Faux Dichroic Glass Pendant - made with Polymer Clay and Glitter

I love making fused glass jewelry and playing with dichroic glass, so I almost feel like I'm cheating by doing this faux dichroic glass project.  But, this is a really fun technique with endless possibilities, and may be more suited to the general population, since there is no need for access to a kiln.

For this pendant I used:  Silver Pardo Jewlery Clay, Pendant blank from Metal Gallery, Art Glitter Ultra Fine Glitters - #65 Old Gold, #157 Purple Lame, #241 Fresh Lime, E6000 Glue and Lisa Pavelka Magic-Glos UV Resin

Condition the Pardo Clay (work it until it is soft) and then roll it through a pasta maker on the thickest setting, until you have a piece that is larger than the pendant setting.  You can use a roller if you don't have a pasta maker.

Press the pendant setting face down into the clay to mark the size of the pendant.  Use a craft knife to cut out the clay, just inside the marking.  

Use your finger to press random patches of glitter into the clay.

Carefully place the clay into the pendant setting and bake according to clay instructions.

Depending on the temperature and length of baking time, your glitter colors may change slightly.  Because I was using a transparent Lime Green, it faded a little and my colors picked up a little more pink and copper tones.  Watch your clay as it bakes to make sure the glitters aren't getting "burnt out".  Since the clay shrinks a little during baking, once it is cool, you should be able to pop the clay out of the pendant pretty easily by using a craft knife along the edge.  Put a few drops of E6000 in the pendant setting and replace the clay piece.  This will keep the clay in place permanently. 

Place the pendant on a ceramic tile so that the loop at the end hangs off the tile and the pendant lies flat.  Add a few drops of Magic-Glos to the top of the clay.  Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles and draw the Magic-Gloss out to the edges of the pendant.  Add a few more drops as necessary until you have the pendant completely covered.

If you have access to a UV light, you can cure the Magic-Gloss in about 10 minutes under the UV light.  If you do not have a UV light, you will need to place the pendant outside in a level spot and let the sun cure the resin.  There are other jewelry resins that do not require UV light (or sunlight) but this is my preferred method because it sets up quickly, and I like the rock-hard finish.

The finished pendant has a rainbow of glittering sparkles.  

Please visit the Art Glitter Blog for another glittering jewelry project!

Thanks for stopping!

KC