Hearthstone Earrings

These were my very first make when I jumped into the world of geeky crafts. They are extremely simple to make and look great on, I have received many compliments wearing these even from people who have no idea what they are.

Items needed:

General items
Am-Tech A3 Cutting Mat
X-Acto X3601 No.1 Precision Knife & Safety Cap
6" Long Nose Pliers For Bending And Cutting (Pack of 2)
For the Earrings
Staedtler Fimo Soft 8020-0 Oven Hardening Modelling Clay 56g - White
100 Silver Plated Earwire Hooks Earring Findings 19x18mm x 2
100 6mm silver plated jump rings x 2
100 x Small Tiny Mini Eye Pins Eyepins Hooks Eyelets Screw Threaded Silver 8mm x 2
Decoration
Cake Decorating Sugarcraft Modelling Tool Kit 8 Pieces (optional)
CHILDRENS WASHABLE PVA GLUE 5 LITRES
Scola Artmix Ready Mix Coloured Paint 12 x 600m (Pack of 12) (white, grey and blue)

The first step is to cut two equal size pieces of the Fimo, I recommend weighing them as you don't want one side weighing more than the other. Work the first piece of clay slightly between your fingers to make a little more pliable and then shape into an oval-esque shape. Do the same with the second piece trying to keep them equal in width and size.

You then want to work the Hearthstone swirl carefully into the main body of the stone, for this I used the cake decorating tool kit that I used to use when I baked. Any blunt edged item should have the same effect, just make sure it isn't too thick. It might take a few attempts to get the shape how you want it, I lightly imprinted the swirl I wanted before putting any real pressure on it. Once you are happy with the design you will need to bake the clay in the oven, follow the instructions on the packet for your oven. I have a fan oven so bake mine at 100°c for 10 minutes.

Take them out and allow to cool. Once cool, take the eye pins and gently screw them into the top of the Hearthstones.

Now you can paint, I added a layer of white first just so it had a base coat (and the clay picks up any little bits of dust, dirt etc). I then mixed my grey to the shade I wanted it to be, painted the sides and one side first and allowed to dry before painting the other side. I repeated for a second layer of grey to ensure it was well coated. I found holding the eye pin with the pilers meant I could paint the top of the stone neatly. Once it has completely dried you used a very fine brush to paint the swirl blue.

Next go over the stones with a couple of coats of PVA glue, this adds a nice shine to them and gives them a little bit of protection. You can always give them a spray with sealant like Plasti-kote 1138 400ml Super Clear for that extra layer of protection.

After the glue (and sealant) has dried take you jump rings and open them slightly using the pliers, loop them on to the eye hooks, then add the findings to the jump hoops and close them using he pliers. Be careful not to squeeze to hard as you will distort the rings. Allow to dangle to make sure they sit right; so when worn the swirl is facing forwards.

Ta Da!! Your funky new Hearthstone earrings are ready to show to the world. You don't have to just do Hearthstone; I plan to make myself a set of Pokeballs, red and green mushrooms from Mario and Mr & Mrs Pacman; as soon as I find the time.

For my pair I used antique bronze coloured jewellery pieces as they are what I had ordered in for other makes. These will look fine with the silver ones I have recommended at the top of the blog or any other colour you want to do them in.

Let me know if you give these a go, I'd love to see pictures of you wearing them and I will answer any questions in the comments.

See you soon x