Silver Metal Clay: Baby Fingerprint Courses in England
Many people are interested in making baby fingerprint jewellery - using a product called "Silver Metal Clay", you take a fingerprint,from a baby (or anybody), then you fire the silver metal clay and it transforms into solid 99.9% pure sterling silver. Yyou can then make a pendant, earrings, bracelet or any other type of jewellery from your solid sterling silver fingerprint.
To take the print, the most common way is to use a special Ink Print Kit
Silver metal clay was developed by the Japanese and blends microscopic solid silver particles with a clay, which binds them together. So it is real silver - in fact there is more silver in this than sterling silver. When you fire the piece, the clay burns off and the silver is left.
Sterling silver -v- Fine Silver
When you fire the clay, it becomes what is known as Fine Silver. This is 99.9% silver. Sterling silver is only 92.5% silver. Both are "proper silver", there is no difference in the actual silver in either of them, it's just that fine silver actually contains MORE silver than sterling silver. There is nothing fake, artificial or inferior about silver metal clay and fine silver - in fact it's more precious/valuable and contains more actual silver than sterling silver. It's the real deal. Fine silver, produced from PMC (precious metal clay) can therefore be hallmarked.
Many people are taking a baby fingerprint course so they can make fingerprint jewellery of their baby, or other family members - and others are doing it because it is a boom industry, so offers a flexible new career path. As no special equipment is required in the whole process, making baby fingerprint jewellery is something that you can easily replicate from home.
Making baby fingerprint jewellery is therefore fun, creative, easy, achievable - and could be the springboard you need for a new career. The skills are transferable, because if you can take a baby fingerprint and turn that into solid sterling silver, you can use the same process to produce many other exciting projects.
Note: There is now a new version of silver clay called Sterling Clay. This metal clay produces sterling silver when fired, rather than fine silver. Working with Sterling Clay is almost identical to working with PMC, but as the end result is sterling silver, containing less silver, it should be a cheaper product, so will rapidly overtake the sales of fine silver PMC.
List of Baby Fingerprint Courses in England
This list of baby fingerprint courses in England will help you to find a baby fingerprint course that's either close to where you live, or, perhaps as part of a planned weekend away in another part of the country.
Whether you are looking for the nearest baby fingerprint course, the cheapest baby fingerprint course, or a course you can attend while you are on holiday in England, hopefully you'll get some good inspiration here.
Questions to Ask About Baby Fingerprint Courses
There can be some considerable variation in costs for baby fingerprint workshops and courses, most courses will supply silver clay in the cost - the more clay you get the more items you can make - so to help you decide which one is for you, I'd suggest you ask them, or check for, the following information:
- How many students are in the class? The less the better as you get more attention and assistance.
- Is the clay cost included? If not, how much would that cost?
- How many grams of clay are included (7g is typical, but it could be more on some)
- Do you provide lunch? Do we stop for lunch?
- Are you members of the PMC Guild? For a specific course such as fingerprint jewellery this isn't essential, but it is useful if you plan to take more courses with the same provider and maybe even qualify and learn to teach silver clay courses yourself one day.
Prices Correct At Time of Going to Press
The prices given below were correct when this list was compiled - but the fluctuating value of silver and currency exchange rates (much of the silver clay is made in Japan), can mean the prices change. Please make your own enquiries re price and how what you get before booking.
Artclay
Location: Beech Hill, Berkshire
There is usually at least one fingerprint course each month.
This is an intensive one day workshop designed for all abilities. It starts at 10am and finishes at about 5pm.
Duration: 7 hours
Cost: £60
Art Clay Studios
Location: Stansted, Essex
This workshop will teach you how to capture a fingerprint in art clay silver jewellery as well as inscriptions, setting gemstones, firing and finishing your piece to a professional standard.
It is an ideal course if you are wishing to start your own business and is ok for both beginners and those already having attended the basics course.
20 grams of silver clay are included in the cost.
Art Clay Studios also provide hand and footprint jewellery courses, a total fingerprint jewellery course over 2 days.
Duration: 6 hours
Cost: £110
Bezeal
Location: Cardiff (OK, not England, but just over the border!)
