Protect Your Clay Beads with Glaze

When making jewelry components like beads or pendants from materials that are porous or could easily become cracked or damaged in other ways, you need to consider using some kind of sealer to protect them. There are a plethora of products available for this, but one that I found to be very easy to use is called Sculpey Glaze. Sculpey is known for its polymer clay, so it's no surprise that this company also offers a way to protect the clay. They offer it in gloss or satin finish, and you can find this product sold at most craft stores and vendors who sell polymer clay products.

I used this over a number of paper clay components I made, including a Molded Paper Clay Heart Bead and a Paper Clay Charm, and found it very easy to use. If you use it with polymer clay, you need to coat the components after baking. For paper clay, wait until your clay is completely dry before coating. Use a soft paint brush, and make sure the brush doesn't leave any hairs on your piece as you coat it. Follow the safety instructions on the side of the bottle and work in a well-ventilated area. Then once coated, allow your components to dry.

Once dry, you'll have a shiny finish to your designs (if you use the gloss), and they will have a little protection as well.