Make your own polymer clay earrings
Polymer clay earrings are a fun and easy craft to make, no matter your level of crafting skills.
Polymer clay is a great crafting medium, especially for making custom jewellery, as you can create unique colours, designs and shapes without a lot of effort. They make a gorgeous present for Christmas or Mother's Day.
Creating beautiful earrings using polymer clay is a really satisfying process, and you can even use the beads and charms from broken necklaces and old earring components to create new jewellery.
What is polymer clay?
Polymer clay is a type of craft and modelling material that can be hardened or set when heated. Despite its name, it doesn't actually contain clay – it's a type of mouldable vinyl polymer that is very similar to PVC, but it works in the same way as traditional clay does, where an item is moulded and then heated to harden.
Top tips for working with polymer clay
Conditioning your clay: When polymer clay first comes out of the packet, it can feel pretty solid, so you need to condition your clay to make it softer and easier to work with. Condition the polymer clay by kneading it in your hands and rolling it out on a flat surface (some people even use a pasta machine to help with this step!). It's ready to use when you can fold it on itself without cracking or splitting.
Avoid colour transfer: Wash your hands or wipe your fingers with a baby wipe/damp cloth in between colours so that you don't accidentally cause any unwanted colour mixing.
Storage: Luckily, polymer clay won't dry out too easily when being stored, but it can pick up dust – and you definitely don't want that showing up in your projects. To protect your polymer clay from dust, store it in ziplock bags or wrap it with a layer of clingfilm.
How to make polymer clay earrings
This simple step-by-step tutorial will teach you how to make a stylish pair of polymer clay earrings, perfect for accessorising your favourite outfit or gifting to a loved one.
You will need
Piece of glass or a large ceramic tile
Rolling pin or drinking glass
Leaf cutter
Craft knife or blade (the blade from a Stanley knife is perfect)
Tapestry needle or paperclip
Sandpaper
Tweezers
Condition your polymer clay by rolling some out on a piece of glass or tile with a rolling pin or drinking glass. Fold over the clay and roll it out again. Do this a few times until the clay becomes easily pliable.
Roll out your clay until it is about 1cm thick. Place on some gold leaf by dabbing the gold leaf sheet gently across the surface if the clay, and then roll the clay out to around 2-3mm thick.
Take your leaf cutter and press it down into the clay. Carefully lift it up, making sure the shape doesn’t lift away in the cutter.
Peel away the excess clay, then, using either a craft knife or a flat blade, carefully slide it underneath each piece, wiggling it slightly to remove it from your work surface.
Use a tapestry needle or paperclip to poke a hole at the top of the leaf, big enough for a jump ring.
Place the leaves onto a baking tray, then bake in the oven according to the polymer clay instructions.
Once the leaves have cooled, sand off any sharp bits. Take a jump ring and hold it with a pair of tweezers and a pair of pliers, with the opening at the top. Gently twist the jump ring open slightly.
Feed the jump ring into the hole at the top of the leaf, then loop on your stud. Gently close up the jump ring using the pliers and tweezers. Repeat this process for the second earring.
Have you made polymer clay earrings? Share your creations with us by tagging @primamag in your pictures on Instagram!
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