrap, (But the terra-cotta “humidifier” seems a bit more convenient to me)
• Bit of sponge
• Deck of playing cards (See the video: How to Roll Even Polymer Clay Sheets WITHOUT a Pasta Machine for a helpful trick for using them.)
• Sheet of plain paper, for catching sanding dust
• Small paintbrushes
• Emery boards
• Four in one nail buffing block

Things I got that are useful, but not absolutely necessary

• Rubber bench block
• PMC shrinkage ruler
• A candle warmer to quickly dry the clay

For firing your clay and finishing into a fine silver piece of jewelry:

• Small butane torch
• Butane fuel for torch
• Heat safe surface, such as an old cookie sheet, found at thrift store
• Firing surface such as charcoal block or ceramic fire brick
• Bowl of water for quenching
• Cross lock tweezers
• Safety glasses
• Brass brush
• 3M polishing papers
• Agate burnisher (There are also stainless steel burnishers, and some folks simply use the back of a stainless steel teaspoon.)
• Pro polish pads

I didn’t have, but wish I had:

• A kiln! (Saving my pennies to get one someday.)

Books, classes, etc. for further exploration and inspiration:

I looked at a LOT of resources to learn about metal clay, these are my favorites.

• Torch Fired Precious Metal Clay – A video course on Craftsy that is FULL of helpful info, well worth the price
• Silver Metal Clay: Adding Stones & Dimension – Another, slightly more advanced course on Craftsy
• I Love Silver website – lots of metal clay videos, many of them free
• The Art of Metal Clay by Sherri Haab (anything by Sherri is great!)
• Magical Metal Clay Jewelry by Sue Heaser
• Silver Clay Workshop by Melanie Blaikie
• Metal Clay In A Day by Tammy Garner
• My Metal Clay board on Pinterest, which I frequently add to

Please note that this info is based on my research and observations as a VERY NEW user of metal clay.

I am in no way an expert!

If you plan to explore this amazing material for yourself, please be sure to do your own reading and study before beginning.

Enjoy the video. Happy creating!

Watch the Easy Metal Clay Jewelry-Sculpt FINE SILVER Flowers video on YouTube.