I remember seeing the red & silver necklace shown to the left in a magazine and immediately coveting it. Thinking back, it was my first introduction into what polymer clay could do…and since I can’t find the photocopy I made of the piece, I was happy, happy, happy, to see it appear in a bead-making tutorial video.

Helen Breil is kind enough to share the technique she used to create these beads with  tutorial videos that take you through the entire “folded bead” process. While it’s easy enough for beginning clay artists, mid-level artisans can take it to the next level by incorporating their own panache.

The fact that you can take this simple method of folding clay

and by adding surface effects make an elegant piece like this:

is a great demonstration of the beauty of polymer clay.

Folded Beads Video Part 1

Folded Beads Video Part 2/3

For those who’d like a daily update on the “chameleon clay”, visit http://polymerclaydaily.com/. The site is hosted by Cynthia Tinapple, who recently combined the work of a myriad of polyclay artists into a coffee-table (and project table) book, “Polymer Clay Global Perspectives: Emerging Ideas and Techniques from 125 International Artists” [pub date 7/30/13; 9780823085903].