The Martha Stewart Show

Polymer-Clay Jewelry

The Martha Stewart Show

Martha shows Whoopi Goldberg how to make stylish, modern jewelry using polymer clay.

Polymer-Clay Jewelry

It's easy to create polymer-clay jewelry that's just as hip as it is glamorous with this step-by-step how-to from the Martha Stewart Living Digital Magazine for iPad. To keep the pieces looking modern, choose contemporary colors and stick to graphic designs with geometric shapes.

Tools and Materials

Polymer clay
Conditioning machine
Parchment paper
Baking sheet
Transparent ruler
Pastry cutter
Fine-point tool
Jump rings

Round-nose pliers
Flat-nose pliers
24-inch thread-wrapped chain

How-To
1. Soften polymer clay to prevent cracking and breakage: Knead it in your hands, and then run it through a conditioning machine (this tool makes clay pliable, presses consistently flat sheets, and blends colors). Use the conditioning machine to roll a 1/16-inch-thick piece of clay onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Avoid touching clay to prevent fingerprints.

2. To make squares and rectangles, use a transparent ruler to mark a grid of 1 1/4-inch or 1-by-1 3/4-inch increments. Make 20 1 1/4-inch square and five 1-by-1 3/4-inch rectangle charms. Run pastry cutter along ruler's edge to connect markings. Leave pieces in place; they snap apart once baked. Pierce each piece with pointed tool. Bake clay on parchment for a matte finish; bake on metal to make clay shiny. Check clay packaging for baking time and temperature.

3. Measure out a 9-inch section located at the center of a 24-inch chain. Lay out charms along section to determine final design and color placement. Using jump rings, attach 1 charm to each link of the chain. Hold 1 end of the ring with round-nose pliers while opening and closing ring with flat-nose pliers.

Resources
Sculpey polymer clay and clay conditioning machine available from Amazon.

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The Martha Stewart Show

Polymer-Clay Jewelry

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