Hello! Welcome to Em's Gems™,
The website dedicated to Caneworked Polymer Clay Jewelry and Beads
by Emilee Elder of Pennsylvania.
Our products
..Necklaces.. ..Bracelets.. ..Barrettes.. ..Earrings.. ..Pins.. ..Summer Jewelry..
..Halloween Jewelry.. ..Christmas Jewelry.. ..Watches.. ..Rosaries.. ..Em's craft show schedule.. ..Links to other sites..
What is Caneworking?
The jewelry is created using a technique - called Caneworking - that was originally developed for glass working. The Egyptians used these methods starting in 1500 B.C. In Italy it was called millefiore and it was used to produce the now famous Venetian glass beads. The process of caneworking involves layering different shapes and colors of clay in order to produce a cylinder, or cane, in which the design runs through the length of the cane and is seen on the end.
A single cane is made up of as many as two dozen colors and several hundred individual pieces of clay layered precisely to achieve a design. Once the cane is built it is carefully reduced in size through a slow process of pulling and rolling. The cane is sliced, then manipulated into its final form and baked to harden.
What is the jewelry made from?
It's an awesome material called polymer clay. The clay is a man-made petroleum product that is waterproof, colorfast, and long-lasting. It can be sanded, buffed, drilled, laquered - it even goes through the washing machine with no problem! Polymer clay was first introduced in the 1940s for use by dollmakers and miniaturists, but it was not until the 1980s that artists began using the colorful clay for caneworking.
I use the German-made Fimo because of its unique properties: it bakes with a nice sheen and it's more durable than some of the other brands of clay.Em's Gems™ History
I've been in jewelry design since 1992, but I've always been creative. (Thank you to God and my parents, George and Loretta.) After I graduated from college, I started making jewelry in my spare time. My mom came up with my business name - Em's Gems™. Back then, the products were made from Friendly Plastic, another great product.
When I discovered polymer clay in late 1992, it was love at first touch! My husband, John, encouraged me to keep working with the clay and to work on more and more intricate designs. Since then we've developed our own whimsical style. Animals, faces, holiday designs - we've given them all our special touch. We make beads, earrings, pins, bracelets, beaded watch bands and pens.Contact Em
Please feel free to e-mail me. If you need to talk to Em, please call her 8 am to 8pm (EST), Monday-Friday at (814) 696-1177.