Polymer beads: Copal Amber

The beads on this page are hand made polymer clay beads fashioned to imitate copal amber. Copal amber, from the Copal tree in Africa, is so highly prized that broken and damaged beads are repaired with wire and sometimes are inlayed with turquoise or coral inclujsions. Several of the beads here are also "repaired" to resemble very expensive copal beads, now very scarce and difficult to find.

Various colors of Polymer clay are chosen and blended by hand, shaped, cured, colored, then hand sanded and polished. When a wire "repair" or stone inclusion is added, it is done during the soft clay stage, cured then glued in later to be sure it is secure. This process was invented and developed and taught by Tory Hughes.

BP0006 $14 20x30mm
pillow shaped

BP0007 $24 30mm
cube wired as pendant

BP0016 $18 15x30mm
"repaired" with gold plated wire "staple".

BP0010 $14 20mm
cube

BP0590 $25 1 1/4"
plump diamond, pierced end-to-end with brass and turquoise "repairs".

BP0045 $32 25x40mm

BP0046 $26 15x22mm
viewing bead from the side

BP0049 $12 15x22mm

BP0511 $4 1/2"

BP0044 $16 25mm
bicone

BP0037 $8 12x22mm
thick soft edged disc

BP0031 $12 20mm
cube with "repair"

BP0035 $7 8x20mm
pillow shaped