How to Use Polymer Clay for Jewelry

Using polymer clay to make jewelry can be a highly rewarding form of artistic expression. It is relatively easy to create beautiful, professional-looking pieces of jewelry, and can be done inexpensively and without much hassle. Here are some things to get you started in the world of polymer clay jewelry.

Things You'll Need

• Polymer clay
• Straight/cutting blade or razor blade
• Small/mini rolling pin
• Needle
• Sandpaper or buffing wheel
• Jewelry hardware

Instructions

1. Decide on a design. Before you begin making anything, have a good idea of a finished product before you begin. Draw it out on paper, or make a visual aid in another medium. Visit polymer websites to get ideas.

2. Cut strips or shapes out of polymer. The main concept behind polymer is to use small bits of polymer to create a larger piece, because mixing shades of polymer together can result in a blob of color with no specific shapes. For example, roll a tube of white clay in red clay and then cut it in half with a straight blade. The exposed ends will look like flower petals, and you can use multiple pieces of this tube of color to build a flower.

3. Roll out and smooth the polymer clay. Create sheets of polymer as well as tubes of one solid color. Wrap each tube in a contrasting color, and incorporate these different tubes and flattened layers wrapped around them to create one large tube of color. Do this by gathering up different color tubes and rolling them all together with your hands. You can also create layered polymer images by rolling out a solid sheet of polymer and layering cut out shapes in polymer over it, and then rolling it again and forming into a tube.

4. Poke out holes for stringing or hanging once you have finished rolling ya our bead or pendant. Use a needle to poke a hole through the bead or the top of the pendant.

5. Bake the pieces. Once the pieces have been created, set your heat and over timer based on the instructions that came with your polymer. Bake for specified amount of time, and let cool once finished.

6. Polish the polymer. Depending on the type of polymer you are using, you can buff it to make it shine. This makes wonderful jewelry. For instance, if you use Premo, a brand of Sculpty, you can use a buffing wheel or a series of graduated sandpaper grades to buff it to a high shine, going from coarse to smooth.

7. Attach jewelry clasps, wire, chains, or whatever hardware you've selected for your jewelry project and then enjoy your new polymer clay jewelry.

Resources

• Polymer Clay Central.
• Polymer Clay Magazine.