How to make polymer clay jewelry pendants that get lots of compliments:
Sometimes it’s the jewellery pieces that are easiest to make, which get you the most compliments! This is definitely the case with my pretty silver spoon pendant shown in the photo. Whenever I wear it, people are always ooing and awing.
This simple pendant was made using a polymer clay technique called Mokume Gane. The decorative silver bail was made from the cut-off handle of the spoon left over from another pendant jewelry making project shown here: How To make Polymer Clay Pendants
Polymer clay Mokume Gane is a process fashioned after an ancient Japanese metal smithing technique. Much easier to do in polymer clay, mokume gane canes are created by layering thin sheets of various colors of Fimo, Premo or Sculpey. Then you make impressions in the block of clay before taking thins slices to add to your pendants and beads.
Many of you have seen the video I posted in my newsletter which demonstrates how to create a red version of this mokume gane technique which also incorporates metal leaf.
In contrast, the turquoise mokume gani spoon jewelry shown in the photo above, was made with blue and white Premo clays, layered with pearl Premo instead of metal leafing.
In this turquoise polymer clay mokume gane project I used a hair comb pressed into the clay instead of the pen lids demonstrated in the video for the red version. This left much tinier circles in the pattern which was a cool look.
By choosing a different color combination and texture style, it changed the whole look of the technique. This flexibility is one of the reason I like using mokume gane so much in my jewelry making projects.
However, I think the main thing that attracts people’s attention with this polymer clay pendant, is the use of a silver spoon handle for the bail. As I said earlier, the handle was left over from another pendant project and was lying around just begging to be used for something creative.
So what do you think… Would you like to learn how to make pendant spoon jewelry using polymer clay mokume gane techniques? I could make some tutorial videos or a course if there is enough interest. Let me know.
Cindy,
This is gorgeous. Really like the colors.
Definitely make the videos!!!
Very pretty. And I went to the blog where you used the bottom half, great idea. Thrift store here I come.
Cindy, I think these are beautiful! I would really like to know how you work with the spoon — cutting it, sanding it, bending it for use as a bail, etcetera. I remember the post where you use the spoon bowl to hold clay and be the bail. I’m wondering if cheap spoons would work well for this if they were sanded and polished somehow. How do you finish yours? I’d love to see a short video on “spooning”!
@MJ: Thank you very much! I’m thinking about it!
@Marianne: Look for the solid silver or silver plate. Stainless steel is way to stiff to bend and doesn’t have that rich look that silver does.
@Kimberlee: There are quite a few steps to making these spoon pendants, so I will likely have to make a full course (coming soon… :-). Cheap stainless spoons don’t look very good in my opinion and they’re hard to bend unless they are really thin. I do suppose you could alter them somehow if you had a bunch.
Cindy’s last post..Fimo Clay, Premo, Sculpey – Which is Best for Cane Making + Sculpting
Your pendant with the silver spoon handle is so pretty. I’d definitely be interested in learning how to do it. :)
Thank you Anna… I have been considering doing that! I’ll let everyone know when I do by posting an announcement on this blog. If you click the link by my name you can see another pendant made with the bowl of a spoon.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
like the silver spoons i find certain types of spoons will break the only way to
salvage them is to drill a hole in what’s left of the handle and put an silver o ring
in it then you can hang it on a chain. If some are hard to bend they can be put in a vise and bent.
You’re right June. Some of the old silverware has a weird chalky base metal core that snaps easily if bent to quickly or too far. I’m thinking they would probably bend if they were warmed up a bit with a torch, though I haven’t tried it yet.
Filing them smooth and drilling them is a good solution for when they do break however. A large jump ring makes the perfect finding for connecting it to a chain as well! Thank you for your comment!
I have a lot of old cutlery that I want to turn into jewelry. This would definitely help me put away the spoons! Please teach! Thanks sweetie!
I will Suzanna as soon as I can. If only there were more hours in the day!
Yes! The tut is finally coming in March! Yay!
Wow, that is a gorgeous Mokume Gane pendant. Thank goodness Cindy has made a video tutorial on how to make Silver Spoon Bails for Jewelry [VIDEO].
It can be modified for the knife that’s used in this pendant. The link will take you to a video preview of the tutorial, as well as comments and feedback on it from members. There are discussions about where to find spoons/cutlery, how to bend them, and some beautiful examples, as well. Check it out, if you haven’t already. And have fun!