To make my barrettes I use polymer clay to make the ornament body, and then attach it to a "made in France" french hair clasp. These clasps are the only ones to use in my opinion if you want a barrette that is strong and one that will hold your hair securely. French clasps that are made in China, etc. do not seem to be made to the high quality specs as the ones "made in France." Those made in France are made of a single piece of heavy gauge steel with no center bar that can fall out like those included in low quality brands. This one feature is well worth the extra cost of the barrette.
When I make the ornament body of the barrette, I design it, form it, bake it for one hour to cure it, and then sand it through ten grits of sanding pads. It is then preserved with Renaissance Wax Rolish, a micro-crystalline wax polish used in the finest museums to protect metals and most other sufraces. It has, also, been used with great sucess to protect the surface of baked polymer clay. The surface is sealed and protected beneath a hard coat of wax. It is a great way to finish off jewelry and hair peices, expecially if they are handled often. Finally, the ornament body is attached to the metal barrette blank using two rivets made of copper, aluminum, or brass. A riveting system is used to give a professional riveted attachment.
So far, I have designed and made eight barrettes, but only three have been accepted into my line of products for sale. Each barrette has to meet my high quality standards before I sell them to customers.
Here is a look at the three that I will be selling in my Etsy and Art Fire stores.
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