Faux Crystal Jade in Polymer Clay

April 20, 2017 by Elaine Robitaille

The basic recipe for a faux jade / aventurine in polymer clay is translucent clay mixed with a small amount of green (or several greens). Add a little bit of dried herbs, mica powders, paints, or what not if you want inclusions or matrix patterns. Form your pieces without mixing up the colours too much. Cure, sand, sand some more, and buff like a mad woman. Joe Patouille’s YouTube tutorial is a nice step through of it.

Comments

Rosanne Garrett says
April 20, 2017 at 7:20 am
Wish you had posted a video in English
Elaine Robitaille says
April 20, 2017 at 11:16 am
Roseanne there’s very few actual words in the video and the pictures are pretty explanatory, promise!
Salty says
June 6, 2017 at 9:33 am
Soooooo…. does it automatically go from a white color with little green flecks to looking like actual jade? Or was there a step missing? Also… what were the green flecks? Honestly, I’m no closer to creating that than I was four minutes ago…
Elaine Robitaille says
June 7, 2017 at 12:00 am
Translucent clay – and this is mostly translucent clay with a small amount of scraped in colour – always looks kind of milky to me.
I’d make a tiny test piece to see if there was enough green colouring before doing a larger batch because I’m always tweaking recipes.
Dongmei Cao says
November 1, 2018 at 10:12 am
Hi, what do you use for the green color, scraped pastel, scraped crayons, food color? Thanks.
Elaine Robitaille says
November 3, 2018 at 12:16 am
The video uses pastel but I would use – have used – alcohol inks and also small amounts of green clay. You get a mix of cloudiness then. If you want the least cloudiness, go for the alcohol inks.

Have you read?

POP! – Perspectives on Polymer

Contemporary Craft is thrilled to be hosting POP! – Perspectives on Polymer June 25-29, 2022. A five-day celebration of contemporary work in polymer, the event will have something for everyone who loves polymer clay. POP! will feature four workshops along with virtual talks by some of the best polymer artists in the country, an exhibition of small works in polymer, and a curated feature in the Store. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 25, 6-8 PM, and will be free and open to the public.

POP!’s focus on workshops and the materiality of polymer makes this boutique event more than just a conference. Each participating artist was selected for their unique perspectives on polymer and the exciting ways they are moving the medium forward. The featured instructor for the event is Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, whose pioneering techniques in polymer have made him one of the most respected artists in the field. His jewelry and sculptural objects have been shown in many national invitational exhibitions, and his works are represented in numerous private collections, galleries and museums.