Plain-English definitions of the words you meet when you work with silver clay. Part of our silver clay knowledge base. Last updated 27 August 2026.
The words that matter most
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sintering | The heart of the process. Under heat, the silver particles fuse together into solid metal without ever becoming liquid. A piece that is not fully sintered is brittle. |
| Greenware | A piece that is dry but not yet fired. Strong enough to sand and carve, fragile enough to snap if you drop it. |
| Binder | The organic paste that holds the silver particles together and makes the clay workable. It burns away completely during firing. |
| Fine silver | 99.9% pure silver, also written .999. What silver clay becomes after firing. Softer than sterling, and it does not develop firescale. |
| Sterling silver | 92.5% silver with 7.5% copper, written .925. Harder than fine silver, but it tarnishes faster and can develop firescale. |
| Shrinkage | The size a piece loses during firing as the binder burns away and the particles pull together. Fine silver clay shrinks 8 to 10 percent. |
Materials and forms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Lump clay | The standard block form you knead and shape by hand. |
| Paste (slip) | Clay thinned with water. Used for joining, filling cracks and painting onto leaves or lace so they burn away and leave a silver copy. |
| Syringe clay | Clay in a fine-tipped syringe for drawing raised lines, setting stones and adding decoration. |
| Oil paste | Paste with a little oil added, for repairing an already-fired piece. |
| Overlay paste | Paste formulated to be painted onto glass or ceramic. |
| Metal clay | The family name. Silver clay is one member; bronze, copper and gold clay are others. |
| PMC | Precious Metal Clay, the original American brand. See silver clay vs PMC. |
| Art Clay Silver | The Japanese brand made by Aida Chemical, the other long-standing name in the field. |
Tools and equipment
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Mandrel | A tapered steel or wooden rod for forming and sizing rings. See ring mandrel. |
| Slats (spacers) | Thin strips of card or plastic placed either side of the clay so your roller produces an even thickness. |
| Texture plate | A patterned sheet pressed into the clay to leave a design. |
| Release agent | A thin film of oil or balm that stops clay sticking to hands, tools and textures. |
| Burnisher | A smooth, hard steel tool rubbed over the surface to compress it to a bright shine. |
| Vermiculite | Heat-proof granules that support a piece while it fires so it cannot sag. |
| Kiln shelf | The flat refractory plate a piece sits on inside a kiln. |
| Tumbler | A barrel of steel shot that work-hardens and polishes finished pieces. See tumbling. |
Finishing
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Work hardening | Compressing the metal by burnishing or tumbling so it becomes stiffer and more durable. Important for rings. |
| Patina | A deliberate darkening of the surface, usually with liver of sulfur, to make texture stand out. See liver of sulfur. |
| Liver of sulfur | A sulphur compound that turns silver through gold, blue and grey to near black, depending on how long you leave it. |
| Firescale | A dark layer of copper oxide under the surface of sterling silver after heating. Fine silver does not get it, which is one of the advantages of silver clay. |
| Pickle | A mild acid bath that removes oxides after firing. Rarely needed with fine silver. |
| Bail | The loop or fitting a pendant hangs from. |
| Bezel | A rim of metal that holds a stone in place. See setting gemstones. |
| Findings | The ready-made components of a piece: ear wires, clasps, jump rings. See findings. |
Firing
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Ramp | How fast a kiln climbs to temperature, in degrees per hour. |
| Hold (soak) | How long the kiln stays at the target temperature. Both matter, not just the temperature. |
| Full sinter | Firing hot enough and long enough that the piece reaches its maximum strength. |
| Quenching | Dropping a hot piece into water to cool it fast. Never quench a piece containing a stone. |
| Fireable stone | A stone that survives kiln or torch heat: cubic zirconia, lab-created spinel, lab-created corundum. |
For times and temperatures, see the firing chart. If something has gone wrong, the troubleshooting page works through it symptom by symptom.
