Polymer Clay Jewelry: Ethnic Inspired

 

Ethnic Inspired Polymer clay Jewelry

I love the rich earth-toned colors and varied textures of my latest collection of wearable art.
The deep russet, gold, and copper shades remind me of the falling leaves in Autumn. I miss the change of seasons, living here in sunny Florida. You would think I’d be used to it after over 30 years of living on the West Coast. I think my heart will always belong to the small CT. town that I grew up in.

 

Please come browse my Etsy Shop for these pieces, and many more of my artisan jewelry.

Polymer Clay Bangles inspired by Ca’ d’ Zan

My latest creation is a Polymer clay bangle made of 100% Premo clay. Done in the Mokume Gane technique, of impressing & slicing off thin layers. My inspiration was the John Ringling home in Sarasota Florida. Using the rich colors seen throughout the Venetian style mansion.

The Ringlings’ dazzling palatial mansion is a tribute to the American Dream and reflects the splendor and romance of Italy.
The homes name Ca’ d’Zan, meaning House of John, has 56 incredible rooms filled with art and original furnishings. With its Venetian Gothic architecture, the mansion is a combination of the grandeur of Venice’s Doge’s Palace, combined with the gothic grace of Cà d’Oro, with Sarasota Bay serving as its Grand Canal.  We are fortunate enough to live near the mansion, and take frequent boat trips that offer a birds eye view of the Palazzo.  It’s a lovely spot on the Bay, where we also see many Manatees.

The colors used throughout the home reflect
the Ringlings’ love of the circus, and the vibrant blues, greens, oranges & red hues, commonly seen in the circus world.

John Ringling’s’ Bedroom

Polymer Clay takes an Organic path

Earthy Organics Collection

My new Earthy Organics collection was inspired by my love of nature and plants. I experimented with some textural plaid designs in the Organic Orbs. The colors I used are rich earth tones, reminiscent of soft mossy greens, bark browns & turquiose stone. Pardo makes some fabulous colors in their Professional Jewelry Clay line, and best of all it’s easy to condition!  I also added some Faux Obsidian for contrast, and a bit of Faux Sea Sponge to bring in some hi-lights. Blown-Glass hollow beads bring another punch of turquiose. The necklace is constructed with pewter-look findings, which lends a matte/natural appearance to the metal.

Polymer Clay “Art Immitates Life”

Polymer Clay Faux Geode Bracelet

The Faux Geode bracelet is made with a cane similar to the one I used in the Faux Geode necklace (shown in an earlier post). I used Fimo translucent clay with a tint of Premo purple & violet. The bracelet is strung on purple jewelry wire, I also added charcoal colored glass accent beads. I  enjoy making  these unusual pieces,  I never sell them,  I just keep adding to my collection that I display in my craft studio.

Polymer Clay Faux Geode Necklace

This necklace was created using a Faux technique. I used Fimo Classic translucent for this project as it is a firm clay suitable for caning. I mixed bits of Premo in Violet & Purple to make the clear colors, edged in a translucent black squiggles cane.

I’m still wondering whatever possessed me to create this piece, it must be my ongoing love of Rocks & Geodes. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve had this fascination with rocks:  Large river rocks, amethyst geodes, quartz, mica…just about any form of rock & I will collect it! I think I picked the wrong place to live when I moved to Florida…no rocks here! Just shells (another obsession) & lots of sand! You actually have to buy rocks here & are they ever expensive too!!

I absolutely love the smooth river rocks, I paint them with whimsical designs so they can decorate my flower garden. Of course I also have my indoor rocks too! I paint those to resemble cats, dogs, bunnies & raccoons! I save the smaller smooth rocks to use as paperweights covered with colorful polymer clay canes.

I’ve also gotten in to trouble with my rock addiction. Every vacation I just have to gather a few rocks as mementos of our visit. Well, one winter vacation we all flew to the coast of Maine. Needless to say, I was in rock heaven! My family looked on from the comfort of the warm car, shaking their heads as I gathered handfuls of granite in the freezing weather. I had so many rocks packed in my suitcase & handbag I could barely zip them, much to the dismay of the officers checking through the baggage for contraband. I don’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but many people were asked to voluntarily get off the small commuter flight out of Bangor, due to excess weight. Do you think it could have been my precious collection of rocks?

About

This blog is all about sharing techniques, ideas & exploring new ways of working with Polymer Clay. Join me daily, as I create new items for my Etsy shop or just have fun creating a whimsical sculpture or gift for a friend!

I hope my enthusiasm for clay ignites the spark of creativity within you!

Polymer Clay Pendant & Earring Set

Here’s my latest creation, it’s a Polymer Clay Mokume Gane technique Pendant with matching earrings.

Mokume Gane is a Japanese metalworking technique in which thin layers of metal are fused together and manipulated to create beautiful patterns that resemble the grain of wood. In fact, “mokume gane” means “wood-eye metal” in Japanese. Polymer clay artists mimic this process by laminating sheets of polymer clay together, distorting them, and slicing thin sheets from the stack to reveal the resultant patterns.

I’ve always loved Lime Green & Purple together, kinda weird combination, but that’s me. The greens are actually Premo pearl, so they are quite shimmery, it doesn’t really show in the photo. I’m writing this & listening to Jay Z’s new song Young Forever, I tried to get it to play on this page, but I’m still learning how to do this blogging thingy & I haven’t gotten that far into it yet:(

Polymer Clay Mica Shift Bracelet

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Mica Shift cabochon bracelet features a design motif of various plaids, squares & dots. The handmade cabochons are paired with russet colored freshwater pearls & assembled with copper findings.

For these cabochons I used a Mica Shift technique  that involves using a deep cut rubber stamp. Some stamps are made specifically for use with clay & are therefore deeply cut & leave a nice impression. Lisa Pavelka makes a fabulous line of rubber stamps , for polymer clay & PMC. By pressing a stamp into the prepared sheet of metallic clay, the particles are forced out of alignment. Now the raised areas of clay are gently sliced off using a tissue blade, leaving a holographic 3-D effect. These scraps that are sliced off are also useful (I save everything) for creating a pendant or matching beads. When I am working with the Mica Shift technique I always have a prepared square of clay ready to lay these shaved off scraps onto. My favorite brand of clay for this technique is Premo, it seems to have the largest particles of mica per ounce. I also use Fimo Soft white pearl in many of my beads & pendants. It adds a lustrous pearly glow to the piece & is a different shade of white than the Premo pearl.

I hope you will try this technique, it is really lots of fun & surprisingly easy! You’ll be amazed when you see the ghost effect appear! The real magic happens after you’ve baked your pendant & sanded it smooth:)