Birdie's Fingerprint Jewelry

Assemble the tools and parts you will need to complete the project. I went to a craft store and found several items that I thought would work. I chose to work mostly with my hands for the clay and avoid purchasing a lot of tools.

Cut off a strip of clay and work it well with your hands.

It becomes soft and pliable after you work it for a couple of minutes.

The final piece should be about the size of a fingernail, or just a little larger.

The first attempt was not very successful. Birdie did not get the idea of pressing her finger into the dough.

The second time, I held her hand and pressed the piece of dough into her finger. That worked much better.

Being very careful not to disturb the fingerprint, press a needle or beading rod through the top of the piece to make a hole.

I thought adding some letter beads might be interesting. To make some beads, shape the dough into a square. Keep turning and patting until you are satisfied.

I used some rubber stamps to put letters on the beads.

Cut the beads apart.

Reshape the beads and soften the cut edges a little.

Use a beading rod or needle to make a hole through the bead.

Wobble the rod around a little to make the hole larger if needed.

The clay bakes for 30 minutes at 240º. Its a good idea to bake the beads on a bead rod to make sure the holes don't close. I actually had little change in the clay size, no swelling or shrinking.

I chose to use chain by the length so I could make it a little longer than pre-made chains that were available. Just cut the chain to the desired length and pinch on a closing loop which usually comes with the chain roll.

I used a silver bead with a dangle loop to hang the fingerprint bead. Thread it on first.

Open a jump ring with a pair of small needle nose pliers.

Thread the jump ring through the bead and pinch it closed. You may need a fairly large ring, depending on the thickness of the bead.

Thread on the additional beads of your choice, or just use the fingerprint bead, whatever you like.

Open the jump ring on the fingerprint bead and attach to the tube bead at the loop.

I am happy with the results, especially since I have little experience with making clay beads or jewelry. Its an easy project for a beginner.

If you start on any kind of jewelry making project, you end up with lots of parts and pieces because of the way they are packaged. Its a good idea to purchase some sort of storage system to keep all the tiny parts organized.