First, a mini lesson on what polymer clay is:
Polymer clay is a soft, PVC-based plastic modeling clay that hardens when baked in the oven (110-130 degrees Celsius). Polymer clay is perfect for creating fun and original earrings, and colors can easily be mixed to create new colors. Using various techniques, you can create truly beautiful things. Well-known brands like FIMO modeling clay contain no harmful, allergenic, or toxic substances. (But you're not allowed to eat it, of course!). At Sieradenstraatje, we use the brands FIMO professional, FIMO soft, and Cernit for our jewelry. In our opinion, Cernit has the most beautiful transparent clay.
After baking, you don't necessarily need to apply a protective layer. This is only advisable if you want a high gloss (for example, with a layer of epoxy) or to protect gold flakes.
What do you need to start making earrings besides of course a fine polymer clay?
- First, some fun cutters, for example this circle set: Circle set . Our cutters have a 0.4mm cutting edge and are nice and sharp, so you don't have to sand the edges much after baking.
- A ceramic tile, marble slab, or glass slab that's comfortable to work on. The clay will stick to your work surface instead of your cutter, and that's what we want!
- A lot of baby wipes to constantly clean everything
- A thin clay blade set, so you can easily remove your cut clay from your work surface. We use this fine blade ->
- A clay roller or pasta machine
- An oven, at 110 degrees (130 max), an oven dish lined with some baking paper to place your earrings on
- A hand drill (you can always buy a drill later) to make a hole in your pendants
- Ear hooks or studs to attach your earrings (we use stainless steel or DQ metal)
- To attach the stud earrings, use gel glue like this super fine one: Gorilla Glue , and optionally UV epoxy resin, sunlight, or a nail lamp. I use this one and really like it: SUN UV Lamp
- Sandpaper grits: 1200, 600, and 320 (available online). 320 grit sands away imperfections, 600 removes scratches and smooths the clay, and 1200 gives it a nice, soft polish.
And are you ready to get started?
A short video on how to make simple polymer clay earrings can be found here: