Free Tutorial: Ranger Quick Cure Clay and ICE Resin Wildflower Necklace

We’re excited to share this beautiful Quick Cure Clay project from our friends at Ranger! This kiln-free clay is easy to work with and perfect for making clay jewelry this summer and beyond. Versatile and affordable, this clay takes color like a dream and cures quickly with a heat tool. As you can see, it has an elegant finish and high quality for use in artisan jewelry. But there’s no kiln or torch required, making it great to use in summer and beyond! Get the hang of Ranger’s Quick Cure Clay with this free tutorial.

Make the Wet Wildflowers Necklace with Quick Cure Clay

By Debbie Tlach of Ranger

Materials:

4 oz. Ranger Quick Cure Clay
Ranger Heat It™ Craft Tool
ICE Resin® resin, mixing cups, stir sticks, brushes
ICE Resin® Rune Bezel: Shield in antique silver
nitrile gloves (for working with clay)
ICE Resin® Iced Enamels: ivory
ICE Resin® Iced Enamels Medium
small soft paint brushes
Dina Wakley Media acrylic paint: lemon, tangerine, blushing, evergreen, turquoise, lime, olive
ICE Resin® Studio Sheet
45” ICE Resin® black 2.5mm leather cord and leather adhesive
Tim Holtz® Distress Micro Glaze™
ICE Resin® antique silver 5mm end cap, 3 jump rings, and S-hook clasp
2 pairs of needle-nose jewelry pliers
large cup of water to soak cord
toothpick

Always read and follow package safety instructions of all products used.

Steps:

1. Working over a non-stick, heat resistant Studio Sheet in a well-ventilated area, coat the insides of the Shield bezel with Iced Enamels Medium using a brush.

2. Quickly pour ivory Iced Enamels inside the bezel. Tilt and shake to completely cover the inside. Return excess to container.

3. Place the bezel on the Studio Sheet and melt the Iced Enamels with a Heat It™ craft tool. (Do not touch the bezel; it will be hot!) Let cool.

Form Quick Cure Clay

4. Put on nitrile gloves. Using Quick Cure Clay, form small, flat teardrop shapes. These will be your petals. Make a few small ones and five or six larger ones for the flower, as seen in the upper left of the bezel. Make a slightly smaller set of petals for the smaller flower on the bottom of the bezel. Remember: Variations in shape are beautiful and part of nature.

5. Near the small pointy ends of the petal shapes, partially roll/fold the petals inward. Assemble them into two flowers by pressing the bottoms of the petals together, starting with the small petals in the center. (One flower should be slightly smaller than the other.)

6. When making the long, flat leaf shapes, use a toothpick to press a line down the middle of the shape and slightly fold the clay on the line to give it more dimension. Form points on both ends of the leaves. Make one long leaf and two shorter ones. Partially roll/fold one end of each leaf inward the same way as you did the petals.

7. Roll a bit of clay into a long, thin rope; place and loop it (as shown in completed photo) into the bezel. One end should be at the bottom of the bezel and the other in the upper right-hand corner.

8. Shape two small leaves and a bud. Attach them to the stem in the upper right-hand corner of the bezel. Place the long leaves as shown, draping them across and over the edges of the bezel in a pleasing, flowing way. Gently place the flowers as shown, in the upper left and bottom of the bezel. Remove excess clay at the base of the flowers as needed.

Place Clay Designs in Bezel and Cure

9. Arrange and adjust your clay pieces so they are shaped the way you want. Use the heat tool to cure your clay pieces according to package directions. Heat all the pieces at once, keeping the heat tool moving and at a distance of around 6” from the clay.

Note: A wisp of smoke may be visible as the clay starts to cure. Keep moving the heat tool around until all the clay pieces are cured. The clay and bezel will be hot! Let the pieces totally cool.

10. The heat may adhere some of the clay to the Iced Enamel in the Bezel. If some pieces are not adhered, use a small amount of leather adhesive to glue them down. Let the adhesive dry completely.

Add Color and Resin

11. Paint the cured clay with Dina Wakley Media acrylic paint mixed with water. Apply paint in thin, watery washes, allowing colors to flow into each other. For the flowers, we used lemon, tangerine and blushing. The stem and leaves are painted with evergreen, turquoise, lime and olive. Let paint dry thoroughly.

12. Add Resin: Using the ICE Resin® cup and stir stick, mix the resin according to package directions. Use a brush to very slowly add resin to the bezel, a drop at a time, coating the bottom of the bezel but not flooding it. Brush the edges of the clay petals and parts of the stem and leaves with resin to give it a wet look. Only slightly cover parts of the clay, just to create highlights and a bit of sheen.

Let the piece cure according to package directions.

Finish the Necklace

13. Cut a 45” length of leather cord. Soak it in water for 3 to 5 minutes; remove from water and apply a small amount of Micro Glaze™ to the leather and pull to straighten. Fold the cord in half and tie an overhand knot about 1/2″ from the fold. Open a jump ring and add a hook and an end cap; then close. Attach two jump rings to the small hole on the top of the bezel.

14. Thread the ends of cord through the two jump rings on the bezel and pull the cord through. Put leather adhesive inside the previously assembled end cap. Insert the two leather cord ends into the end cap. (Cut the ends of the cords diagonally if needed to fit.) Let dry.

Have fun wearing your necklace or giving it as a gift! –Debbie

For more information, please visit Ranger’s website.

Thanks Ranger! Love ICE Resin and want to learn more? Read Making Glass Resin Jewelry, Casting Resin, Talismans and More with Susan Lenart Kazmer!

Are you brand-new to working with clay? Get familiar with this free Beadwise video on making textured clay beads.

Learn how to work with clay, ICE Resin, and more with these fun resources: