Easy Faux Pearl Necklace Made of Cornstarch Clay

Here is a super easy Faux Pearl Necklace you can make for a great Mothers Day present. This is so much fun to make and so easy - just 3 ingredients that you have in your pantry.

Step 1

Measure out your ingredents

1 cup of water
1.5 cup of salt - table salt
1 cup of corn starch

To put the entire necklace together you will need 1 long needle and thread ( color choice is up to you).

Comments

[Leo4613]

Nice instructable ! As I do some beading, Chokers,mini chokers,rings and wrist bands , would come in handy to be able to make beads of a size or color I need or run out of. Maybe even make tubes the right size for the mini chokers. To enhance durability coat with nail clear as I have used it on charms I use and on store bought beads that flake their coloring. Dries thin so 2-4 coats are possible and gives them a nice gloss.
Thank you for sharing this! :) :)

[jsara]

Thanks for sharing the nail polish tip!

[suayres]

I think it would be wise to coat your "pearl" with nail polish or the glaze that is sold to polish polymer clay jewelry. The cornstarch, if not coated, will absorb oils and perspiration from your skin, and, as it's a foodstuff, well, it could get pretty nasty. Better yet, check out what you can do with such polymer clays as Sculpey or Fimo. There are lots of Instructables for polymer clay jewelry that you can make with as little work as your cornstarch clay ones, that are truly permanent.

[MurrayMouse]

Could apply glaze (like the ones used for modeling clay)to the pearls before you make the holes?

[smitasrivastava]

Wonderful idea with beautiful execution ... love it !!!

[sabaku no gaara]

can i add cream of tartar for better dough consistency?Could id bake it in an oven o speed the drying process>Coll insructables btw

[Depredasangre]

nice instructable! does this clay resist to water?

[kikyomanson]

Hi~
I think i will do that, is pretty and useful to many things.
Anyway, how much durable are this? I mean,  my beads or things will still looking nice, without any insects [since are made by corn starch and salt] or mustiness?
Thanks ^^~

[sheryle]

Very pretty - but how did you get the pearls so even? did you use a mold? I have the problem of putting the needle through and the pearl changing shape.

[Mr. Brownie]

They probably just rolled the dough on the counter.

[tealeaf93]

Ok i tried this out, but didnt work for me. Maybe i got the measurements wrong. How much salt am i supposed to have? 1/2 a cup or a cup and a 1/2. I tried it both ways and neither of them worked the cup and a 1/2 took so long i didnt even wait till it fully dissolved. The 1/2 cup was the same way. It was a little better it actually dissolved, but it still took a while, and there wasnt enough water in the end so it just clumped up. So correct me if i got something wrong i would really like to try it again.

[lancmaltby]

The more salt the better - Make sure you let it dissolve fully in the water then get it to a boil. You could try with 2 cups water to 1 cup salt. Once you get it to a boil turn off the heat then add you corn starch I would start out with 1 cup of cornstarch first - it should clump up almost sticky like substance. Then let it cool for about 10 mins*** remember it is going to be very hot.- here is where you will add another cup or so of the corn starch and then you will knead to form a dough. Keep adding more corn starch to get the dough like consistency. Almost like a thick cookie dough. it should work for you then. let me know if you have any other questions.

[tealeaf93]

Ok then thanks. I will definitely try it again.

[Hejjhog]

Sweet! Great ideas! I really want to make some now!

[JamesW]

This...looks interesting. I'd bet you could even polish them, using that weird Japanese dirt polishing method. I might even make a black pearl necklace with this. Wicked.

[a.nony.mouse]

trying doro dango on this might be fun (if i ever get around to learning it) also one might consider using a spray on varnish or clear nail polish for a quicker (though probably less realistic) shine.

[canida]

Cool! This looks great. How fragile are the beads? And as rimar2000 asks, will they melt if you get them wet?

[hollywoodgraffix]

I went to a craft show 2 weeks ago and this asain lady was making GORGEOUS flower arrangements (very small up to lifesize) and little sculptures. very detailed, added color using acrylic paint, using this material however she said to try not to get it wet at all costs because yes a little water you can dab off and even then you can almost see the water marks but if it sits in water for over 24 hours it turns back into it's individual ingrediants and melts...however she didn't use water or salt...she said she used baking soda with her cornstarch but i can only assume water will give it the same effect. still "slightly" plyable even after dry...

[Goodhart]

I believe you are correct, as baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a sodium salt as it were, and though it does help bind baked goods better, it doesn't weather-proof them.

[rimar2000]

Is this putty water resistant? Or is hydrophilic by containing the salt?

[lancmaltby]

That is a very good question - I don't know... I will do some experiments to see what happens and let you know!!!!!!

[egydream2002]

what about heating them in the oven to get rid of water after forming and before coloring

[talty]

A very good idea! :) I think that this would look even better if glazed! Have you ever tried it?

[Learndy]

Oh! They consist of the real chemically unchanged starch. Cool! I remember an instructable on producing plastic from starch. Would also be an option... However, this starch plastic is said to be water resistant only for short term.
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