Making polymer clay earrings: in 4 steps

Hello, my name is Lucienne and creating beautiful things is what I love most. I have been a pottery painter for 14 years at the Porceleyne fles in Delft and now I make creations that I make with great pleasure and sell via art markets in the Netherlands such as Buuren, Brielle and Gouda and via Instagram (luuscreaties) and Etsy: LuuscreationsShop.
I'm thinking of starting an online store so keep an eye on my developments on Instagram!

Besides painting on wooden products and canvas I really like to make earrings from polymer clay . Until recently I made the earrings without a gloss layer. But since I discovered the UV resin from itsOkay now also with a gloss layer. In this manual I will explain how you too can get started with the epoxy resin and make a pair of beautiful earrings yourself.
PS: Polymer clay has the property of being very light in weight, making it extremely suitable for large earrings!

What do you need?

• UV resin and UV LED lamp from itsOkay
• Polymer clay (Fimo or other brand)
• Clay cutters, clay roller
• Glass plate or tile to work on and which can later be placed in the oven
• 2 cocktail sticks
• Hobby knife, hand drill , sandpaper
• Ear hooks , studs and rings
• Pliers , E6000 jewelry glue, household oven

Possibly required:

• Pasta machine
• Gold/silver powder , gold/silver foil
• Piece of cardboard to place the resin earrings on

Preparation

• Get the clay ready. If you like colors, you can use multiple colors and possibly mix them. But also 1 color can be very beautiful!
• Choose a cutter.
• Prepare the glass plate or tile.

Step 1: Making the clay earrings

I always wash my hands before I start. There can be dirt on your hands that you don't see but once you start kneading the clay it is visible in the clay, especially with white clay!
I cut off the amount of clay I need with the hobby knife and knead it well then roll it flat on the glass plate with the clay roller in the desired thickness. For the best result I use a pasta machine so that I don't get air bubbles in the clay and I can set the machine to the desired thickness.
If you want to add glitter or other decorations, you can do so now before you start using the cutters.
After this I cut out the desired shape with the cutter. I pull the remaining clay away around it and use it for another time.

Step 2: Baking and finishing the earrings

I turn the oven on to 110 C and let it preheat (keep to the temperature and baking time!). When the oven is well preheated, I place the glass plate with the cut-out shapes in the middle of the oven and let them bake for 30 minutes. Note: never put the shapes in the oven with the epoxy resin coating. This step only comes after baking. I take the plate out of the oven and let the clay on the plate cool down and harden.
I finish the edges of the earrings with a knife and sandpaper, you can also use a dremel for this.
After this I wash the earrings in a bowl with a tiny bit of washing-up liquid and dry them thoroughly.

Step 3: Apply topcoat with UV Epoxy Resin from itsOkay

Now the process begins with the epoxy resin. This provides a beautiful glossy topcoat layer that also provides extra protection for your polymer clay jewelry. For this I use the UV resin from itsOkay. This is specially made for jewelry and is ready to use. So you don't have to mix it.
I always put down a small piece of cardboard to rest the earring on when I go to apply the resin, so that I don't have to pick up the earring with my fingers anymore.
I apply a drop of epoxy resin to the earring, close the bottle in between, and rub the resin with the two cocktail sticks over the clay all the way to the edges. I try to get as far as possible to the edges so that there is no transition from resin to clay.

The epoxy resin works so well that I have never had air bubbles in it! If this is the case with you, you can get rid of them with a long gas lighter by briefly going over it with the flame.
When the epoxy resin is completely on the earring, I place them with the cardboard under the UV LED lamp and let them harden for 3-5 minutes. This resin hardens by means of UV light. Without a lamp, this can also be done outside in the sun, but that takes much longer. Then place the earrings in the sun, not behind glass, and wait until they have hardened. I always let the earrings cool down completely for about an hour before I finish them.

Step 4: Assembling the earrings

I make the holes for the rings with a hand drill. The drill has different thicknesses so that you can adjust the hole to the thickness of the rings. Then I put the parts together with rings and use jewelry pliers for this. I let the color of the rings depend on the color of the earrings and therefore also the color of the ear hook or plug.

When I attach a stud to the clay I use E6000 glue for that. I find this to be the best glue to glue parts to polymer clay!
Once you have let the glue dry properly (a few hours) then... Voilà, the earrings are ready!

You now have a pair of unique handmade earrings with a beautiful glossy layer! Enjoy!
I hope you found the tutorial useful and are as excited about working with UV resin as I am!

A few more examples:

More information?

Do you have questions about making art, jewelry or casting/coating floors or other objects? At itsOkay we have several epoxy experts each with their own expertise. We are happy to help you.
Contact the itsOkay customer service or take a look at the Epoxy knowledge center .

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