Melissa Kay-Steves has been creating jewelry for about 20 years using beads, sterling silver, wire, beach glass & organic materials and more. It was not until 2006, when she discovered Precious Metal Clay or PMC® that her work has reached new levels of gratification and vision. The fascinating and relatively new medium of silver clay has allowed her to tap into her creativity in ways she never thought possible. She now explores the world of silver, fire, stone and crystal with incredible wonder and unending possibilities.

Melissa's striking one-of-a-kind creations are deeply influenced by nature and the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. A certified PMC artist and teacher, her degree in journalism taught her that within every person there is a story. Similarly, within each piece she creates lies a story that weaves silver and fire together in a beautiful marriage of the elements.

PMC® is clay made of microscopically ground, pure silver or gold particles, water and an organic binder that turns to Fine Silver (.999) or Gold after torch or kiln-firing. PMC silver is more pure than sterling silver. It is hallmarked .999 and also referred to as fine silver (FS). Sterling silver is hallmarked .925, which means its composition is 92.5% silver and the remaining 7.5% is copper and other alloys.

Melissa is level I and II certified PMC Artist, a PMC Guild Member, a member of A.R.T East