AD: New polyclay auctions and Free Bead Comp!

Those are absolutely beautiful. One thing that I like is the price. It's nice to see it priced at a decent price.

People can say that polymer clay is childs play, but I have learned the hard way that sanding those beads are hard work. I am no where near where you are. I have learned that I don't want to do beads unless I absolutely need something special. I'm concentrating on mini things and going away from the bead aspect.

A selection of 'Illuminare' polymer beads. is the name of the picture Penny

Thanks for your kind words Debbie,

It is nice to see people appreciating the work that goes into my polymer clay beads. And those prices are wholesale! My beads are very labour intensive as there are so many stages in making them. Couple that with the generally higher costs of making a living here in the UK too, the exchange rate misbehaving itself and so on and I barely break even on those prices. How people can afford to sell polymer clay beads for a few cents each is beyond me, unless they just don't pay themselves labour or dont pay their tax! lol

Interesting that you are going towards minis - I have really never been that into minis, but my mum bought herself a doll's house the other week so I have a sneaky feeling I am gonna have to learn!!!

Emma ;-)

Lol, you were meant to email the answer to me, not post it here! Still, you just made it much easier for anyone else to enter I guess, and the more the merrier after all!

I knew as soon as I hit send that I should have made myself clearer in the instructions and should have specifically pointed out not to post the answer to the board. Sorry about that, I will make it clearer next time.

I have put your entry into the hat anyway, so no need to email it through now.

Emma ;-)

It's awesome the things that can be done with minis. I joined MSAT on yahoo & learned so much. You might want to check it out. She's also on the net.

The labor intensive work is why I'm shying away from beads. They aren't priced for the work that goes in them. I can't believe the prices on Ebay for them. But I've also noticed that alot of it is just a cane sliced with a hole.

Your beads are beautiful! I've never used polyclay beads in my designs but am very intrigued by yours and others that I've seen posted in RCB. I've been reticent to consider buying them because I don't know a lot about them.

How sturdy are polyclay beads? Will they stand up to normal wear in a bracelet? Or is it better to use them in necklaces?

How would I clean them?

Isnt the MSAT group cool? I am amazed what the mini-fans can do.

In regards to pricing, It is a shame I think that more clay artists do not value their work and their time more. I have seen this discussion many times over the years. The sadest part is that it is a vicious circle and I have many times heard of people who will lessen the quality of their work by cutting corners (in order to save labour costs) to bring their prices down to fit "the market". When instead, in my own opinion, artists should be banding together, holding their standards (and their heads!) high and bring the market up to the level it ought to be.

Emma

Right on! If the artists dont insist of the value of their work, then the customer will continue to think of it as *not as good as*. Ive done enough clay work to know yours is technically precise, and artistically wonderful. Polyclayers Unite! :-) Diana

Emma, I run a small contest on RCTQ every month, asking for the answer to a simple question. Every month I ask that they email the answer to me. Every single month without fail someone will hit Reply Group instead of Reply. I laugh, tease the transgressors a little in public and enter them anyway So, next month be prepared for it to happen again. Diana

Anyone who knows me, knows how technically challenged I can be at times. So, I cant really criticize others.

And as example of my own daftness - what is RCTQ? Is there a party out there I didnt get invited too? Wah!

Emma ;-)

It's so hard, isn't it? We had this same discussion today with lampwork as the topic here in the UK. It's hard to keep faith with your work when you have the worries about how to get people to look and buy.

Absolutely.

Each time I see any bead artist, not matter the medium, raise the bar that little bit higher by getting a huge price for a set of beads, I am really happy. That means two things to me, that people are out there who will buy and pay handsomely for the privilege, and that there are artists out there who are making the market better for everyone.

Selling cheaply or cutting quality hurts the artist.

And I love your work, I just think the turquoise ones are stunning. They'd look SO good with this shirt I'm wearing... see? No, over here ^ I just love the photo of all the Illuminare beads, they are all giving me _that_ look, the one that says...'You know you want me'. It's the same look Harrison Ford gives me, frequently.

-Su

Absolutely! OMTP

Good questions Peggy! And thank you for your kind words about my beads.

I cannot speak for polymer clay beads as a whole. Because just like any medium - the maker has to understand the material to make sure their work is strong, well made etc. And, just like there are some rules in glass beads -( coe's, annealing etc) there are a few do's and don'ts in polyclay too in order to make a quality item that will last.

