What can I use to make a necklace?

Question

I need something that I'll be able to heat in my home oven, and the resulting piece won't crack.

I'd like to make things like:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll111/Janice2993/l_21eeffc9eab747456694f90f47c3c9a2.jpg

AND

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll111/Janice2993/l_47b62dda322bb18454292036ef6dbebf.jpg

Answer 1

The Carol Devol Show on HGTV or on many PBS channels often have on a polymer clay lessions, almost daily. Check your local listings for her show, or look her up for show details on clay makings. I know she can be found under HGTV.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

You can use all kinds of clays to sculpt little miniatures like this, then make a hole or add an eye pin or other top loop and hang from a necklace.

That clay is *probably* polymer clay though... it must be heated in a home oven to cure and harden, unlike "air-dry" clays which dry out in the air.

Polymer clay won't crack as easily as some air-dry clays (try drying those more slowly to avoid that sometimes) unless they're thicker than about 1/14" at the thickest area and are solid clay (rather than using an armature underneath--like a scrunched ball of aluminum foil, etc.)

There are loads of lessons online about making simple little sculpts like this from polymer clay.  My site is a polymer clay "encyclopedia" which has links to many of them, plus all kinds of tips and info as well, on some of its pages.  If you want to check those out, here are the pages that have most of the info about making small sculpts:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/miniatures...

(...click on FOODS, or whatever else you're interested in)

http://glassattic.com/polymer/kids_begin...

(...click on SIMPLE PROJECTS FOR BEGINNERS and also on SCULPTING and the subcategories under it)

http://glassattic.com/polymer/sculpture....

(...click on WHIMSICAL sculpts, under the "Websites" section)

There will also be many simple sculpts on these pages:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/Christmas....

http://glassattic.com/polymer/Halloween_...

Also, these specific jewelry pages have info particularly on making HOLES in beads for hanging or stringing them, and info on adding various kinds of TOP LOOPS and other attachers to larger beads/etc for hanging:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/beads-hole...

http://glassattic.com/polymer/pendants_c...

There are also pages at the site on the "basics" of polymer clay--here's the one for BAKING the clay:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/baking.htm

HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 3

It's called polymer clay. You buy it your local craft store, shape it and then bake it. I am not sure on temperatures that you need to use or anything but I know that's what it is. Hope this helps you out a little anyways!

Answer 4

I forget the name of this stuff, but if you check at your local craft store they will have it.. It is able to be worked with before baking, and once you bake it it is solid... We used this stuff at camp before.