Where does ELES jewelry come from?
ELES Studio jewelry is born from a passion for handcraft and a technique known as metal clay. Working with metal clay lies at the very origin of the entire brand. In recent years, this method has become increasingly popular among professional jewellers as well as craft enthusiasts, and is widely known abroad, while in the Czech Republic it is only just beginning to find its place in the world of jewellery making.
This material, which looks like regular clay, contains tiny particles of metal mixed with an organic binder and water. After drying and firing in a kiln or gas burner, the binders evaporate, leaving pure metal. The most commonly used types of metal clay include silver, copper, and bronze clay .
In this article, we will focus on making bronze jewelry , which brings unique design possibilities, beautiful warm shades of the metal, and a relatively affordable price compared to precious metals such as silver or gold.
What is bronze clay?
Bronze metal clay contains a mixture of copper and tin, the traditional composition of bronze. This material is cheaper than silver clay and allows you to experiment with different techniques. For our jewelry, we use a special golden bronze, which is very similar in appearance and color to gold with a subtle rose gold touch.
Bronze clay jewelry making process
The entire production process is very time-consuming, involving several steps, from clay production to final mirror polishing.
- Modeling and shaping
Bronze clay can be shaped similarly to ceramic clay. Each single piece is modeled separately by hand, so it is common that when you put 2 of the same products from our range next to each other, they will not be exactly identical, which makes them unique.
- Drying
After shaping, the piece of jewelry must be thoroughly dried. Drying takes several hours, preferably 24-48 hours. After drying, the entire piece of jewelry is sanded and shaped into the desired shape.
- Firing in the kiln
Bronze clay requires firing in an industrial kiln that reaches very high temperatures. The firing process can take several hours, including gradual heating and cooling.
- Grinding and polishing
After firing, the jewelry is solid and metallic. We most often polish our jewelry to a mirror polishing appearance so that it is beautifully shiny and smooth. When the jewelry has an organic structure, we always make sure that the polishing is as precise as possible, but normal imperfections and porosity are part of it. So each piece creates its own story. This production is not about perfection, but about organic beauty and character.
