Welcome! I love polymer clay -- what a nifty invention! Polymer clay (PC) is a malleable form of artist-grade polyvinyl chloride, PVC, the same material as white plumbing pipe. It is cured by placing it in an oven at 250 degrees for 25 minutes. When cured, it is durable, lightweight, fadeproof and waterproof. Polymer clay allows for very individual artistic expression. That's why each PC artist’s work is so unique. It can be rolled, extruded, textured, stamped, incised, inlaid, and buffed. You can drape it around a form and work in three-dimensions. PC can also imitate amber, lapis, or ivory.

Every PC artist learns some basic techniques. One is a Skinner blend for creating smooth gradations of color on one clay sheet; a pasta machine does all the work! Then roll two such sheets together and you have a spiral cane! Now isn't that FUN?? Clay canes are rolls or blocks of clay in which an embedded design runs lengthwise. I cut thin slices from the ends of these canes and inlay them on my rosary beads and crosses, as well as my bead sets, business card cases, and pins, all inlaid with canework in checks, leaves, flowers, spirals, stars or kaleidoscopic designs. Face canes are one of the most difficult canes to make; some of my pins include them. The mica shift technique aligns the microscopic mica grains in metallic polymer clay to hold a chatoyant design in the clay even though the clay surface is flat. And finally, mokume gane, a technique derived from Japanese metal work, involves creating a multi-layered stack of clay, incising and poking its surface with texture tools, and then slicing off thin layers and using them in decorative ways.

Depending on the colors of clay you use, and the control you have over the clay, the results for all these techniques are either fascinating and lovely (Oh, look what happened -- how cool!), or horribly ugly ("Oh rats, what a failure!") One good thing is that no clay is wasted. Even scrap clay is used again. I rarely throw away even a pea-sized piece of clay.

Attention to detail is very important. Making sure clay edges meet, wet hand-sanding edges and buffing surfaces to a shine with a soft cotton wheel on my Dremel tool -- I take a lot of care in the details because that creates a professional product.

Then I enjoy the artistic challenge of combining PC with gemstone and crystal beads, silver and gold wire, gold and silver leafing, jewelry findings, and found objects to create jewelry and objects of beauty. I make a variety of jewelry, items with Jewish themes, religious items like Anglican rosaries and Anglican and Catholic mini-rosaries, crochet hooks, sewing tools, and herb garden markers. And beads, beads, beads. Even jewelry-makers on Etsy buy my beads for focals in their DIY jewelry-making. It's so much fun to see what they make with my beads.

My shop is called Sweetchild Jewelry because my last name, Soskin, means “seuss-kind,” or "sweet child" in German. I have been making art since I was a sweet child. OK, I wasn’t always sweet. I was probably feisty and bossy most of the time! I’ve been a public school art teacher, a cross stitch designer and quilt maker. I began working with PC in 2007. I opened this Etsy shop around that time.

My studio has evolved over ten years and works well for me. My clay table is an old executive sized desk and I work on a square foot of white marble. I have a good studio light and my Dremel tool at that table. On shelving made of bricks and boards I keep my clay canes in plastic wrap, and many boxes of pressed glass, seed, and stone beads. The desk drawers hold ribbon, dozens of clear plastic boxes of seed beads in many sizes, colors, shapes and finishes, scrapbooking scissors, acrylic paints, wires, beading threads, and pewter, silver and gold plated beads and findings. I have unusual things like postage stamps, texture sheets, watch parts, buttons, and much more. All these items at my fingertips provide great expressive range.

Follow me on social media:
www.facebook.com/sweetchildjewelry
www.pinterest.com/virginiasoskin
www.twitter.com/sweetchildjewel
https://www.fashmates.com/shop-section-browse/sweetchildjewelry/looks

I am a member of these Etsy teams:
Team Serenity: www.etsy.com/teams/12408/team-serenity
Growth on Steroids: www.etsy.com/teams/growth-on-steroids
Celebration Times: www.etsy.com/teams/16471/celebration-times

Thank you so much for stopping by and browsing in my shop. It's my pleasure to have you visit. I hope you have learned a bit more about polymer clay and what a challenging but fascinating art medium it is.