Unique cheerful and trendy earrings made of polymer or fimo clay you have probably seen them before. Did you know that this is quite simple to make? In this manual we like to explain how you too can get started and make polymer clay earrings yourself.
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 also recently started my own website.
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, until I made a completely new discovery. Since I discovered theUV resin from itsOkay, I now also use a gloss layer.
In this manual I will explain to you with simple instructions how you too can get started with the epoxy resin and make a pair of beautiful earrings yourself. My manual is certainly not only made for advanced users. Even the beginning artist can express his creativity in making beautiful earrings.
PS: Polymer clay has the property of being very light in weight, so it is extremely suitable for large earrings!
Get the polymer or fimo clay ready. If you like colors, you can use multiple colors and mix them if necessary. But also 1 color can be very beautiful!
Choose a cutter.
Prepare the glass plate or tile.
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 I 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 that 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.
I turn the oven on to 110 C and let it preheat (keep to the temperature and baking time!). Is the oven well preheated? Then I place the glass plate with the cut-out shapes in the middle of the oven and let them bake for 30 minutes.
Important! Never put the molds in the oven with the epoxy resin coating. This step 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 combitool from itsOkay. After this I wash the earrings in a bowl with a tiny bit of dishwashing liquid and dry them well.
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 theUV resin from itsOkay. This is specifically for jewelry.
JThis epoxy is ready-made, so you don't have to mix it. I always put a small piece of cardboard down to put the earring on when I apply the resin, so that I don't have to pick up the earring with my fingers. 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. If the epoxy resin is completely on the earring, then I put them with the cardboard under the UV LED lamp and let them harden for 3-5 minutes.
This resin hardens through UV light. Without a lamp, this can also be done outside in the sun, but that takes much longer. Then put 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.
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. I find this to be the best glue to glue parts to polymer clay! When you have let the glue dry well (a few hours) then .... Voilà, the earrings are ready!
You now have a pair of unique handmade earrings with a beautiful glossy layer! Enjoy!
A few more examples:
UV Resin is specially designed for making jewelry and applying coatings to polymer clay, among other things. This provides a rock-hard and beautifully shiny layer. This protects your earrings or other jewelry that you have made with clay.
Annelies Haan says the following about the UV Resin : "I have processed fimo clay stud earrings with epoxy resin for the first time. After some practice, this is the end result. What a beautiful product. I am very enthusiastic!!". You can read her full review with the photo below with the UV Resin.
Do you have questions about making art, jewelry or casting/coating floors or other objects? At itsOkay, epoxy experts work with each their own expertise. We are happy to help you.
Do you also like to craft and develop your creativity? Then itsOkay is the store for you! ItsOkay is the Epoxy Specialist of Europe. Active since 2018 and therefore a large online epoxy store for more than 6 years.
In addition, our epoxy specialists always work transparently and give you honest and personal advic
Comments
Breng op beide kanten van de polymeerklei een glanslaagje aan of enkel op de voorzijde?
@Christa Hi. Bedankt voor je reactie, de linkjes staan in de blog en je kunt het product ook vinden in de webwinkel door te zoeken op “UV Sieraden Epoxyhars”. Groeten, team itsOkay.
Wat is de prijs van zo’n flesje glans?
Geven jullie ook workshops? Groetjes annemarie