How to Make a Pendant From a Bottle Cap & Polymer Clay

Reusing bottle caps to make pendants is good for the environment.

A pendant made from a bottle cap and polymer clay utilizes materials that are easy to work with, making it an ideal project for all ages. A homemade pendant allows you to customize a piece of jewelry in a economical way. Polymer clay and the tools to work with it are available at craft supply stores. A bottle cap from a glass bottle of soda or beer works well for a pendant, because it's a good size and weight to be comfortably worn around your neck.

Things You'll Need

• Bottle cap
• Nail
• Hammer
• Polymer clay in your choice of colors
• Rolling pin
• Round cookie cutter -- 2 inches in diameter
• Toothpick
• Clay cutting knife
• Cord or string
• Jump ring

Instructions

1. Make a hole in the bottle cap using a nail and hammer. Place a nail in the valley between two ridges of the bottle cap's rim. Gently pound with a hammer until it pierces the cap and a hole is formed. Flatten the edges of the inner hole, using the hammer, to prevent scrapes or pokes while working.

2. Condition the polymer clay, to make it easier to work with. Put a small ball of clay in the palm of one hand, and then roll or knead it with both hands for several minutes. Condition each color separately.

3. Roll out the polymer clay -- the base color that you will wrap around the bottle cap. Use a rolling pin, and roll out the clay on a flat surface until it's about 1/4-inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out a piece that's about 2 inches in diameter.

4. Cover the top of the bottle cap with the round, flat piece of polymer clay. Press the clay over the top and into the underside of the bottle cap. Press firmly to keep it in place. Pierce the polymer clay where the hole in the bottle cap is, using a toothpick. The top of the bottle cap is now the front of your pendant.

5. Create the details on the pendant. Use any colors you like to create a scene or pattern on the front of the pendant. Roll the clay into balls, flatten it into various shapes or cut it in thin strips to create the decorations for your pendant. Arrange these detail pieces as desired, on the front of the pendant.

6. Bake the pendant. Place it on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake at the temperature indicated on the package, which varies by brand. Different brands require various baking times as well. Generally, a polymer clay project will bake at 275 Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes.

7. Cool the pendant completely.

8. Insert a jump ring through the hole in the pendant. String it on a piece of cord or string, and tie.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution when making the hole in the pendant and removing it from the oven, to prevent injuries. Adults should perform these steps or help children with them.