A Touch of Metal

Have you ever considered combining polymer and metal but shied away because you just don’t have the metal working skills? Well, you don’t have to be a metal smith to have fully integrated polymer and metal pieces. I thought I’d share a few ideas for you to consider if you have been hesitant to try adding more than a metal chain to your jewelry or even if you do some metal work, might want some ideas for easy but sophisticated projects to stock your store or next show booth.

Here is probably the easiest and one of the best ways to bump up the perceived value of your polymer jewelry. Get yourself some good quality precious metal bezeled jewelry elements. Pendant bezels are plentiful with a wide variety of designs and sizes. Creating the right sized polymer cabochon or inlay doesn’t take much more than impressing your finished sheet or veneer with the bezel itself, cleaning up the polymer edges, and then, after curing and properly finishing/sealing your polymer, glue it into the form with a compatible glue such as E6000 or Gorilla Super Glue Gel.

You may want to build up and round off the element to give it more of a cabochon shape as Rebecca Geoffrey does here with these beautiful sterling and polymer pendants. To do this, cut a thick piece of polymer scrap in the same shape as the bezel but trim it down, cutting slivers of clay off the edges that are the same width as the treated clay sheet is thick. Then you can round off the edges of the scrap clay, lay your treated polymer sheet over it, and smooth it over the shape.

I use deli paper over the treated clay as I smooth so my fingers do not smear or dislodge any of the surface treatment. You will also want to check that it fits the bezel before curing. If it is too big, press the sides in. If too small, gently press the cabochon to spread it out, going around the edges first and then move towards the middle until it fits. You might want to practice with a few scrap clay versions to see how it works with your new bezels before working on some precious mokume veneer or painstakingly treated sheets.

Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Try a metal bezel! If you’ve done bezel pendants before, try a ring or bracelet with a channel or try a more complex bezel set purchased through fine jewelry suppliers. Better yet, collaborate with a metal smith to create unique bezels. If you do wall art or decor, try bezeled polymer as elements or accents.

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