Neon Cameo Necklace

This project was inspired by a neon cameo necklace by Tom Binns. As soon as I saw this polymer cameo DIY and the bright pink Sculpey in our January box I knew it would be a perfect project.

Here are the materials you’ll need:

Cardstock for the cameo template
Sculpey Polymer Clay
Craft Knife
Optional but recommended Polymer Clay blade
Clay mat or tile (protect your counter/table!)
Acrylic roller or glass jar
Rhinestone Chain (Can be found at Micheal’s or on Etsy under ‘Supplies’)
Paint and paintbrush
E-6000 Glue
Felt
Wire
Clasp

Begin by conditioning your polymer clay. I chose to use a neutral tan for the background and bright pink for the cameo. Press or roll out a piece that is at least 1.5″ by 2″ and use your clay knife or craft knife to cut it in a rectangle and round the corners.

Next you’ll create your stencil. You can create your own custom silhouette from a picture or download an image. I printed several sizes and wound up using the smallest (about 1″ tall) for my piece. Be sure to cut the image out of thick cardstock so that it will make a nice mold for the clay. I cut the image twice and stacked the two pieces of cardstock together to make mine.

Press the clay firmly into the ‘mold’ and roll to flatten. (I used an empty jar.)

Flip it over and remove the paper. Cut the cameo into an oval shape and smooth any rough edges with your fingers.

To finish I added texture to the beige clay with a stamp. Then bake the clay according to the package directions – 15 minutes at 275F.

Once the clay finished baking and cooled I painted the edge with turquoise paint. Then I used four small pieces of wire and some E-6000 glue to connect the rhinestone chain. I used a 19″ piece for the necklace and two smaller pieces that were 1.75″ and 2.25″ for the bottom.

To hide the wire and glue and protect the wearing from any sharp edges I glued a piece of felt to the back and then cut around the border. I also added a bit of turquoise paint to a few of the rhinestones. Finally I attached the clasp.

Here’s the finished project!

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Madeleine 02/23/2012, 6:48 am Reply

The perfect combo of over-the-top girly and cool!
Alison 02/24/2012, 6:52 am Reply

I have been obsessed with polymer clay lately and this project is honestly BLOWING MY MIND!! So amazing. I love every bit of it! xo
Emily 03/20/2012, 8:06 pm Reply

I made some braided bangles and a beaded necklace with my sculptey and it came out great! Thanks for giving us a new medium to think about when making jewelry