Necklaces and earrings with fruit beads in jewellery clay

1   Knead the yellow and green fine clay polymer for around 4 minutes to prevent air bubbles from forming during the baking process.

2   Make a lemon by moulding an oval shape out of the yellow clay (L: 1.5 cm, W: 1 cm). Also mould a small green leaf as shown in the picture.

3   Attach the leaf to the top of the lemon. Now use a head pin to make small dots on the surface of the lemon.

4   Insert the head pin all the way through the lemon and then remove it again. Your first bead is now ready to be baked. Repeat the process until you have the desired number of lemons.

5   Now knead the red and green fine clay polymer separately for 4 minutes. Mould the red clay into a strawberry shape. Also mould 5–6 leaves with the green clay and arrange them around the top of the wide end of the strawberry.

6   Make a hole completely through the strawberry with the head pin.

7   Use the head pin to make seeds on your strawberry. The strawberry is now ready to be baked. Repeat the process until you have the desired number of strawberries.

8   Now mix the orange clay for the orange. Mould a red ball (approx. 3 mm in diameter) and a yellow ball (approx. 8 mm in diameter). Knead the two colours together until they turn orange. Important: the colour will become a brighter orange when baked.

9   Now roll your orange ball until completely round (approx. 1.3 cm in diameter). Also mould a small green leaf and place it on the orange.

10   Insert the head pin completely through the orange.

11   Now use the head pin to create texture on the orange. Your orange bead is now ready to be baked. Repeat the process until you have the desired number of oranges.

12   Make a raspberry bead with the red fine clay polymer. Knead both the red and green clay for 4 minutes. Mould an oval ball with the red colour (approx. 6 mm in diameter and approx. 1.2 cm in length). Now mould a lot of small balls to cover the entire oval shape and attach them one by one. Also mould 5–6 leaves for the top of the berry. Repeat the process until you have the desired number of raspberries.

13   Insert the head pin completely through the raspberry and then remove it again. Your raspberry is now ready to be baked.

14   Heat the oven to 110 degrees and allow it to warm up for 10 minutes. Place the fruit beads inside the oven and bake for 18 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

15   Insert the head pin through the strawberry bead as shown in the picture. Use round nose pliers and twist the head pin at the top.

16   Now twist the head pin completely around itself.

17   Cut off the excess wire using wire cutters.

18   Now twist open the ring on one of the studs.

19   Attach the strawberry and close the ring again using flat-nose pliers. Your stud earring is now ready to be worn. Repeat the process with the other stud earring.

20   Cut a piece of jewellery wire to a length that fits around your neck. Now attach a crimp cover and a crimp bead. First squeeze the crimp bead around the wire.

21   Now squeeze the crimp cover around the crimp bead. Finally, cut off the excess wire.

22   Add beads in the colours and designs of your choice until the wire is filled. Finish with a crimp cover and a crimp bead.

23   Twist open an round jump ring as shown in the picture.

24   Place the round jump ring in the crimp cover and carabiner clasp in the round jump ring and then close the round jump ring. Repeat the process on the other end, only this time without the carabiner clasp.

Repeat the same process for the other necklace.