While Susan uses Sterling Silver extensively in her work, she often incorporates Fine Silver elements she hand-fabricates from PMC.  These pieces are 99.9% pure silver.  By comparison, sterling is comprised of 92.5% silver and 7.5% alloy - often copper.

Susan is also enjoying experimenting with the new Copper and Bronze clays that have been introduced recently!

More on Metal clay from the PMC Guild:

Precious Metal Clay, PMC, is an exciting material developed and patented in the 1990s by Mitsubishi Materials of Japan. Microscopic particles of silver are mixed with a moist binder to create a material that has the feel and working properties of modeling clay. Using simple tools, objects are easily given shape, texture, and character. After air-drying, the objects are heated to temperatures approaching the melting point of the metal, where the particles fuse together to make a dense, fully metallic object. Fired PMC work can be polished, soldered, enameled, and enjoyed like any other silver item. PMC is available in three different versions of silver and in a 22k gold alloy.

Source: PMC Guild 

Susan is a certified artisan with both brands of Metal Clay, PMC and Art Clay.

More information is availble by visiting the following sites:

PMC Guild

Art Clay World