How Your Polymer Clay Jewelry Is Made   Polymer clay is a very versatile craft medium which allows the artist to form items (such as sculptures or beads) and then fire them in a conventional oven at temperatures much lower than required by earthen clays.   First I begin with packages of polymer clay. I prefer to use the Premo brand, although I also use Fimo, Fimo Soft, and Sculpey III. Then I prepare the clay so that it can be used. This is called "conditioning." It involves kneading the clay until it ready to be used. Depending on the stiffness of the clay and the amount I am using, this process can take from 15 to 30 minutes. Next I form the beads (or pendants, pins, or other items) out of clay. Notice that at this time the beads are plain and without any decoration. The amount of time it takes to form the beads varies depending on the size, shape, and number of beads I am making. This step can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more!   To Top of Page    Home More About How Your Jewelry is Made Read the Sanford Herald article about my polymer clay jewelry!