Get the Scoop of Bronze Metal Clay

There's already been some talk of this on the Jewelry Making Forum, as well as other forums across the Internet - Bronze Metal Clay! It's no news that with the price of gold and silver going up this has caused concern with metal clay jewelry artists as well as those who fabricate with "the hard stuff." Bronze is not only an option that might help cut the cost - an issue surrounding metal clay even before the rise in metals - it is also another possibility for adding totally different looks to your finished metal clay jewelry designs. So, the excitement about this new product is very understandable.

So far, it's not available for resale, so there's a lot of mystery surrounding it. How much will it cost? What is it like to work with? How do you fire it? How different is it from silver and gold metal clays? What is the percentage of shrinkage after firing?

The latest issue of Art Jewelry magazine (July 2008/$6.95) has a six page spread that looks at this new metal clay and attempts to answer many of these questions. It is a fairly detailed article written by Hazel Wheaton, one of the editors of the magazine, and covers firing, drying, cutting, repairing, polishing, and much more. There are also, of course, some finished pieces pictured made by experienced metal clay artist who have had the honor of testing it out.

I found my copy at the newsstand of my local bookstore, but you can also order a copy on-line if you don't already subscribe to this publication.