How to Turn Fruit & Vegetables Into Jewelry
Create pendants for necklaces, earrings, broaches and bracelets made from freshly dried fruit and vegetables. It's easy to turn dried fruit and veggies into jewelry; suspend them in epoxy or back them with polymer clay to make medallion pendants. Add a little bling with colorful glass seed beads, and the dried fruit and vegetables are ready for a night on the town.
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Things You'll Need
- Lemons
- Measuring cup
- Zucchini
- Knife
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Green and yellow polymer clay
- Pasta machine
- Round clay cutter, 2-inch diameter
- Knitting needle
- Size 11/0 seed beads
- Jeweler's glue
- Decoupage glue
- Jump ring
- Round-nose pliers
Instructions
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Drying Fruit and Vegetables
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1
Squeeze a lemon into a bowl filled with 12 cups of water.
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2
Wash the outside of another lemon and a zucchini, and cut them into thin, uniform slices. The raw slices for the jewelry should be no larger than 2 inches in diameter. Place the sliced fruit and vegetables into the bowl of lemon water and leave them there for five minutes.
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3
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the slices onto the paper so the sides are not touching. Put the tray into a cold oven.
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4
Set the oven to 150 degrees. Allow the fruit and vegetable slices to remain in the oven until the moisture is removed, which could take several hours. After two hours, check the slices every 30 minutes or so. The consistency should be firm, not juicy or brittle.
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5
Remove the tray from the oven when the slices are dried. Allow the slices to sit on the counter for at least 12 hours before making jewelry.
Making the Jewelry
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6
Knead a green block of polymer clay to soften it. Do the same with a yellow block of clay. Flatten each color section with the palm of your hand.
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7
Set the pasta machine on the highest setting, and roll each color through separately. Stack the colors and roll them through the machine together. The colors will begin to blend, creating a marbleized effect.
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8
Slice the mixed slab in two, stack the slabs together and run them through the machine again. Do this until you like the marbleized look of the clay.
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9
Cut out a 2-inch clay circle for each slice of dried lemon or zucchini. Press the dried fruit or vegetable into the center of the circle. Insert a knitting needle in the top of the circle to make a hole for the jewelry.
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10
Cover the clay around the lemon or zucchini with size 11/0 seed beads. Press the beads into the clay just far enough to make them stick. Remove the slices and set aside.
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11
Bake the clay on a parchment-covered baking sheet according to the package directions. Glue the slices back onto the cooled clay circles with jeweler's glue and let dry.
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12
Coat the slices with decoupage glue for protection and shine and let dry.
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13
Open a jump ring with round-nose pliers and slide it through the hole in the medallion. Close the jump ring. Hang the medallion on a beaded strand or cord or from earring findings.
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