Project

Jade Pavilion Earrings

Form Ellen Kharade's amazing faux jade jewellery from polymer clay

BEADS: Turquoise, half drilled, 4mm x 3, Seed beads, coral

FINDINGS: Polymer clay, Fimo: green (53); white (0); transparent (14); chocolate (75); tangerine (42); sunflower (16); raspberry (22); peppermint (39), Cuff bangle blank, rhodium-plated (DF-BA-011), Earwires, fish hook, silver (NVK 058X), Wire, silver, 0.7mm, Bead caps, with peg and loop, 3mm, Chain, belcher, loose, silver x 70cm (WVB B00), Head pins, flat ended, Jump rings, 5mm

TOOLS: Grater, Pliers, round-nosed, Stamps: decorative mat, Block Patterns, Personal Impressions (PICS017); Asian Writing Set (U-2146), Cutter, round, 1.5cm, Blade, tissue, Adhesive, polymer clay, Bake and Bond, Paint, acrylic: brown; black, Varnish, gloss, clear, Needle

Mix up some faux jade clay in the same way as the pendant and roll out to a thickness of about 10mm. Press an Asian Writing stamp into the clay; this should squash it to 5mm thick. Using a round cutter, cut out the motif. Carefully insert a needle right through the disc and replace it with a head pin, then make another disc in the same way
Roll out a peppermint ball and bake for 10 minutes at 110°C. Once cool, cut in half and glue each to the centre of the jade discs. Finish with a thin sausage of jade clay wrapped around the cabochons and decorated with milling as before. Bake the discs for 20 minutes at 110°C.
Thread a coral seed bead onto a jade disc head pin. Trim the end to size and turn over into a neat loop. Make up a small amount of coral clay and roll out two large and four small balls, push head pins through them and bake for 10 minutes at 110°C. Once cool, trim the head pins with the larger balls to 3.5cm and the remaining head pins to 2.5cm, then turn into neat loops.
Wrap a length of 0.7mm silver wire around a circular bottle with a circumference of about 9.5cm (see Designer Tip). Wind the wire around twice, then snip in the centre so that you have two identical 3cm hoops. Take one hoop, turn the ends into horizontal hooks and link with a jump ring. Attach a jade disc to the jump ring plus an earwire. Give the cabochon and beads a coat of varnish, then repeat to make a pair.