Precious Metal Clay
Alchemy [al-cuh-mee] - any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value.
Uniquely Yours jewellery run workshops and produce their commission pieces using a process that has been likened to alchemy. It is a relatively new art using precious metal or art clay silver. The clay is actually a polymer, containing a very high quantity of silver particles bound together using a binding agent and water.
The precious metal clay is shaped and moulded just like ordinary clay to produce intricate designs and forms. The clay can be mixed with other materials such as precious and semi-precious stones, dichroic glass, gold accents and sterling silver to produce a unique piece every time. The shaped, set and dried clay is then fired to burn off the organic binder leaving a fine silver piece which is ready to receive a variety of finishing techniques.
All Uniquely Yours jewellery is made from 'fine silver' and refers to the fact that precious metal or art clay produces pieces that are 99.9% pure silver, this has a higher silver content than standard sterling silver. Sterling silver is a metal alloy mixed commonly with copper or other metals and has a total silver content of 92.5%.
All jewellery made during a workshop or privately commissioned can be sent to the Assay Office (in our case the Birmingham Assay Office) to have the purity of the metal tested and receive a hallmark stamp of 999. Please note that the 999 stamp is only given to pieces made from fine silver, if the piece also incorporates sterling silver than the lower grade stamp of 925 is given.