Beginning PMC (Precious Metal Clay) - January 25

Ready to try something new? Magical? How about creating a fine silver pendant in a day?

Precious Metal Clay is an organic compound infused with fine silver. You can work it like potters or modeling clay to create your jewelry design. When your creation dries, you have green ware, just like a potter has green ware, and then that green ware goes into a small kiln. This is where the magic happens!

As the kiln heats, the organic materials in the clay burn away, the silver fuses, and you end up with a 99.9% fine silver piece in the shape of your design. Pretty cool, huh?
In this beginners class, we will be working with the silver PMC and creating a fine silver pendant of your own original design.

We will cover:

• Studio safety and ergonomics
• What, exactly, is Precious Metal Clay and some history
• The limitations of it’s use and why thickness matters
• How to form the clay using easily available tools
• The different methods of creating texture in a piece
• How to make a bail
• All about slip
• How to use the kiln and sintering
• Firing times and why there are different ones.
• Finishing processes
• Information about tumbling metal and why it’s important
• How to use a rotary tumbler
  
• How to clean your finished silver pendant.

Details:

• 8 contact hours, ages 14+ located at the Silver Peak Studio Classroom 100.5 E. Cleveland St Lafayette 80026
• Saturday, January 25, 9:00-5:00
• # students: 3 minimum, 6 maximum
• Materials kit fee TBD based on metal market prices at time of class, but can range from $40-$50. This fee is collected at the beginning of class via cash, check, or Venmo.
• Each student will work at their own dedicated jeweler's bench. 
• Prerequisite: none

By registering for a class at Silver Peak Studio, you agree to our cancellation policy, dress code for class, and studio rules.

About the instructor, Alita McMannis

This class will be taught by Alita McManis, owner and designer at Alita Marie Designs. With fifteen years of experience working with PMC, and thirty making jewelry, Alita will teach you all you need to be successful using Precious Metal Clay.

"I started my career in jewelry over 30 years ago, making pieces for friends and family. 2008 brought a move across the country to Virginia, where I joined Floyd Artists Association, a Co-Op gallery in Floyd, VA. I was still doing beading with semi-precious stones at that time, and suddenly there were a million beaders—many horrible, using poor quality items or trying to pass off items from catalogs as their own—and I felt the yearning for something new to feed my creativity.

One day I saw an ad for a class in Precious Metal Clay. I took said class and was an immediate addict. It changed my creativity for the better!

Since late 2008, I have been working with PMC, and when I found out I was to be a grandma, I returned to Arvada in 2013. I owned The Light Rail Gallery in Arvada, which I sold to Ethan Hoekstra, and am now a member of Ethan’s Gallery and Studio, where I am currently showing. I also show at a number of art fairs around the Denver area. 

My inspiration comes from the Earth, Moon, and Stars. We live in such a magical world! The Universe sends me ideas, and my creations are the result. I do my creating in a small studio in Arvada."