Polymer clay is one of the best materials you can buy in order to make the most unique shapes and styles for your jewellery. Polymer clay comes in both solid and liquid forms and is a man-made material, designed for modelling. Made from PVC Plastic, it remains soft and pliable until it is baked and set.

A clay -like material, it is pre-coloured (unlike earth clay) and comes in a variety of colours, shimmers and translucencies. You can also mix and match your clay to create the colour, pattern and shade you want, so making personalised jewellery has never been easier. You can even colour the clay yourself; using paint, ink, chalk and even glitter.

Re-creating a favourite design of yours or crafting something completely new and special to you can be achieved with little effort and cost. Using polymer clay will allow you:

* To create your own beads and pendants for bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

* Covering items made from materials such as glass, metal, cardboard, terra cotta, and some plastics.

* Sculpting hand-made items, both big and small, for sculpted figures.

You don’t even need to use any specialist tools or equipment. Using utensils and tools that you would find around the house could help you make anything from beads and jewellery to jars and bowls. Coloured and patterned beads are probably the most common items made by hobbyists as they are reasonably quick, easy and make great presents for friends and family. Everything from spoons, knifes, lace tablecloths and chains have been used to create intricate and special patterns and shapes.

Other techniques you can employ when using polymer clay are:

* Impressing textures, lines or images into raw clay.
* Moulding by pressing raw clay into moulds to create casts and duplicate textures, shapes, etc.

When choosing clays, the softer clays tend to work better initially but don’t hold their strength too well once baked. Firmer clays are better for creating more complex and intricate designs, so if you want something very ornate and expressive, this will be the clay for you. It is better to work with and also holds its form better once baked.

You can, of course, choose a clay that is midway between these two, ensuring you will always get great results, no matter what your design is.

It is best to work your clay on a smooth, flat, hard surface as this will allow you to work it thoroughly. Working the clay, or ‘conditioning’, is vital to ensuring your project looks good and remains that way. Conditioning requires handing, kneading, twisting, rolling and flattening the clay until you begin sculpting, cutting and shaping.

Once made, your project will not air dry as polymer clay must be baked in an oven. Baking times and temperatures will vary between different clay brands so always be sure to check the instructions before you complete your clay.

You will be left with a solid, beautiful item, created with your own fair hands. Don’t forget to finish the clay by buffing and wiping the clay until it is smooth and shiny.

Author Bio: Adam Hunter – E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver wire, jewellery findings, tools, polymer clay and fimo clay – gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.

Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: polymer clay, fimo clay