Being unable to drive for 6 months because of a brain disorder, caused Nancy Barnes to reevaluate some things in her life. She always wanted to design and create jewelry-always! After having a friend take her to Atlanta for a week long metal clay course, she was hooked!! She used this time in her life of isolation and being stranded on her ranch to learn everything she could about making jewelry. During this time is when Metallikos came into being.
Metallikos is the Greek word meaning formed or fashioned from metal. Nearly each piece of jewelry on the Metallikos website is uniquely designed and constructed by Nancy Barnes. Nancy works primarily in metal clay which is an artform that is relatively 'new' in the jewelry world.
Metal clay is a medium consisting of very small particles of metal such as silver, gold, bronze or copper mixed with an organic binder and water for use in making jewelry, beads and small sculptures. Originating in Japan in 1990, metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, the clay can be fired in a variety of ways such as in a kiln, with a handheld gas torch, or on a gas stove. The binder burns away, leaving the pure sintered metal. Shrinkage of between 8% and 30% occurs (depending on the product used).
This artform was a natural for Nancy, since she loved making hand built pottery. This was a new challenge, doing what she was used to doing but on a very small scale, making beautiful pieces of jewelry out of fine silver, bronze or copper using metal clay. So what seemed like initially a huge inconvenience of not being able to drive for 6 months, turned out to be a real blessing and wonderful time of expression for Nancy. She is very grateful for that brain disorder (which is fine at the present time).
Living on a ranch with cattle and horses caused Nancy to design her "Best Bar None Ranch" collection. Wanting to find beautiful horse jewelry made with precious and semiprecious stones and pure or fine silver (.999) was difficult so Nancy decided to design her own collection. She loves to create necklaces that incorporate her ranch's brand. She can do the same for you.
All her collections reflect her desire to bring her art to life. She loves to design special pieces for special occasions. She would be delighted to work with you to create that signature piece that is yours alone.
You can contact her at: [email protected]