After playing around with metal clay, it didn’t take me long to realize how much potential it had. However, the cost of the clay was still a factor that concerned me. Therefore, I decided to "crunch some numbers."

I started by first determining how much some pieces I have made cost per gram. For the example here, I am using the leaf bead I made using standard PMC.

I used a scale and weighed the finish piece.

Since standard PMC shrinks approximately 30 percent, I used the following figures to determine how much this bead weighed before it was fired.

After firing weight = 1.5 grams
Divide this weight by .7
Before firing weight = 2.14 grams

Since most metal clay suppliers sell it for about one dollar a gram, this leaf bead cost about $2.14. Of course, other costs to consider are the tools I used (which were minimal) and the kiln (which cost at least $100).

A number of other methods could be used to create this leaf bead including lost wax casting and fabrication. For casting, the wax is pretty inexpensive. However, the other equipment needed (such as a kiln and centrifuge machine) can cost in the hundreds of dollars. Fabrication, on the other hand, would take only a few, inexpensive hand tools like a saw and files.

Besides the cost considerations of equipment and materials, time is also an important factor. The leaf bead took me only a few minutes to create, and then it was fired for two hours. A lost wax cast piece would take a few hours of kiln time as well as time to create the wax mold and set it up.

Fabrication would require the longest amount of time to create a leaf bead.

In light of the cost and time of these different methods, I have concluded that metal clay may not be as expensive as I thought. This is especially true very detailed pieces of jewelry that can take a lot of time to create. After considering all the facts and figures, now my pocket book doesn’t feel as empty as it did before I checked the numbers.