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Home : Polymer Clay & Ear fitting information About Polymer Clay Polymer clay is is a synthetic, pliable coloured plastic modelling 'clay' compound that hardens or 'cures' at relatively low temperatures in an oven, without the need for a kiln. It is more often known by the various brand names such as Fimo, Premo, Cernit, Creall-Therm or Sculpey. It comes in a large variety of colours and you can also mix the colours to create new ones with endless design possibilities. By pressing items into the clay it also takes on texture very well. In addition, it is relatively light weight, which makes it an ideal medium for jewellery. Many of the designs made are based on the Italians millefiori (meaning a thousand flowers) glass making technique and has been adapted to polymer clay. I make a 3 dimensional 'cane' of clay with the design running all the way through it. Then using slices from these canes I create unique jewellery items. The cured clay can be left matt or sanded and polished to a high sheen. The possibilities are endless, if you want to know more about any of my pieces just drop me a line.   Earfittings Information All earrings come with Sterling Silver ear wires as standard. Many people have allergies to base metal earfittings and we try to cater for different earfitting requests as much as possible. All our earrings come with Sterling silver ear fittings (925 which means the allow in the metal contain 92.5% pure silver with no nickel). All the metal components of the jewellery and ear fittings are supplied from reputable companies and are in line with the European Union Nickel Directive 76/769/EEC 14th amendment, which limits the amount of nickel in close contact with the skin. According to the directive, the following information determines the limits of nickel usage: No product may contain more than 0.05% of nickel. No product may release nickel at a rate of more than 0.5ug/cm2/week for a duration of at least two years of normal use. In the UK, the British Trading Standards Authority have decreed that no product may be termed 'nickel free' unless it can be proved it contains less than 0.01% nickel. Plated earscrews or clips are available to purchase separately. Earrings can also be converted at no extra charge on request. These are silver plated and are not Sterling silver. Gold plated sterling silver - these ear wires are gold plated over a base of Sterling Silver. Ideal for those who want a gold colour without the gold cost but can only wear silver or gold. Gold filled ear-wires are made from a sheet of 14ct gold which is mechanically laminated and bonded onto a base metal (usually brass) to give a durable finish. The laminate is usualy rolled out afterwards, hence the alternative name 'rolled gold'. This is far superior to gold plate where only an exceptionally thin coating is plated (not bonded) onto base metal. If you wish for a different ear fitting to the one described on the website please ask. Most earrings can be converted to clips, or earscrews at no extra cost. Gold filled, or vermeil will be a slight additional cost. I now have some of these ear fittings in the findings section of the website.