Tag Archives: Pure Silver

Limeyellow Sari Silk Focal Neckpiece

This neckpiece is a collection of recycled elements! The lime and yellow sari silk in the centre focal piece, is factory waste that I buy from women in India. Some of the tiny treasures I have unearthed among the scraps are gorgeous.

Neckpiece by Annie Desantis
Limeyellow Sari Silk Focal neckpiece
by Annie Desantis

The silk is wrapped with enameled copper wire around a square hammered copper wire piece made from recycled electrical wire with a hammered solder bead (blob actually!)

Neckpiece closeup by Annie Desantis
Limeyellow SariSilk Focal Neckpiece (closeup)
by Annie Desantis

The lower circle is wound with teeny tiny wires I reclaim from old speakers, hammered, then partly wrapped in pure silver wire and hung with tiny recycled lemon yellow glass beads. These tiny glass beads are hand made in sand with fire from crushed glass in Africa. No fancy kilns or even electricity! Amazing how creative people always find ways to work, but more importantly these tiny treasures are their livelihood.

The dangle on the right hand side is a hammered piece of brass found in my local scrap yard, threaded with another tiny lemon recycled hand made bead.

The chain is made from individual hammered curly links, with a leather thong around the neck, attached with pure silver wrapping and two more tiny lemon recycled glass beads.

Fine Silver SpiralCircle Earrings

These dainty fine silver earrings are made from PMC – precious metal clay. This wondrous stuff is made from recycled or reclaimed silver ground into a clay binder. This opens up so many possibilities for creating jewelry – carved, stamped, rolled, shaped. The clay binder burns off on firing and we are left with pure silver.

Fine Silver (PMC) Earrings by Annie Desantis
Fine Silver (PMC) Earrings
by Annie Desantis

The small circles are shaped and cut and stamped with a spiral pattern before firing. Threaded with a recycled red glass bead on hand made sterling silver ear wires.

The patina is added in the recesses as a final step to make the spiral pattern pop – then the earrings are polished and protected with micro crystalline wax.

Fine Silver (PMC) Earrings by Annie Desantis
Fine Silver circlespiral earrings (PMC)
by Annie Desantis

Floral Heart Earrings

These earrings are made from pure silver precious metal clay (PMC). I have fallen in love with PMC the possibilities are endless! PMC is reclaimed silver from silver nitrate in old films. Ground into a clay binder it can then be worked like porcelain clay. So suits my recycling criteria perfectly.

Pure Silver foral heart earrings
Pure Silver (PMC) floral heart earrings
by Annie Desantis

After shaping, carving or stamping, it is left to dry, then sanded and cleaned up before firing. Firing burns off the clay binder and we are left with pure silver.

The floral heart earrings are attached to sterling silver earwires which is a bit more robust than pure silver. I add patina, and polish to get the gorgeous pattern more defined.