Tammy May Jewelry

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About the Artist

Hi, my name is Tammy Ulrich.
 
I was born and raised in Buffalo NY, which is where my family and I still call home. My husband and I have two wonderful daughters named Melanie and Torrie.
 
For as far back as I can remember, I have always loved two things: jewelry and creativity.  It seems whenever we vacation anywhere I am always seeking out the "unusual" jewelry stores to peruse.  I come from a line of creative, hands on family.  Both my father and grandfather had professions in teaching photograhpy and woodworking.  As a child I loved developing my own pictures in our photgraphy room downstairs.  My two favorite classes in school were Graphic Arts and Architectural Drawing.  I went on to college to get my Bachelors and Masters Degree in Engineering.
 
Over the years I have tried my hands in various creative activities.  Since my first daughter Melanie was born, I have had a real interest in rubber stamping handmade cards. Every year I enjoy making all my holiday cards for my friends and family which always includes a picure of my growing daughters. Other creative interests and hobbies include: Djembe drumming, camping, hiking, swimming, yoga, and meditation.
 
Another pleasure of mine has been jewelry making.  I am constantly trying to expand my knowledge and learn new techniques for making exciting jewelry.  For several years I have been mainly working with beads and stones.  However, I felt like there was a bit of my own "personal" creativity missing from this activity, until I discovered Precious Metal Clay (PMC).  This material allows me to express myself and  to create unique one of a kind silver pieces.  Then I am able to add various beads and semi precious stones to create a final piece.
 
It's been a dream of mine to sell my own jewelry.  I want to thank the many people, some friends and acquaintances and others who were complete strangers, who have complimented me on my jewelry, therefore spurring on my own dream to become a reality.

What is PMC?

   I design and hand-sculpt all my Fine Silver components using Precious Metal Clay (PMC). Each of my jewelry pieces has at least one PMC component in it. 
 
   PMC was developed in the mid 1990's by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation of Japan. It is a clay-like material comprised of micron-sized particles of silver blended with an organic binder and water. The clay can be molded, sculpted, stamped, or carved. An important characteristic of this material is that marvelous textures and designs can be achieved by pressing virtually any object into the wet clay. It is then kiln fired so that the binder burns away leaving pure silver (.999 Fine Silver). Shrinkage during the firing process enhances the texture even further. Certain natural and laboratory made stones can be fired directly into the clay for a very unique effect.
 
   After shaping, the unfired clay pieces are dried, then sanded or carved. After firing, they are scrubbed, burnished and tumbled to achieve the wonderful pure silver shine.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Contact Information

Tammy May Jewelry
Williamsville, NY
phone: 716.636.8493
E-mail address: javajacku@yahoo.com