Polymer clay is a very convenient material for making jewelry with your own hands. This plastic mass lends itself well to sculpting. It comes in initially different colors, and can also be easily dyed in the finished product. Depending on the type of material chosen, the workpieces are baked in the oven or hardened in the air.
DIY polymer clay beads
For this decoration, you need to make beads that resemble colored stones in appearance. Select several pieces of baked polymer clay that will go together in one bead. Knead two of them in your hands to make the clay even more plastic.
On glass or on an ordinary white sheet, roll out two crushed pieces with a rolling pin, turning them into rectangles of approximately the same size. Place two layers on top of each other. Using a sharp knife, cut off the colored shavings from the rest of the pieces and place them evenly on top of the layers.
Roll the resulting layers with a rolling pin. Tear off small uneven pieces from the layer with your hands and form balls from them. Then roll each into a smooth bead. If you wish, you can not roll the bead, but leave the roughly shaped pieces of plastic.
Bake the resulting beads in the oven. Set the temperature according to the instructions on the polymer clay label. Holes in the beads can be made before baking with an awl, or drilled ready-made with a small drill.
Collect the resulting colored beads into a single piece. String them one at a time on a waxed cord of the appropriate color, and tie knots on both sides of the beads so that they are held in place. Tie the ends of the cord into a nice knot. The beads are ready.
Beads can be strung on a thin satin ribbon.
Polymer clay earrings
Original earrings resembling bunches of mountain ash can be made of polymer clay. Knead a piece of orange clay in your hands and roll about forty small balls from it. Use the tip of a knife to make cuts in the center of each ball so that it looks like rowan berries.
Insert the hardware stud on the other side of the ball. Its cap should be immersed in clay, and its sharp tip should stick out. Use a toothpick to smooth the clay around the bonnet. Repeat this operation with each orange ball.
Knead a piece of green clay and roll it into a thin layer. Using a mold or knife, cut out a few leaves according to the template. Make veins on the leaves with a knife or the sharp end of a toothpick and poke holes for the rings.
To make the leaves, you can use special silicone molds, which are sold in art stores.
Mash a piece of red pastel on a piece of paper. With a soft brush, tint the leaves along the edges and in the veins, as well as all the berries from one side. Bake the resulting blanks in the oven at the temperature indicated in the instructions.
After taking out the baked elements for the earrings, stick the clay berries with the sharp edge of the fittings into a piece of foam or crumpled foil. Place a drop of liquid brown acrylic paint on the notches on each berry and let dry.
Bite off the clove with a pair of pliers so that the remaining tail is about 1 cm. Fold it into a loop with round-nose pliers. Attach chains 5-7 cm long to the hooks. Divide the berries in half and fasten them to the chains. Pinch the loops with pliers. Attach metal rings to the leaves and secure them on top of each bunch.
