Polymer Clay Jewelry... Creating Fashion... Just the way you want it Part 3

Polymer clay is a modeling compound that is available in a wide range of colours at craft stores and stores specializing in miniatures. Pieces of polymer clay adhere to each other with light pressure, making it easy to design unique jewelry items. It hardens to a smooth, matte finish when oven baked, maintaining its prebaked size. 

Jewelry pieces are designed using three basic forms of clay: the ball, the rod and the sheet. Simple balls of clay can be used for beads or they can be flattened and shaped to form discs for buttons or earrings. Rods of clay are sliced into discs or cut and rolled to form uniform balls. Sheets of clay can be rolled and cut out, cookie style, for buttons, pins or earrings. 

Rods and sheets can also be used to create designs. Marbleized clay is formed by twisting rods together. Patterned designs such as a bull’s eye or pinwheel are formed using rods and sheets. These patterned designs are called canes. Thin slices cut from canes are used to embellish base pieces of clay. Different brands of polymer clay vary in firmness. To make firm clay easier to shape, soften it by cutting it into small pieces, warming them in your hands, and kneading the pieces together. Or mix firm clay with a softer clay until you have consistency that is easy to work with. Firm coloured clay can be mixed with a small amount of soft white clay without sacrificing the brightness of the colour.

Work a clean, smooth surface, such as laminated plastic, marble or ceramic. Use a lint free cloth and petroleum jelly to clean any residue from your hands or tools when changing colours. Bake finished pieces in a 225F (Celsius) preheated oven on a baking sheet lined with cardboard. For most pieces, 15 to 20 minutes is a sufficient baking time; thicker pieces may require more time. Pieces may be rebaked at the same temperature if they feel soft after they have cooled. A sealer or floor wax can be applied to finished pieces of polymer clay jewelry for added sheen. 

For Polymer Clay Jewelry, you will need:

Polymer Clay

Brayer: metal or marble rolling pin, or smooth glass jar for rolling out sheets of clay

Single-edge wallpaper or razor blade or sharp, thin paring knife

Awl or nail for puncturing holes in beads and buttons

Baking sheet; a piece of cardboard

Sealer intended for polymer clay or floor wax, optional for shiny surfaces

Jewelry findings; jewelry glue

Three basic methods for shaping Polymer Clay

• Balls

Shape Polymer Clay into balls by rolling small pieces of the clay between palms; keep the ball of clay moving in a circular pattern.

• Rods

Roll Polymer Clay into even rods using pressure of hands to control the diameter of the rods.

• Sheets

Roll out sheets of Polymer Clay using a brayer or rolling pin; turn clay over frequently, lightly pressing one edge of clay to surface before rolling. 

How to make Jewelry and Buttons

Polymer Clay is easily made into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pins and buttons. Start with small, simple projects and add inlays as embellishments. Experiment with shaping and twisting the pieces of clay to vary the shapes of the jewelry pieces. Attach findings to baked jewelry pieces using craft glue. 

Polymer Clay buttons should be hand washed. Do not place the buttons in a hot dryer. 

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