Robin Milne introduced her fellow members of the The Philadelphia Area Polymer Clay Guild to a brand new clay at our last meeting! Robin had been tapped to introduce Pardo Jewellery Clay manufactured by German Company Viva Decor at the Winter CHA Show in Anaheim, and she came back with clay samples and brochures. What could be better?
Pardo Jewellery Clay comes in gumball-sized pieces packaged in 2.7 oz jars. Robin said it has no odor when raw or baking and it’s easy to condition. It uses beeswax as a plasticiser in place of phthalates.
But is it durable? Robin was able to run it through her pasta machine on the thinnest setting without tearing and, when it was baked, she could tie it in a bow. She could bend a cured bookmark-shaped piece of clay in a circle without breaking it. Although the clay is on the soft side, she could produce decent canes with it. And she was able to sand and buff it to a high shine.
Pardo Jewellery Clay comes in a beautiful range of jewel-toned colors, and the metallics contain plenty of mica. The manufacturer, Viva Decor, says it can be mixed with other brands of polymer clay without a problem.
Poly Play Clay, is the only retail supplier I know of at the current time. They don’t carry all of the 64 colors of Pardo Jewellery clay yet. Owner Trish Hodgens says that eventually, however, they plan to carry every color Viva Decor makes available to the United States Market.
Robin also recommends another Viva Decor product: Precious Metal Paints. She’s tried thse high quality paints on raw and baked clay; they don’t scratch off and cover beautifully. When the paint is applied to raw clay, allowed to dry, and run through the pasta machine, it crackles like metal leaf. The mica in the pain is so small, you can use the paint for screen printing. And, Robin says, “the colors are amazing!”
If you want to see what Robin has done with Pardo Jewellery Clay and Precious Metal Paints, press here.
I don’t know if anyone in the United States currently selling the Precious Metal Paints, but you want more information on them, check out U.K. supplier The Fruit Pixie.