There are multiple ideas you can come up with when making your own polymer clay jewelry. Unlike with the necklaces or rings, size doesn’t matter as much in this case. As long as you have all the tools and materials to create your own earrings, you’re good to go. In fact, making earrings is less stressful than making a necklace for example because there is less demand for precision and symmetry is preferred, but optional. We’ll share just some of the most useful techniques and tips for you to remember when you are making your own earrings.
Materials and tools you will need:
- Polymer clay – you can choose whatever colors you would like, and you can mix them up in the process
- Rolling pin or a small glass jar
- X-ACTO knife
- Earring posts and backs – you can use different versions of these depending on what you would like to make
- Clay cutters – completely optional
- Cutting surface
- Baking sheet
When you have bought all the ingredients, start out with the surface. Keep in mind the surface should be covered, as clay can damage wood surfaces by leaving small particles. You can use tin foil or parchment paper to work on. After you have prepared the surface, start by working with clay and shaping it. If you plan on mixing colors, go ahead and experiment with them, but remember that once baked and dried out the colors will not be as bright as they used to be.
Once you have shaped the clay into a desirable form of earrings, it is the perfect time to make holes. If you are using earring posts and backs, we would advise you to be careful with this step as you don’t want to ruin the earrings’ unique shape. Pick up the earring gently, and carefully make a hole by pressing the earring post and back. Repeat twice and place the earrings on the baking sheet.
When you are done shaping the earrings and making the holes, you can place them in the oven. Bake the earrings according to the directions on the packaging. If you are not sure about the directions, and threw away the box (happens more often than you think) you can always look up the company that manufactured the clay, and find directions on their website. After the earrings are fully baked and dried out, you can add some glitter to them by using the super glue or you can paint over with liquid gold if you used white clay during the process. Don’t forget to match the earrings to the mechanism used, which will likely be metallic. If you are using posts for the earrings, make sure you use super glue to attach them by holding tight for at least 30 seconds each earring. Your handmade polymer clay earrings are ready, and you can wear them proudly to any occasion!