DIY Network

Globe Trotting: Egyptian Necklace by Johnny Kuborssy, Pt. 1 From "Jewelry Making" episode DJMK-511

Ancient Egypt was known for, among other things, its extravagant adornments. Guest Johnny Kuborssy, a polymer clay artist, was inspired by Egyptian art and hieroglyphics and hopes to pass that along to viewers with a spectacular necklace, which is made from polymer clay, wire and chains. This spectacular necklace looks like it came from King Tut's tomb.

Experience Level: Advanced

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Guest Johnny Kuborssy joins show host Jackie Guerra and shows you how to create this stunning Egyptian Necklace.

Materials --

Premo Polymer Clay:

• 6-8 packs of 2 oz.White Premo
  
• 6-8 packs of 2 oz. Translucent Premo
  
• 6-8 packs of 2 oz. Ecru
  
• 1 pack of 2 oz. Black

Tools --

Pasta machine
Work surface (acrylic or glass)
6" non-flexible tissue blade (new)
6" flexible tissue blade (new)
Baby powder (for release agent)
2" small blade for miscellaneous use
Exacto knife (sharp nose blade)
Wire cutter
Flat nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Precision Phillips and slotted screwdrivers of miscellaneous sizes (small sizes 1/32", 3/64", 5/64", 3/32", 1/8", and 9/64")
Needle tool
Miscellaneous brass tubes of different sizes and shapes (for making impressions on the clay surface)
Triangle shape dental tool
Acrylic cylindrical roller
Egyptian scarab rubber stamp
Short bristle paintbrush
Craft tweezers (sharp nosed)
Wet/dry sand paper (400, 600, 1200 grits)
Oven for baking Polymer clay
Cotton cloth (rag) for polishing finish
Toothbrush

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Egyptian Necklace -- Part I

1. You start the necklace by making the scarab emblem. The scarab mold is to be made first out of a rubber stamp by pressing it on soft clay. It needs to be pressed evenly in order to get a nicely finished mold of the rubber stamp (figure A). Bake the mold, and once it is cooled off, use a brush and brush the mold with baby powder. Press fresh clay of your desired color of the scarab into the mold. Push the scarab out and bake by it for about 20 minutes following the directions on your clay package.

2. Condition all of the clay using the pasta machine. Create a sheet of each color of ecru, white and translucent clays on setting number one on the pasta machine. You can lay the sheets on wax paper until you are ready to work with them.

3. Stack the three colored sheets on top of each other (figure B ), and make sure that the translucent color is sandwiched in the middle, as it is very sticky. That way, it won't get gooey and sticky when running the sheet through the pasta machine.

   Note: It doesn't matter if the sheets are uneven when stacked on top of each other.

4. With your acrylic brayer, taper one side of the three-colored stack so it will be easier to run it through the pasta machine. Run through the pasta machine on setting number one.

5. Cut the long sheet in half and stack one half on top of the other, making sure that you keep the same order of colors. For example, if the top of the half sheet facing you is white, then when stacking the second half sheet, the top has to be white when facing you as well.

6. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 until you are satisfied with the way the lines of the stack are looking when you are cutting it in half! Once you are satisfied with the lines, you are going to cut the sheet in half again.

7. This time you are going to cut the two layered sheets in half again, and cut in equal halves, stack and repeat until you have a small loaf of very thin and very delicate lines of faux ivory clay (figure C). The purpose of cutting in half over and over again is to try and make a loaf that is wide and high, at least 4" x 3" that will match with the dimension of the design you are working with.

8. Let the loaf of clay rest for at least an hour. You can trim/slice the excess, using a 6" blade. Use baby powder if necessary.

9. Slice off one slice 1/4" thick. If the loaf that you made turned out smaller than the dimensions that we need for the design of the pendant, you can slice a few pieces and connect them, keeping in mind to keep the order of the clay colors/lines in order.

10. Using the already cut slice from the loaf from step 9, bring a sharp and new #6 flexible tissue blade, make a curve similar to the curve of the pendant, and cut through it, and cut the same form on the other side, making sure that the curves on both sides are identical. For the curve on the top and bottom, depending on how big or small, wide or narrow you want the pendant to be, you cut following the same method of this step (figure D).

11. Decide where the scarab is going to be. (On the show it was placed in the middle towards the top of the pendant.) Press the baked scarab gently on the clay to leave an impression, then take it off the clay and carve out a 1/16" depth into the ivory clay of the same shape of the scarab evenly to embed it in the clay. Check to see if it fits properly, and to make sure that the scarab is not going anywhere, you can put a couple of dots of liquid polymer clay underneath the scarab before embedding it in the ivory clay. After embedding it, press gently making sure the excess liquid polymer is not going to seep out of the corners, press gently on the edges of the clay and scarab making sure that will not distort the lines of the ivory clay (figure E).

RESOURCES :

Premo Polymer Clay
Website: www.clayfactory.com

Brass Chain
Website: www.rings-things.com

Mini Brass Nails
Website: www.micromark.com

Polymer Clay Projects
Websites: www.sculpey.com/projects.htm or www.polymerclayexpress.com/lessons.html

GUESTS :

Johnny Kuborssy
PolyPals
23 Mercy St., Unit #6
Mountain View, CA 94041
Phone: 650-964-4487
E-mail: jkuborssy@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.polypals.com