Learn how to make fingerprint jewellery in fine silver. This course is ideal for those that simply wish to make unique gifts for friends and family or considering starting a business. This is not a franchise opportunity, it is an independent course teaching you everything you need to know to successfully create beautiful fingerprint jewellery.
The course is suitable for beginners and those with experience of silver clay.
Duration: 7 hours
Cost: £120
Clarise Jewellery
Location: Leeds, Yorkshire
Courses are run about 6x a year and are often on a Saturday from 1am to 4pm
Learn how to make personalised keepsake silver charms from fingerprints. You will be taught:
- The best ways to take a print
- How to transfer the fingerprint into metal clay
- How to fire your fingerprint into fine silver
- How to polish and finish your work.
Ideal for mums wanting to start their own part time business or just to learn as a hobby
Duration: 6 hours
Cost: £110
The Craft Academy
Location: Hampshire
With a maximum of 8 students per course, this silver fingerprint jewellery course will guide you step-by-step through every stage of making silver fingerprint jewellery, including:
- Taking the fingerprint moulds
- Transfering the fingerprint onto the Metal Clay
- Engraving and Personalising your fingerprint charms
- Firing, finishing and polishing your fingerprint charms
- Soldering and mounting your fingerprint charms onto findings
- Includes 20g Silver Clay
There is roughly one class held each month
Duration: 6 hours
Cost: £165
Craftworx
Location: Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire.
The workshop includes
- how to prepare and store the clay
- different methods of capturing a baby’s finger print
- setting gemstones, and adding names
- drying procedure
- refining the pieces
- different methods of firing
- polishing and finishing
14g of silver clay and other materials are all provided.
Duration: 6 hours, 9:30-3:30
Cost: £110
Learn Silver Clay
Location: .
This baby fingerprint course is more for people who intend on starting a new business making fingerprint jewellery. Most courses will simply be workshops where you take home the silver fingerprint jewellery you made on the day, this course goes deeper as it looks at hallmarking, suppliers, tools and other areas.
This course has been designed and extended to enable you to produce fingerprint jewellery to a professional level and keep you up-to-date with the latest techniques in the business.
You will receive a Fingerprint Course welcome pack containing:
- Supplier information for boxes and packaging, kilns, tumblers etc.
- Comprehensive workshop technique handouts
- Details on hallmarking
- Examples of marketing information
- Free samples
On completion of your course you will receive a Learnsilverclay Certificate in recognition of your achievement.
Duration: 2 days/14 hours
Cost: £275, includes 48g of clay + other materials/stones.
PMC Designs
Location: Chester, Cheshire
Suitable for beginners, who want to learn how to create fingerprint charms.
You will learn the basics of using silver clay, together with how to create the fingerprint, including creating a fingerprint mould, adding text or kisses and creating a high polish finish. You also learn how to torch fire.
Duration: 7 hours
Cost: £95. You can take the 1-day course as a standalone course, or book it as the first of a series of three courses.
2 day fingerprint courses for starting a business.
Fingerprint, handprint and footprint silver jewellery courses in Essex.
Company
| Type
| Duration
| Cost
| County
| Clay Included
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Artclay
| 1-day
| 7 hours
| £60
| Berkshire
| |
Art Clay Studios
| 1-day
| 6 hours
| £110
| Essex
| 20 grams
|
Bezeal
| 1-day
| 6 hours
| £120
| South Glamorgan
| ---
|
Clarise
| 1-day
| 6 hours
| £110
| Yorkshire
| Yes
|
Craft Academy
| 1-day
| 6 hours
| £165
| Hampshire
| 20 grams
|
Craftworx
| 1-day
| 6 hours
| £110
| East Yorkshire
| |
Learn Silver Clay
| 2 days
| 14 hours
| £275
| East Sussex
| 48 grams
|
PMC Designs
| 1-day
| 7 hours
| £95
| Cheshire
| Yes
|
Prices of silver fingerprint jewellery courses correct in January 2012. E&OE
There are lots of other studios running courses across the country - if you can't find one listed above that's near to you, leave a comment below and I can find one local to you and add it to the list!
