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Pure Silver in Clay Form - The Reality of Technology Education for the 21st Century

Anne-Marie Grace, Director, Art Clay New Zealand Limited
Ingrid Schloemer, Havelock North Instructor for Art Clay NZ Ltd and well respected artisan

Art Clay Silver has been in New Zealand for four years and is therefore relatively "new".  Almost everyone who hears about it and particularly sees or uses it is fascinated by it.  The fact that it is a recycled product (silver is recycled from the back of used film and x-rays) and really is 99.9% silver in clay form shows great technological advancement.  No longer do students have to spend hours sawing and filing to make a piece of silver jewellery.  This is a totally non-toxic, environmentally friendly product.

For the purpose of this conference I think it would be best to demonstrate the flexibility of our products.

Firstly I would demonstrate how to make a pure silver leaf by 'painting' the back of a fresh leaf from the garden with the silver paste.  Layers are built up and then the whole piece is fired including the leaf at which time the leaf burns away to ash and a pure silver exact replica is left.  Firing takes 5 minutes in the kiln.

We can also demonstrate taking an object like a shell from the beach and making a mould from it.  We have a unique moulding material from Japan called Oyumaru which can be heated with a hairdryer until it softens.  You then press your shell in to the Oyumaru until it hardens which takes around 5 minutes.  Remove your shell from the Oyumaru and then you have a mould which you can use to replicate the shell in silver.  Press the clay in to the mould and then gently remove the clay from the mould.  Dry, sand and then fire and polish your piece.  Another perfect example from nature, now in silver.

Textures can also be made easily using Art Clay Silver so we can demonstrate the use of texture plates to create texture, using pre made moulds and how to add other embellishments such as stones. 

We can also demonstrate different ways to finish the silver such as a brushed matt finish a highly polished finish and an oxidised finish – all done using hand tools (not machines).
I can also ask one of the teachers who have used our product with her students in the classroom to speak about her experiences with her students and how they have incorporated it in to their curriculum.

Intended Audience

All Technology teachers who have in the past, taught jewellery skills to their students and those who are interested in including jewellery in their programme.

Presenter Biography - Ingrid Schloemer

Making jewellery has been part of my life since my teenage years. The chosen materials changed from copper pieces for enamelling, silver wire and glass beads to silk, silver, gold and gemstones, but the aim to make unique and beautiful items remained.

After the arrival in New Zealand I taught two years as handcraft teacher at the Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School in Auckland.

Moving to Hawke's Bay involved me as teacher of two of my three children during home schooling for 1 1/2 years.

Then in 1997 stone was introduced to me as an additional medium for my art work. From large-scale sculptures in limestone I turned to create jewellery in 1998, especially with my carvings from jade and other semi-precious gemstones.

In January 2006 I became instructor for Art Clay and since then have been teaching young and adult students in private classes in my workshop, in evening classes at the EIT in Taradale, in community centres e.g. during the Art Deco Weekend and in schools (Rudolf Steiner School and Heretaunga Intermediate in Hastings).

My own jewellery art work has been exhibited in Germany, USA and in galleries and shows in New Zealand and Australia. (Several Hawke's Bay galleries, the retail shop at Te Papa National Museum and 'Kura' in Wellington, Zea You Gallery in Taupo, Self Preservation in Melbourne and others).