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 Bead
makers will delight in the versatility of polymer clays and the speed
at which the beads can be crafted.
This simple necklace (right) was crafted in less than an hour. A black
polymer clay was loosely mixed with a pearlised polymer clay and then
rolled into a log. The cane was divided into 9 and these were then hand
rolled into the long beads shown.
A Studio Etch ‘n Pearl skewer was used to make a large eye
hole on each bead.
A
smaller cane was created and this was divided into 8 pieces which were
hand rolled to create the round beads. The round beads flatten slightly
as their hole is made ready.
The beads were baked in the oven for half an hour and were cool enough
to thread onto the silver chain within 10 minutes of allowing them to
cool! These larger beads work equally well threaded onto leather thong or the rubber necklet.
 The bead rolling machines allow for accurate measurement and evenly
sized beads and the different types of clay encourage the imagination
to go wild. The different types of bead rollers on this website can make
any number of shapes including oval, hexagon, bicone and tubes.
If the rolling machines do not make beads big enough for
your needs, a bicone bead can be rolled by hand using a surprising and
effective technique, see here for more
information.
  These pretty beads,
created by Sue Heaser,
have been made using the millefiori technique,
find out how to get started.
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