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What's it made of?
All of my designs are hand formed using a variety of metals and techniques.
Sterling Silver is the most well-known silver in the industry.
When Sterling is manufactured, copper or another base metal is added to give the metal strength. This would be something to consider when creating a piece that demands durability such as bracelets or rings.
FYI, the copper in the sterling is the reason why it tarnishes.
Pure Silver
Pure silver is simply beautiful. It is a brighter, lighter color available in sheet metal, wire and clay. Because pure silver does not have copper in it, it is less likely to tarnish.
When I work with silver clay, I use exclusively pure silver and occasionally bronze.. Every piece is made by hand, molded and fired in my kiln. You will often find the numbers .999 on the back of the pure silver pieces. This tells you it is Pure Silver. The clay is composed of .999 silver with .001 binder to hold it all together and making it pliable and easy to form. This allows so many opportunities when it comes to design.
The binder is burned off during the firing leaving absolutely beautiful silver. It's not sugar but it is certainly eye candy.
When working with pure silver, I always use Sterling or Argentium for the
Earwires.
These pieces can also be soldered to other metals to create unique designs.
You will also find a dark patina on some pieces to accentuate the design.
Check out the three earrings on the header. (2025 designs)
The pair on the right was designed with one of my own drawings.
24 KT Gold Fused
You will also find new designs with 24KT fused to the Argentium and also fused to some of my original designs in pure silver metal clay.
The traditional Korean jewellry technique for fusing 24 karat (24K) gold onto fine silver is called Keum-boo.
Keum-boo means “attached gold” and is an ancient method where thin sheets of pure gold are fused to silver using a combination of heat and pressure. This process creates a bond — the gold and silver atoms diffuse at the interface, forming a permanent, durable layer of gold that won’t rub off like flash plating.
The result is a striking contrast between the bright silver and the warm gold,
RETICULATION
Reticulation is working with the heat of the torch creating unique designs by melting and molding the silver. I learned that I love playing with fire and melting things! Below is a sample of Reticulation on Argentium silver.
GRANULATION
Granulation is a process where pieces of metal and flecks can be fused onto a base metal creating a most unique texture.
The second pair of earrings found in the header of this page, is a sample of an earring created using argentium silver, with reticulation, granulation, and 24 KT Keum-boo, and patina to darken, making the design pop. This is one of a series of this style earrings. (2026)
