DIY Turquoise-Inspired Jewelry

I saw this tutorial on Delighted Momma awhile back for making turquoise-inspired jewelry, and I had been wanting to try it out for awhile... well, I finally did, and here's how you can do it, too!


What you'll need:

• black acrylic paint (about $1-$2 per bottle, pictured)
• hand sander (or just sandpaper)
• polymer clay in your color of choice
• sand
• gloss varnish/glossy mod podge/clear nail polish
• toothpick or bead reamer
• disposable plastic container
• latex gloves

Start out by mixing your clay colors (if you need to) and kneading your clay until it is very pliable. Plan out what type of beads or pendants you want to make and portion out the clay accordingly.

Pour some sand into your disposable container, and squirt a couple very small drops of black acrylic paint into it.

Put on your gloves, take your clay and start kneading in the paint and sand into it. It looks weird,and messy, I know, but don't worry, that will change.

Decide on the shape you want to make and shape your clay accordingly...

Poke a hole with your toothpick in the pendant or bead so you can string it later.

Once all your beads are ready, and have holes poked into them, cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil, and put the beads on the sheet. 

Bake the clay beads at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes (or follow the baking instructions on your polymer clay package).

When they're finished baking, let them cool for about 20-30 minutes.

When they are cool, use your sandpaper and sand them until they are smooth and the black veins and details in the clay start to show through more. When you're satisfied, finish them off by adding your gloss varnish/mod podge/clear nail polish! 

As you can see, I made my clay a little greener than traditional turquoise, but I am VERY happy with the way everything turned out! This was a super easy project that cost very little money, and was so quick to clean up! Definitely not as messy as I was expecting.

Here's what I made with the beads that I created from this tutorial...

pair of earrings & necklace with black clay rose

earrings close-up

necklace

 If anyone uses this technique to make some turquoise-inspired jewelry of their own, I would love to see what you make!

Email: Quirkability@gmail.com

xoxo,
Meagan