How to Make Marbled Polymer Clay Earrings!

How to Make Marbled Polymer Clay Earrings!

Learn how fun and simple it is to make marbled polymer clay earrings!

Polymer clay bakes is soft to work with and bakes hard in the oven.

Marbling the clay makes gorgeous quartz crystal effects, paired with gold leaf for the ultimate classy earrings.

These gorgeous earrings are made from polymer clay...and let's just say, it's impossible to make just one!

Even a small batch of clay will yield a few pairs of earrings, so maybe you'll want to make some to sell, gift or hoard all of them! Easily worth $12 a pair!

It's kind of a big investment to start making these marbled polymer clay earrings, so jump in and make a bunch to sell--that will help cover your costs.

Supplies Needed for Marbled Polymer Clay Earrings:

• Translucent Sculpey Clay
• Aqua Acrylic Craft Paint (or color of your choice)
• Gold Leaf Sheets
• Liquid Sculpey (mine is gold, but clear works too)
• Clay Cutters (this kit comes with earring hardware too)
• Jewelry Resin
• Hypoallergenic Earring Hardware
• Large Jumprings
• Jewelry Pliers
• Clay Tools (rolling pin and slicer)
• Pasta Maker or Clay Roller (optional but super nice)
• Disposable Gloves
• Non Stick Work Mat
• Drill and Small Drill Bit (here's a simple one that should work)

Step 1: Soften and Cut Translucent Clay

The translucent polymer clay is the key component to making these marbled clay earrings. 
It gives the earrings the quartz crystal effect.

Begin by cutting a piece of the translucent polymer clay.

Split the translucent clay into 2 pieces and roll 1 piece until smooth.

Then roll it with the rolling pin until 1/4 inch thick.

After rolling the translucent polymer clay 1/4" thick, cut it into 1/4" strips the long way.

Then cut the clay strips the other direction, creating lots of little cube pieces.

Step 2: Acrylic Craft Paint

Now split the polymer clay pieces into 2 piles.

Squeeze a little of the teal/turquoise/aqua acrylic paint on one pile of clay pieces.

Then wearing disposable gloves, lift and roll the pieces around in the paint to mix the paint onto the clay pieces.

Step 3: Gold Leaf

After mixing the paint on the surface of the clay pieces, place a single gold leaf sheet on the painted clay pieces.

Repeat the process wearing gloves and rolling the clay pieces to get them covered with bits of gold leafing.

Step 4: More Clay Pieces

Now take the second pile of translucent clay pieces and squeeze a little bit of the liquid polymer clay on them.

Mix them around in the same way wearing gloves until the pieces are all coated in the liquid polymer clay. 

Not much is needed.

Then add some gold leaf to the translucent pieces in the same way as the aqua ones.

Step 5: Mixing Together

Now gather the pieces together, mixing them around to disperse the colors fairly evenly. 

But, randomness is our friend here.

Then squish all the pieces together and roll them tightly into a cane, or a rectangle about an inch by 2 inches.

Step 6: Cutting the Polymer Clay Cane

Now get the piece of translucent polymer clay that was set aside right at the beginning and soften it up.

Then use the pasta maker/clay roller to flatten out the translucent clay into a 1/8" thick sheet.

Then use the knife blade and carefully cut a 1/8 to 1/4 inch piece off the cane.

Then roll the little piece through the clay roller to make it even flatter.

Then place the pieces on the translucent clay sheet.

Then run the clay sheet through the clay roller one last time.

Step 7: Cutters

Now the clay is ready to be cut with the clay cutters and baked in the oven.

Pick the cutter you like and cut 2 of each design.

Place the clay cut outs on a baking sheet.

As I ran out of clay, I used the scraps and remixed them with a bit more translucent clay, repeating the process until I ran out of clay.

Use the smallest little circle punch included in the cutters to punch a small hole near the top of the clay shape for the earring hardware to hang.

Then bake in the oven at 275*F for 15 minutes (but check your packaging to be sure)

Step 8: Resin

To give these earrings a completely professional finish, they need glossy resin.

Mix up some jewelry resin or a high gloss resin (as opposed to a deep pour resin) and coat the polymer clay pieces in a thin, glossy layer of resin.

Set pieces on non stick surface (I'm using wax paper).

Use an old paintbrush or craft stick to spread the resin on the clay pieces. They don't need much resin, and just on the top surface.

Then let them cure for 24 hours.

After curing, some of my pieces needed their holes drilled out with a tiny drill bit.

Step 9: Earring Hardware

Now use the jewelry pliers to attach a jump ring and earring hook to each marbled polymer clay shape.

I originally intended on doing multiple layers of polymer clay pieces, but they were too heavy, so I just attached one shape.

I love how gorgeous they turned out!

So much natural variety, they look like cuttings of real stones!

I don't normally wear earrings.
I got my ears pierced when I was 6 years old, on a whim with my mom and aunt, at the mall.
I saw some earrings that caught my eye and then I decided I wanted them pierced.
I wore earrings regularly until I got married.
On my wedding day, I wore tiny pearl earrings. 
My husband told me he didn't like earrings and that was that--I took them out and never wore earrings again...
Except for a rare occasion here or there, I'll slip on a pair of earrings.
Now my ears react badly to earrings and feel infected after just wearing them for a few minutes.
So, I don't wear earrings. 
But I made a whole bunch of them...and gave them all away!
Seriously, I love the making process...much more than I love the keeping projects.

Hopefully this guides you through the simplest way to make these gorgeous crystal quartz-like earrings.

I love the look of them and will probably use the technique to make other fun things in the near future!

Again, these earrings are awesome for business too. 

Once you buy the supplies, the clay is pretty inexpensive, so they don't cost much to make.

Do you sell your crafts?

Start an Etsy shop and list some of them!

That's it!

I hope you are inspired to make a bunch of different colored marbled polymer clay earrings!

Turn them into pendants, rings or bracelets too!

So many beautiful options.

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