Famous Jewelry Collections: THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Monday, November 7, 2011

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:00 AM PST

I enjoy looking at all the clever polymer clay tutorials I come across. I am hoping this enjoyment will rub off some day when I might just buy some to try.

Part of the charm of polymer clay work is the incredible range of colors and effects possible with this medium. The tutorials featured here are notable for their unique approaches.

Shown above is Korinne Zimmerman of Craftella's Mokume Gane polymer clay donut tutorial. The shape is simple so more attention can be paid to the creation of lovely metallic colors.

The Jewelry and Polymer Clay Heaven blog has this useful candy inspired beads tutorial made from scrap clay. The colors used are just lovely. They remind me a little of African trade beads.

Sue Lee designed the Filigree Overlay bead set tutorial. The flowers and leaves are created using molds. The result looks like some of the floral fabrics you'd see in the home decor section of a fabric store. Old world charm!

Mitsy over at the Art Mind blog has a super polymer clay focal tutorial. She is a ceramicist so she knows how to work with clay. She demonstrates how to make a custom plaster mold design for polymer clay work. The resulting focal can be used as brooches, rings or pendants. I could see some great wire work with the polymer cabochons.

Sydnee Holt created this Holiday Paper Clay Bracelet featuring some beautiful Japanese Washi origami paper.

The Jewelry and Polymer Clay Heaven blog also came up with the Radiant Mica Shift necklace tutorial. What caught my attention was not the mica shift part but the fact the bead roller was used as a mold!

Marie Segal's wonderful step by step photographs on how to make spiral metallic tube beads makes it so much easier to learn. She uses an extruder as well as the clay corer.

Marie's accompanying tutorial for Heart Pendants shows how texture plates and rubber stamps can be used.

If you're still wavering about polymer clay work, then perhaps Erica of PS I Made This's tutorial might get you started. The baroque style design uses only one color an a wood carving knife to produce the patterns on the rolled out clay. Yes, I think this is doable for someone like me who hated plasticine in elementary school! I love how the resulting shapes remind me of plaster scrollwork you see in old houses.