How to add Sparkle to Polymer Clay Beads

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Adding Art Glitter, Glass Microbeads or Pearl-Ex Mica Powders to your beads to create sparkling or metallic effects!

Step 1
Condition your polymer clay well then roll into your desired bead shape. Apply your choice of sparkle to the beads before baking.  We have decided make round beads.

We will discuss 3 different choices of metallic finishes for your beads – Glitter which comes in a wide variety of colours and sizes, Glass Microbeads which are tiny glass hole-less beads, and Pearl Ex Mica Powder which when applied to the surface of clay gives it an all over metallic look.

Step 2 – Applying your metallic finishes

a. Glitter:
Adding glitter to your clay bead is as easy as rolling your bead in the glitter, tip a little onto your work space and roll until the glitter sticks.  Make sure you are using Art Glitter (a brand we stock) or other heat resistant polyester glitter.  Our photo shows a hexagonal shaped larger glitter.

b.  Microbeads:
To apply Micro Glass beads to your clay bead it can be easier to tip a little into a small lid or container it stops the beads from escaping. You will need to push the clay into the small beads, reshape again to a ball and keep repeating. Don’t push too hard or you will loose the beads on the inside of the clay and not get a textured outside surface.

c.  Pearl Ex Mica Powders:
Adding Pearl-Ex pigment powders to your clay bead is easy, just roll your bead around in a small amount of Pearl-Ex and smooth onto the clay with your fingertip to give an even coverage.  You can mix colours and also build up the coverage by continuing to add more to the bead.  You will find it changes the colour of your original clay colour, it will also give your bead an extra shine. Experiment with different coloured clay you will get a totally different effect on each bead.

Finishing:
After you have baked your polymer clay beads with glitter, microbeads or Pearl Ex on them, it is a good idea once cooled to seal the beads with a varnish to protect the applied materials from wear and tear.  Pearl Ex Mica in particular needs to be sealed - Pearl Ex Varnish (JAC1649 is our recommended product for this).  For glitter and microbeads you can also use this varnish however if you prefer a matte finish Christi Friesen Matte Sealant is a good option.

© 2017 Over the Rainbow.  This project may be used for personal use & for reselling of completed item however the printed instructions & images may not be used in classes without prior permission

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