Terrazzo tiles are now more trendy than ever, they're so colorful and cute. You can can find Terrazzo stile on everything, from clocks, to furniture, to jewelry. So why not make it yourself?
Polymer clay has been my full-time profession for a long time, a long time ago. I used to sell miniture food jewelry and dollhouse miniatures online and have weekly group workshop.
I loved that life, but as so many things, polymer clay slowly stopped being trendy as more and more people started creating jewelry themselves and the sales dropped more and more.
Many creatives were able to shift their style to follow the current trend and keep their brand alive. I wasn't able to do that so at some point I had to give that up.
Last year, after almost 7 years without touching polymer clay, I bought it again and started doing a few things for myself.
Check out this video of me attempting to make a miniature pizza slice 10 years later.
What is Terrazzo?
Terrazzo is the name of a flooring technique which consists of chips of marble, glass, granite or other materials, poured with a binder. The result is a beautiful spotty floor with many colors and sparkles that catch the eyes.
This technique started in Italy in the 18th century and you can still find it in many historical buildings throughout Italy.
Introduced in the US in the 1890s, it became popular only in the 20's.
In recent years, though, you can see it more and more also as a pattern for accessories, home decor, wallpaper, tabletops and more.
What is Polymer Clay?
Polymer Clay is a colorful modeling clay which hardens at a high temperature, becoming hard and durable as plastic.
You can find it in arts and crafts shop with many colors and types, including metalling, translucent, and glitter. The colors are mixable together and you make infinite shades of colors, so the possibilities as endless.
It was very trendy in the years around 2010, where you could find stalls in every handmade market, several thousands of YouTube videos and hundreds of Etsy sellers. The most common products were food miniature jewelry, which was also my specialty.
How to make Terrazzo Jewelry
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Check out the video on how to make polymer clay Terrazzo jewelry:
Polymer Clay Terrazzo Jewelry
Ingredients
- Polymer Clay in several colors
- Precision Knife
- Rolling Pin
- Craft Cutting Board
- Parchment Paper
- Jewelry findings
Instructions
- Soften a large quantity of clay to use as a base. You can make whatever color you want.
- Then, soften small quantities of 4-5 complementary colors which can go well with the base color. In my case I used a soft pink as a base and then I added navy blue, pale yellow, red, orange, pale blue and eggshell white as complementary colors.
- With a rolling pin or a pasta machine, roll the base color until it's about 5 mm thick (3/16").
- Now roll all the other colors as thin as possible. Then with a precision knife or a utility knife, cut teeny tiny pieces of each color. Try to keep a geometric shape to the pieces.
- With the knife or with a toothpick, place the small colorful pieces randomly on the base color. Do not overfill it, the base color should still be visibile.
- When you're done, with the rolling pin or a pasta machine, roll the clay until the surface is smooth and even. Do not make it thinner than 3 mm (⅛").
- Now with the precision knife or metal cutters (even cookie cutters if you find small ones), cut out the shapes you want. Make a hole with a toothpick to attach the findings.
- Carefully transfer the pieces to parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 110°C (230°F) for about 30 minutes.
- Once they're cool they're ready to be mounted as jewelry. You can also use an apposite glaze if you want them shiny.
Leave a comment if you like this craft!
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