My Precious Metal Clay Adventure Begins…
by Dana C Smith.
(Ocean City, MD)

BIG fine silver clay ring with lab created gems imprinted with scallop shell motif
I have been pondering my foray into creating with metal clay for over a year…I bought several books by makers last winter, and read and read and read.
So this fall a supremely talented jewelry-maker friend and I decided to wade into this new discipline; we went halfsies on a simple beehive kiln and fine silver clay ( along with some forming supplies).

not so big fine silver clay ring with large lab created trillion gem imprinted with herringbone pattern
We were terrified! Neither one of us wanted to use a torch-eek- so electric clay cooking seemed a safer bet!
So, last week, I was the first to take the plunge…massive rings are what I crave to create-with gems-so that’s what I have made to date.

view of Big fine silver ring
Gotta say, though the learning curve is steep, I love the results!
Two are pictured here; one broke in the kiln (did I mention the learning curve?), and this silver clay-crazed crafter is bonkers about my burgeoning skills!

more Big fine silver ring look
Please judge for yourself…these rings are purposely rustic, and probably need more polishing, but I feel that I have found an exciting new outlet!
It ain’t our old Play-Doh, but even more fun!
Dana C Smith
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