It has been nearly a year since I wrote the tribute post to my Mom – An Artistic Life: Remembering the Creative Spirit of Arlene Summers and returned to my jewelry-making hobby. Since then, my creative inspiration has grown. At first, I made jewelry with beads and findings and then rediscovered a long-lost medium, polymer clay.
Many jewelry makers have a signature style; you can look at their work and know they made it. Not me. I like a wide range of styles and typically design jewelry based on my mood or something that inspired me. I like small and dainty, big and chunky, simple, bold, colorful, monochromatic, and ethnic styles in a wide range of materials.
I find creative inspiration in many places – museums, books, Pinterest, and Facebook groups. My jewelry contains materials from several sources: the beads and findings I gathered over the years, polymer clay beads and pendants I made, Mom’s incredible collection, and a few items from Mom’s sister Bern (who also makes jewelry).
Below are some of my favorite jewelry and polymer clay creations (pardon my limited photography skills).
Beaded Jewelry
I have been working with beads and findings on and off since the early 1990s and have made many bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.
Bracelets
Description of bracelets in clockwise order starting at the top.
- Lampwork glass, Czech glass, freshwater pearl, and metal beads
- Sterling silver and carnelian beads
- Aventurine, lampwork glass, pearl, and metal beads
- Bone, wood, polymer clay beads, and a tassel
- Trio of seed and glass beads
Earrings
Description of earrings in clockwise order starting at the top.
- Crystal, glass, and brass beads with dragonfly charms
- Sterling silver and crystal beads with mismatch glass charms
- Crystal and glass beads
- Mom’s hand blown glass beads and chain from Bern
- Seed beads and brass charms
- Final two: vintage glass, gemstone, and gold-filled bead earrings (I loved the style so much that I made two pairs.)
Necklaces
Gemstones and pearl
Description of necklaces in order starting at the top.
- Vintage glass and freshwater pearl beads
- Multistrand lampwork glass focal bead, brass, and seed beads
- Multistrand striped glass and seed beads
- Freshwater pearl and metal beads, vintage button
- Double strand glass and seed beads
- Lapis, onyx, and metal beads
- Rose quartz and metal beads
- Glass, aventurine, freshwater pearl, and gold filled beads
Glass
Description of necklaces in order starting at the top.
- Multistrand striped glass and seed beads
- Vintage glass and freshwater pearl beads
- Multistrand lampwork glass focal bead, brass, and seed beads
- Double strand glass and seed beads
Ethnic style
Description of necklaces in order starting at the top.
- Seed and metal beads with metal pendant
- Potpourri of trade and glass beads
- Glass and brass beads
- Trade, glass, and gold-filled beads
- Multicolor seed and green glass beads
Statement necklaces
Description of statement necklaces in order starting on the left.
- Trade, carnelian, heishi beads, metal focal bead with blue gemstone pendant
- Blue glass, pink rhodonite, and sterling silver beads with metal pendant from Bern
- Glass beads in a wide variety of colors
Minimal and dainty
Description of necklaces in order starting on the left.
- Gold filled chain with Swarovski crystals
- Brass pendant with glass bead and charm on a silk cord
- Peach crystal, blue crystal, and clear glass beads
- Blue, black, and clear seed beads (This necklace is special. I found it in-progress in Mom’s studio then tweaked and finished it.)
Polymer Clay
I started playing around with polymer clay in the mid-1990s. I created simple canes and used them to make beads and votive candle holders. After a few years I lost interest in polymer clay.
In 2018, when Mom was sick with Alzheimer’s, I went to the Colors of the Stone show in Tucson alone. It was a bittersweet experience – both comforting and sad. It was fun to attend a bead show again and think about the shows mom and I attended (read about our travels in Traveling with My Mother). But it was sad to know that we would never travel together again. After the first day, I went to the bar and had a kir – a drink Mom and I enjoyed – and made a silent toast to her. I took two classes – one was polymer clay lunar feather beads with Julie Picarello. It had been many years since I worked with polymer clay. I was rusty and felt out of sorts in the class. My lunar bead turned out wonky. After the trip, I didn’t feel inspired to work with polymer clay.
A few months after writing the tribute post to Mom, I had the urge to try polymer clay again. I had a wonderful reserve of Mom’s supplies just waiting to be used: texture sheets, mica powders, embossing powders, foil, tools, and more. I bought a small amount of clay and started to play. It was slow going at first, but the more I looked at other people’s work, the more inspired I became. Now I spend many weekends learning a wide range of techniques. I am not crazy about most of the things I make – there are a lot of wonky outcomes. But I don’t get frustrated (most of the time). I see the missteps as a normal part of experimenting and learning. I know I will get better with practice and eventually make things that I love.
Polymer Clay Beads
Description of polymer clay beads in clockwise order starting at the top.
- Blue, black, and gold faux stone
- Green, purple, blue, and yellow mokume gane technique
- Two canes: black and white; orange, purple, and fuchsia
- Purple, gray, and pink mokume gane technique
- White clay colored with orange and yellow pastels
Polymer Clay Pendants
Description of polymer clay pendants in clockwise order starting at the top.
- Pink and gold mokume gane shaving on black textured base
- Red, blue, green, and purple mokume gane technique
- Purple, fuchsia, and orange flower cane on white background
- White textured base mixed with embossing powder, textured and sprinkled with crushed crayons, then painted after baking
- Peach, brown, and blue mokume gane slice on black textured base
Earrings Made with Polymer Clay
Description of polymer clay earrings in clockwise order starting at the top.
- Fuchsia swirls, green swirls, and black with seed beads (One earring broke in my jewelry bag on a trip and I glued it back together 🙁 )
- Stripes in blue, green, gray, and pink
- Mauve and rose gold alcohol ink on white clay with black sparkly flower
- Purple, gold, blue, and orange mokume gane technique
- White, blue, gold, and fuchsia mokume gane slice on black base; metal beads
More Polymer Clay Posts Coming Soon
I am learning many polymer clay techniques thanks to the artists and crafters who share their instructional videos. In turn, I will share my polymer clay inspirations, experiments, lessons learned, and successes.
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