Creative Clay Jewelry: Extraordinary, Colorful, Fun Designs To Make From Polymer Clay [Paperback]

Leslie Dierks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1994

“The instructions are easy to follow, plus the practice requires little in the way of expensive tools....There’s considerable artistry to the 48 projects....Great for rainy days.”—Booklist. “Combines basic information on jewelry-making, specific techniques...for working with polymer clay, and instructions for 48 projects....Highly recommended for public libraries.”—Library Journal.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Commonly known by such brand names as FIMO, Sculpey, and Cernit, polymer "clay" is a claylike product made from polyvinyl chloride-soft and easy to work with until fired, yet rigid once baked at low temperatures. As polymer clay requires neither kilns nor expensive studio equipment, it is ideal for the novice jewelrymaker. Yet its wide range of available colors and its versatility when embellished with paints or metallic powders or when bonded with found objects makes polymer clay attractive to the professional artist as well. This book combines basic information on jewelrymaking, specific techniques required for working with polymer clay, and detailed instructions for 48 projects ranging from simple button covers to imaginative watch bands. Highly recommended for public libraries; academic libraries may prefer Nan Roche's less "project-oriented" The New Clay (Valley Pr., 1991).
Janice Zlendich, California State Univ. Lib., Fullerton
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

One of the first books on a craft that almost anyone can handle--sculpting and creating jewelry from a polymer (or plastic) clay. The instructions are easy to follow, plus the practice requires little in the way of expensive tools (though the clay itself can be costly). There's considerable artistry to the 48 projects; Dierks convinced 26 designers to contribute ideas and actual how-tos. Most of the jewelry is limited to earrings, pins, and necklaces; however, each pattern, accompanied by color photographs, offers a different design perspective from which to select. Great for rainy days. Barbara Jacobs

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (June 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937274747
• ISBN-13: 978-0937274743
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colorful projects ranging from basic to challenging, July 20, 2000

By 

Ivy (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Clay Jewelry: Extraordinary, Colorful, Fun Designs To Make From Polymer Clay (Paperback)

Creative Clay Jewelry is one of the many books that attempt to cover polymer clay work from the very basics to quite advanced. While other books are probably more successful at that (Sue Heaser's Polymer Clay Techniques Book, for example), Creative Clay Jewelry has some good projects and solid information, and would be quite useful to the beginning to intermediate clayer.

It's unfortunate that there's no real indication of level of difficulty in the projects; they don't follow any logical progression. Some of the early projects use very basic techniques only - jelly rolls, marbling - which could probably be discussed in the introduction section. However, just a few projects in, there's a geometric pattern that would be quite difficult and frustrating to do as your third or fourth PC project. I'd advise careful consideration when selecting a project from this book.

Dierks does provide a much more detailed ingredient list, including things like findings and clay amounts, which other books tend to skip. She even specifies particular brands and colors, but it isn't necessary to adhere to them.

On a more personal note, I got less use out of this book than most of my PC books, simply because the projects were very bright, busy, and colorful - and that's very far from my style. But for those who love the casual, cheerful look that polymer clay can provide, this book might well be great.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Pictures and Easy-To-Understand Instructions, June 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Creative Clay Jewelry: Extraordinary, Colorful, Fun Designs To Make From Polymer Clay (Paperback)

There are so many examples of beautiful clay jewelry that it makes this book facinating to look at. Anyone can do it, the instructions are very simple with many pictures and diagrams to help you along the way. There are many hints and tips on how to make these beautiful designs with simple household utencils. I would definitly reccomend this book to people who love art and love to work with their hands.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book, October 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Creative Clay Jewelry: Extraordinary, Colorful, Fun Designs To Make From Polymer Clay (Paperback)

This book got me into making jewelry. It has everything from the very simple, to complex canework. I've taken many of the examples in this book and made them into my own design. I would definitly recomend this book for anyone, if your just starting out or you already know what your doing.