Artist: Katherine Prejean

Craft Medium:  Metal Artist's Statement: I use metal clay for creating my main focal point in my handcrafted jewelry Metal Clay is composed of microscopic particles of either silver, bronze, copper or gold which are mixed with water and an organic (naturally occurring) binder creating a pliable material with a consistency similar to pottery or modeling clay. The clay can be worked with the fingers and simple inexpensive tools to create a vast range of forms and surfaces that would be unattainable or laborious with traditional techniques. The clay is rolled, pressed, squeezed, layered and molded into a desired shape. After the finished piece has dried, the object is taken to a specific heat and whatever moisture remains is burned off through a firing process (either in a jewelry kiln or with a torch), leaving a piece that is composed of 99.9% fine silver, copper, bronze, or gold. My handcrafted jewelry pieces are definitely unique, containing tiny marks and faint fingerprints on the back of the piece where I worked and formed the clay. I decided to retain these because it shows that my pendants are made by hand and one of a kind. My pieces are hand stamped, tumbled for smoothness and polished for shine then embellished with freshwater pearls or genuine gemstones.