Rockpool Polymer Clay Collar Necklace Tutorial

How to Make My Rockpool Polymer Clay Collar Necklace Step by Step

• To start with, you will need the silk and bubbles veneers we made in part one of this tutorial.
• Roll out two sheets of translucent Premo polymer clay on the thinnest setting of your pasta machine and lay one each over your alcohol ink veneers. Be sure to smooth away any air bubbles.
• Trim away the excess translucent.
• Roll the sheets through the thickest setting on the pasta machine.
• Bring over the oyster watercolor sheet that we made in part two of the tutorial and make sure that it is also run through on the thickest setting so that all of your veneers are the same thickness.
• Clean up the edges of your veneers so that the clean edges can be laid alongside each other neatly.

• Next you'll need your chosen collar cutter or template. I am using the basic collar cutter from JessamaDesign.
• Arrange your three veneers in such a way that they will cover the collar shape, lining up the edges neatly. See the video for details.
• Use your fingertips to smooth the seams.
• Gently press the cutter down, just enough to create an outline.
• Bring over your leftover bits and pieces from the oyster watercolor tutorial. Lay them in an overlapping fashion along the seams between your sheets.
• Press them down with your fingertips. I call this the paintdrip watercolor. I'll be doing a tutorial on this soon, so look out for that.
• Roll flat with your acrylic rod.
• Use your fingers to smooth out the collar outline.
• Bring over your cutter and cut out your piece.
• Remove the excess veneer and keep for other projects.
• Use your tissue blade to loosen the piece from your tile.
• Place the polymer clay collar piece on your stand or bowl symmetrically.
• Use your heat gun to set the piece in place.
• Gently clean up the edges using a craft knife or needle tool.
• Scrunch a cloth into a ball and then cover with another one to form the shape of a neckline.
• Remove your set collar piece from your stand, and lay over your cloths so that the shape is supported.
• Bake for a full hour at your brand's recommended temperature.
• After baking, put the collar back on the stand while it is still hot and shape it carefully.
• Starting with the two ends, spray the polymer clay with water while you hold it in place. Keep spraying until the clay has cooled and set in shape.
• Dry up most of the water, then remove the collar and dry your stand properly and put aside.

• Bring over your oyster mica shift from part two of the tutorial and run through the middle setting on the pasta machine.
• Place it on the back of your collar and press into place.
• Use your craft knife to trim the edges. See the video for the technique.
• Bevel and smooth the edges with your fingertips.
• See the video for an alternative backing using a Dragonscale mica shift.
• Resmooth the edges and back and fix any little cracks or imperfections.
• Return to the oven on the cloths as before for half an hour and after baking reset on the stand using your water spray.

• Sand your collar starting from the lowest grit all the way through to the highest until you have a nice satin sheen. I start at 400 and go through to 8000. Sand the front, sides and back.
• I have sealed the collar using a layer of translucent liquid clay. You could also use Renaissance wax, UV resin or other varnish.

• Use a pin drill to drill a small hole on either side of your collar.
• Thread a jumpring through each hole.
• Take two equal lengths of chain and attach one half of your clasp to each one using a jumpring.
• Thread a piece of chain onto the jumprings on either side of the collar, then twist the jumprings until the join of the ring is inside the collar and invisible.