So, I can only speak for my own beads obviously, but In terms of sturdyness - they are very strong. Firstly their round and solid form alone makes them sturdy, they are made of the strongest polymer clays and I know how to cure my clay correctly and not to use products that may react over time and compromise the bead.

The beads will indeed stand up to wear and tear very well and I would see no problems in using them in a bracelet. They are not at risk of chipping, as some stone and glass beads can be. Polyclay is also a little lighter in weight pro rata than glass, which can be beneficial at times and make even largish clay focals very easy to wear. This is particular useful when making earrings.

As for cleaning them, with my beads I don't see that they would really need much cleaning as it is unlikely they would attract dirt. If you are wiping down stock prior to a show or something then what I usually do is to dust the beads with a clean, dry dusting cloth. My shiny beads are sealed with a fine acrylic protective layer (well, actually with multiple, incredibly fine layers, because I can't stand goopy, sticky, varnishy looking beads with drips - urgh! ) And so, the bead is sealed very well from picking up dirt etc. If you felt you really had to clean them, a simple wipe with a lighly damp cloth would be best and then dry the bead straight after. Never use any solvents or cleaning chemicals on polyclay - sealed or not.

And there you go! Probably more than you would ever want to know about polymer clay beads! lol Maybe some other jewellery designers on the group will be able to tell you more about how they find working with polymer clay beads in general too though?

Emma

Thanks Diana - An ego boost *and* another vote for the Clayer's Against Cheapness party - I like that lots!

You are right though. In lampworking people seem to value the artists' worth and can differentiate between cheapo indian beads and quality lampworkers. But maybe that is because the lampworkers know their worth too. After all, bead buyers are not stupid - they can tell good clay from bad clay, just like they can tell good glass or good ceramic or good gemstones etc. But if they can get good clay beads for the same price as cheap ones - they are not going to complain! Even if it means the clay artist is only making cents an hour, if that. But those sellers who dont want to make a living do make it harder for those who do.

It is heartwarming on this group though to see the respect so many members have for polyclay now, and maybe it is not seen so much now as "poor man's lampworking".

Emma

You are so right Su.

I LOVE to see other artists get great prices for beads. Sure there is a bit of me that wishes it was me not them each time - lol, but as you say - it is good for everyone, just like a good set of beads selling below price is bad for us all too in the long run.

A craftsman is worth his hire, as my great gran used to say.

And, yes the turquoise beads would look good with your shirt now, wouldnt they .....mwah ha ha ha. Oh, and did I tell you I have Harrison's phone number? I will mail it to you in the bead package if you win them- he is just waiting to hear from you and take you to dinner, he is just SO bored with that skinny girl you know ;-)

Emma x

Thanks so much for your very informative reply! It was really helpful and certainly *not* more than I want to know. Your point about their lighter weight making them ideal for earrings is well taken.

I asked about cleaning polyclay beads because I work a lot with metal: Wire and metal clay, as well as purchased metal beads. Although I love gold, I really cannot afford to use it much, so most of what I design is made with sterling or fine silver. Silver, especially sterling, does tarnish over time--hence the issue of cleaning.

Of course, much of the time the only thing that I use to clean the silver in my finished bracelets and necklaces is a special polishing cloth. It sounds as though if I were careful to keep that cloth away from your beads, I wouldn't have any problems. But "how to clean" is still a question that I always ask.

Thanks!!

Wise woman, your gran, Emma. I think that jewelry designers as a whole are finally starting to warm up to clay - about time, I say. One of my very favorite necklaces was made with one of your focals, Emma! I love that with clay, I can wear an especially large and imposing focal without all the weight of glass.

Carol in SLC Some of my stuff:

Hee hee, wise woman she was yes, but also a cruel, victorian woman. If I stayed there, she would have me up at 5 to clean the fireplaces out. And a craftsman would be worth his hire, but woe betide him if it called at the front door and not the tradesman's entrance!

And yes, I hope you are right that clay appreciation is on the up. I just love what you did with that Illuminare pendant you got from me. I always love seeing what people make from my beads, thanks for the opportunity to see the necklace again.

Emma

RCTQ is rec.crafts.textiles.quilting .. another great group of mostly women, it is warm and supportive but has a different flavor than rcb. Are you going to come and learn to make quilts? ;-) Diana