Spider Steampunk Jewelry Pendant | Polymer Clay, Old Watch, Beads

The Oh So Sinister Pink Widow Spider Strikes Again:

“It’s after Midnight on Friday the 13th and the Pink Widow Spider is getting hungry!” —  Yikes! Maybe I’m taking this Steampunk thing too far. But sometimes you just have to go where a piece is taking you!

This funky steam punk pendant is somewhat similar in feel to my Gardener’s Chronometer Steampunk Jewelry piece from last week.

Both pendants started with a silver spoon as the base. I like how vintage silverware fits in so nicely with the look of steampunk. There is something old, pretty, ornate and utilitarian about silver cutlery, that lends itself well to steam punk design concepts.

The bowl of the spoon was filled with a base of polymer clay. This base was then covered over using slices from a pink and scarlet flower cane. This made for a nice colorful starting point.

In my junk jewelry stash there was an old watch that had died on the 13th of some month. That’s the number that shows in the little date window on the watch face. This made me think of Friday the 13th, so it made sense to give the piece a spooky slant. Hence the idea of adding a spider.

Like my other Garden Chronometer pendant, some aged copper filigree was added to bring in the ornateness that all steampunk must have. Wire, glass beads and of course the cute, yet oh so sinister Pink Widow Spider tops the whole thing off.

The real magic of steampunk is the combination of function and ornament. Each piece should be highly decorative but also give the feeling of functionality. It should look like it was removed from an ancient Victorian secret lab somewhere.

Just sticking a bunch of gears on some lace doesn’t automatically qualify as steampunk (IMO). This is the mistake I see with a lot of so called steampunk pieces especially in polymer clay. I’m not saying I have ‘nailed it’ yet, but ornate function is what I am aiming for.

So have you taken a shot at making some Steampunk Jewelry? Please do share your stories.