PMC stands for Precious Metal Clay, a mouldable material that can be used to create beautiful handmade jewellery designs. PMC is a crafting medium that is a clay solution made up of small particles of silver, gold, bronze or copper along with a mixture of organic binder and water. This gives it a flexible texture, so that it may be worked with and formed into various designs.
Precious Metal Clay originated in Japan in 1990 and has been used by professional jewellery makers and those new to the jewellery making world ever since to create custom-made pendants that can be affixed to a necklace chain, earrings or charm bracelet. You can also use it to create beautifully designed rings. Precious Metal Clay has given jewellery makers the opportunity to create professional-looking pendants that can have more detail added to them than it would be possible to add to metal jewellery created in the traditional way. All of this can be done without needing to take years of jewellery making classes because Precious Metal Clay is very easy and simple to work with. However there are some jewellery making classes around that can help you understand the basics of working with this unique material, so that you can start creating beautiful handmade jewellery in no time.
PMC can be shaped by hand, or you can use a mould to hold the design in place in order for it to dry. After the clay has dried, it can then be heated using several different methods - one of the most popular being to heat it with a kiln.
Another method is to use a handheld gas torch. These are frequently used in jewellery making, and help to burn away all of the organic binder so that you will be left with a smooth, shiny finish in the end.
PMC is made from precious metal powder that is made up of microscopic particles of pure silver or other fine metals. The first Precious Metal Clay that was created was in gold metal form; silver was created later on and has quickly become just as popular as its gold counterpart. The original formula (which is now known as the standard formula) shrinks down by 30 per cent when heated. PMC plus is also available, which only shrinks by 15 per cent. PMC3 offers an even better solution by only shrinking down by 10 per cent, allowing you to be more precise with the size of your creations.
By creating jewellery using Precious Metal Clay, you will be able to make any type of design that you desire using moulds or by hand. If you are not particularly confident in your ability to create designs out of clay, you can always take a class that will help you become more familiar with working with PMC materials. Once you've built up your skills, you may be able to sell your handmade jewellery designs to make a reasonable side income for yourself.
PMC is a great tool for jewellery makers because it is so flexible, yet it can allow you to create amazing, professional looking results in the end. If you would like to try your hand at jewellery making, then working with gold or silver products would be a good place to start.
PMC, which stands for Precious Metal Clay, was created in Japan in the early 1990s. The material allows jewellery makers to create creations made from real precious metals. Another popular product, which is very similar, is Art Clay.