Wire Wrapped Faux Stone Polymer Clay Pendant

If you know my style, you know I love the organic look.  Wood, stone, bone, hammered metals – that’s my style.  I combined a couple of mediums today to create this wire wrapped faux stone pendant – and the pendant is one I made myself, from polymer clay!  It’s not nearly so heavy as stone this way, and, I could make it in any color scheme I wanted.

I shared another post about hammering wire recently, and I love the effect so much I’ve continued to play with it.

What you will need to make this project:

• 12-gauge aluminum wire (about 12 inches), a bench block or anvil, and a chasing hammer
• Polymer clay in your choice of color(s), plus the faux-granite color
• Clay roller and possibly a clay knife (please don’t use your kitchen utensils, as clay is not food safe)
• Needle tool or if you’re in a pinch, a toothpick
• Wax paper and/or parchment, and a crafts-only baking sheet

First, mix your clay colors. The key it to mix them so that they are both visible, but not fully blended together, so that they look more like stone.

Next, flatten and shape your piece.  I went for a rounded rectangle.  Make a hole in the top for adding a jump ring.

Bake your piece according to package directions – usually 30 minutes per 1/4″ thickness in a low oven.  All formulas will be a little different, so it will vary by brand.  Mine was about 3/8 inches thick so I baked it for 45 minutes.

While it’s baking, you can hammer out your wire accent.  Just cut off about 12 inches of wire, and hammer it with first the flat side of your hammer, and then the rounded side to add texture (if you want).  I really tried to get mine kind of uneven, because I love the way the metal looks when it flows. In hindsight, keeping it straight may have made the wrapping look nicer, but as it is, I still really like how it turned out.

When your pendant has baked and cooled, wrap your wire around it wherever it looks good to you.  Keep the ends to the backside (unless you prefer them to show).  You can be safe and add a dot of jewelry glue to secure the wire, but I found it wasn’t necessary.  Wrapping it tightly held it just fine.  Add a jump ring and chain (I opted for a 18″ chunky chain, it’s a 5mm stamped chain).

And that’s all you need to have a lovely and one-of-a-kind piece!

I think I’m done with the clay for a little while now, so if that’s not your thing, don’t worry, haha.  It has been lots of fun, but it’s heating up here in Michigan so I’m going to keep the oven cold as much as I can for a while!  Have a great day ~