Faux Coral and Lava Polymer Clay Bracelet Tutorial

In this polymer clay tutorial, I'll be showing you how to make Faux Coral and Faux Lava from polymer clay. These are two of the simplest faux techniques, but the results are realistic and beautiful.

In this project we will be making a simple bracelet. Be sure to check out part two for the matching Boiling Bubbles Pendant.

You will need the following supplies:

Cernit Polymer Clay (black, orange, x-mas red, translucent)
Coarse Salt
Coarse Sandpaper
Piercing pin
Scratching tool
Black paint
Pin drill
A pasta machine
A tissue blade
An acrylic roller
An oven
Varathane (or other varnish)
Wire
Gloves
Leather Cord (black)
Cord ends
Silver spacer beads
Clasp
Jumprings
Pliers

How to Make My Faux Coral and Faux Lava Bead Bracelet

Preparing the Faux Coral

CERNIT COLOR RECIPE:
- 1 x-mas red, 1 orange, 12 translucent
Marble your clay together fairly well until you can barely see the lines of individual color.
Roll into a sausage about 1cm in diameter and slice it up into roughly 1cm pieces. Put about a third aside for next week's project.
Roll your pieces into balls.
Use a scratching tool or piercing pin to make marks and scratches on the balls.

Preparing the Faux Lava

Roll out a sausage of black Cernit clay about 1cm in diameter and slice it up into roughly 1cm pieces.
Roll your pieces into balls.
Fill a small container with rock salt.
Squish the salt around each ball until some of the salt crystals lodge in the clay.
Roll your balls between two pieces of coarse sandpaper.
Move to the side.

Preparing Beads for the Next project

In the video I show how to make a faux coral rondelle for next week's Boiling Bubbles pendant project.

Finishing off the Faux Coral and Lava Beads

Bake all the beads for an hour on a piece of tissue at Cernit's recommended temperature.
While still hot, put the lava beads in warm water for about 30 minutes to dissolve the salt.
Meanwhile, antique your coral beads with black or dark brown paint. Rub the paint all over each bead. As you finish each one, place it on a wet wipe. Leave to dry.
When dry, rub them around inside the wet wipe to remove most of the paint. Repeat with a clean wet wipe. Leave to dry again.
Remove your faux lava beads from the water. Dry them off, and inspect to make sure all of the salt has been removed.
Drill through your coral and lava beads. Drill most of the way from one side, then swap to the other side.
Drill two of the lava beads with a bigger hole ready for the pendant project.
String all of your polymer clay beads onto a piece of wire ready for varnishing.
Dip your beads into your Varathane. Move it around a bit to get the varnish into the gaps. Allow to drain, then hang up to dry.

Creating The Faux Coral and Lava Bead Bracelet

String your beads, alternating Coral, spacer, Lava and spacer, onto a piece of leather cord.
Crimp a cord end onto one end of your cord.
Move your beads to the end, trim your cord and add a second cord end.
Attach your clasp to either end using a jumpring.

And that's how to make Faux Coral and Faux Lava from polymer clay. I hope you enjoyed that tutorial. Please watch part two to see the matching pendant necklace.