Playing with clay is more fun when it contains pure silver.

Creating pure silver rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and all kinds of jewelry is as easy as playing with clay according to Becky Machinski, owner of Hope Creations in Palmerton, a shop that sells handcrafted gifts in the front and features a bead shop in the rear. 

Also in the rear is the workshop where Machinski teaches classes in Silver Clay, a clay-like material made up of water, an organic binder, and fine particles of 99.99 percent pure silver. Sterling Silver in comparison, contains 92.5 percent silver. After forming, the Silver Clay is heated to drive off the water and organic material, and what remains is pure silver. 

Machinski teaches classes in Silver Clay. Gold Clay is also manufactured but it is extremely expensive and far less popular. The Silver Clay comes in three forms: clay material in 10 to 50 gram (a gram is 1/28 ounce) sealed packets, in a pre-filled syringe that is used like a pen to apply fine lines of the material, and a paste—used to repair faults that are detected after firing. 

A 25-gram packet, about the size of a silver dollar, which is enough material to craft a pendant, four pairs of earrings, or a ring and earrings, currently retails for under $40. 

Machinski learned about Silver Clay while attending a bead show. She constantly takes classes so that she can share what she learns through classes she teaches at her shop. She studied the art form for several months with a senor teacher and now is certified to teach classes. 

Machinski attended the Rhode Island School of Design, and gradated University Colorado at Boulder where she majored in painting. While in college, she worked in a jewelry shop and fell in love with jewelry design, crafts and especially, beadwork. 

Here’s how to make a project in Silver Clay. First come up with a design. Then, gather your materials together: the Silver Clay, a non-stick surface to work on, any stones that will become set in the silver, and tools for working the clay. 

Because the Silver Clay begins to dry as soon as it is removed from its sealed packet, working time can be in the 15 to 20 minute range. To extend the working time, a small portion may be worked at a time and the rest misted with water and sealed in plastic wrap. Machinski coats her hands with an olive oil and beeswax compound, Badger Balm, to reduce he tendency of the material to dry through contact with the hands. 

The Silver Clay is worked like any clay material. A thin rectangular strip can wrap around a cork mandrill to form a ring. When the Silver Clay is heated, the cork mandrill and organic binder are burned off, and the material shrinks. One brand, Art Clay has a shrinkage of 8 to 10 percent. This requires the unfired rings to be made one and one half sizes larger. 

The jewelry object can be fashioned in any shape. Using a cork sphere, the Silver Clay can be fashioned to form a shell—which becomes hollow when the cork is burned away. Once a ring is formed, or to create an open space design around a sphere, or to create writing on the item, The Silver Clay filled syringe is used. It allows the artist to meter out a fine bead of the material to create an intricate design. 

The completed design is placed in a dehydrator for half an hour to harden the item by removing moisture. In this state, the artist uses abrasive cloths of increasing fineness to polish the surface. The polished item is placed in the kiln and heated to 1472 degrees F in a process called sintering that burns away the organic materials fusing the silver particles without melting them. 

The finished items are inspected. If cracks formed during the kiln process, they can be repaired with Silver Clay paste. If there is no problem, the items are placed in a tumbler for several hours to remove the oxides formed in the kiln and to polish the surface. 

How does Machinski feel about Silver Clay? “I love it,” she said. “It is an addiction. I love playing with clay. I love how it relaxes me when I do so. I love to make freehand designs and that it is both an art and a science.” 

That’s why she is telling people, “Go for it, When do you want to come and play with clay with me?” 

What can you do with the Silver Clay, she was asked. “It’s up to your imagination,” she replied. 

The next Silver Clay class is Friday evening, Feb. 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hope Creations, 415 Delaware Ave., Palmerton. Reserve by calling 610-824-7277.