Christine Norton Jewelry
Gainesville, VA
Website

I have been making jewelry for about 15 years. Largely self-taught, my work largely consists of fine and sterling silver metal clays. Metal clay consists of microscopic particles of fine silver mixed with an organic binder. It can be sculpted, carved, and even torn. After the metal clay dries, it is fired in a kiln which burns away the binder leaving pure, sintered metal.

While each of my pieces begins as a sketch, it frequently changes dramatically when I sit down to begin forming and hand carving the tiny details. I try to make nearly every aspect of each of my pieces, from the layered pendants to the chain I fuse or weave by hand, link by link. Nothing is cast or made in a mold so each piece of jewelry is unique. My pieces generally take one to two months to fully complete.