Making an Ombre Necklace

Ombre

           Ombre means the tones of colour that graduating from light to dark. The word originated from French word ombrer means 'to shade'. It gives a particular beauty to jewelry we gonna make. Today I will show you how to make ombre beads with polymer clay.
If you have pasta machine its much easier enough to create a skinner blend sheet and there by ombre beads.  Follow the steps to do it with your roller pin.

Steps :

1) Take two colors of clay as you wish. We can get the effect more nicely if u select analogous colors. Complimentary colors will end up in shades of brown only. Any way you can  choose any dark color with white, or red- yellow, blue- yellow, pink- brown, pink- black, black- yellow etc. I am giving you some examples only.

2) Condition them individually and thoroughly.

3) Make long drop shape with each of the conditioned clay.

4) Place them together to section them into  four to six parts.

5) Mix the colors in each section individually as one log of clay would be thin and other log would be fat at both ends. At middle both the clay colors would be in equal quantity.

6) So now you will get four to six balls of clay with a smooth transition of colors.


This is what called ombre shades. Now you can make beads out of it.  Here me used Blue an Gold colors and pebble beads (irregular shape like rock) made out of each ball. The blue ball was little big I cut a portion of blue and made six beads out of it in the real color. You can make some beads with both the colors which will show exactly what colors merged together. In this case I can add some Gold beads too nearing the clasp.  This necklace I made for a seven years girl at this much could meet the required length for her.

Look at the picture above for a reference. (Later I post how to make this kind of pendant in the picture)

The choice is yours. I am giving you some hints as soon as I go ahead, also it is a record of my learning process because me into one of the polymer newbies.... Love to share with you too...



Good luck for claying :) :)

Conditioning without a Pasta Machine

Hi all... How are you doing?
What's upto your creations?

Oh don't have a pasta machine, your fist pains...
Worry not... I have cool idea.. !! Happy ?

Conditioning is the process of making clay pliable and ready to create. Unless you condition nicely your product's strength n durability affected to a great extend. It may break or crumble even if you cured properly.

A tip for today :

      As you know pasta machine helps to condition easily without much our physical effort. But for the beginners they may hesitate to invest more for their clay crafts. So here I tell you how do it bit quickly..

                                                          *********

Take the amount of clay to be conditioned single color (or more colors if you want another color)

Chop them into tiny bits.

Gather all the bits n press together with your hands.

Roll with your non sticky roller. ( a branded acrylic roller preffered )

Fold or gather the clay , roll it again for 5-10 times or until they well incorporated.

Make a long log , fold it to half and then twist it as seen in the picture below

Repeat until smooth n sculptable.

Try this....

                                                   **************

It may not be an evolutionary invention. But my simple and humble trick I thought to share with you as it really help you well...


                      Thanks dear readers

                      Catch you Later..

Size Charts

          Very important while making a jewellery the length n size should fit to the one whom it made for matters of gender and age especially. It may vary slightly depending on short or tall, robust or lean the person is.

Measure your bracelet size

         Here I bring together the info about the standard length of necklaces  and bracelets. I hope this willguide you to vapourise your doubts! But  keep in mind its better if you can measure them individually go for it.

 Size of bracelet or a necklace measures excluding the clasp and  extension chain if attached. The proper size of bracelet calculated by  measuring the widest part of your fist by holding your hands as if you  wear a closed bangle.

Refer the chart below:

NECKLACE LENGTH (In Inches)

Women:

Collar                                                             13"

Choker                                                           16"

Princes                                                           18"
(Just below collar bone) 

Matinee                                                         20" to 24"
(About at or below Neckline)  

Opera                                                            28" to 34"
(Below Chest) 

Lariat                                                             45" Plus

Men:

Choker                                                       18"

Medium                                                     19" to 23"

Large                                                          24" plus

Babies/Toddlers:

Small                                                       10"                                

Medium                                                   12"                                  

Large                                                       14"

Children:

Small                                                      14"                               

Medium                                                  16"                                                        

Large                                                      18"

BRACELET LENGTH

Women:

Small                                                   6" to 7"

Medium                                               7.5" to 8"

Large                                                   8.5" to 9"

Men:

Small                                                8" to 9"

Medium                                            9.5" to 10"

Large                                                10.5" to 11"

New Born                                         4"

Babies                                               4.5" to 5.5"

Toddlers                                           5.75" to 6"

Children                                           6.5" to 7"

Note : Consider adding an extension chain for kids as they grow very fast.

                                                         Take care buddies...

(Google images Courtesy)

Basics of Beading + Assembling I : A simple floating necklace.

                        Beginners specially invited.....

I hope this post will assist you to be a self taught artists or those who can't go to a jewellery making teacher too.

Crimp beads

Learn it yourself, Do it yourself.






Materials
1) Beads(Here I shown you beads made of scrap clay)
2)Tiger tail wire
3) Crimp beads  
4) Jump rings
5) Clasp

Tools
1) Round / Flat nose pliers
2)Wire Cutter

Cut Tiger tail wire according to the length you required . For this you have to use wire cutting plier.
You should remember to cut few extra inches apart from the required length of necklace. Slide 2 or three crimp beads and a jump ring to the wire.

Beading

                              The crimp beads holds the beads/ fastener in wire from falling loosen. Bring it to about 2 inches of the end of wire. bend it little and slide again through the crimp beads. Now this end part has a loop and jump ring is there in the loop. Press the crimp beads in position with a flat nose plier. (Refer the Picture). Cut off excess wire.

Types of clasps

We plan a floating necklace.
Slide one crimp bead again and a bead (poly clay or store bought) again 2 crimp beads.
ie each bead should place in between 2 crimp beads. Repeat the process until you satisfied.

Now we wanna arrange beads in an equal distance in the wire. This is not a completely beaded necklace, but in between beads the wire is visible in the gaps. But in a little distance the wire wouldn't be noticed so as to call it a floating or illusion necklace. Its desirable to leave about 2cms gap. Find wherever to staple beads. Note the places and press a crimp bead then bring the polymer clay bead as much as close to the pressed crimp followed by another crimp. This to pressed very closely to polymer clay beads. Then leave 2Centimeters gap press crimps both side of polymer bead. Repeat until you finish.

Again as we did at the beginning slide 2 or 3 crimp beads , one jump ring and close wire through crimps forming a loop. Cut off excess wire.
Its ready to attach a clasp now. Open the jump ring and attach clasp through the beading hole. Close it tight.
Note : when you open a jump ring use pliers. Always do open to side to side. (See the picture below)

See how to open a jump ring

Ahh...... we finished..It looks like:

As you like you can add any number layers to the necklace, or else you can staple more than one beads at a place..Add a pendant etc etc... I'm leaving it upto your creativity. Many designs you can make with similar technique.

Here's some of my other designs;

     I hope you will send me yours.....



 

     Happy Easter to all in advance...