The history of polymer clay
It's often called "Fimo," after the most famous brand, but polymer clay has a much richer and older history than you might think. This material, born from an industrial quest in Germany, has come a long way to become the essential creative tool we know today.
Let's travel back in time to discover its origins.
1. The spark: "Fifi" and the birth of the dough
It all began in the 1930s in Germany. At the time, a doll designer named Sophie Rehbinder-Kruse (nicknamed Fifi ) was looking for a soft, malleable material capable of capturing fine details to sculpt the faces of her dolls.
She then developed a novel synthetic clay. Success was immediate in her workshop. By combining her nickname ("Fifi") and the word "modeling", she eventually gave a name to her invention: FIMOIK .
2. Industrialization: Eberhard Faber enters the scene
In 1964 , the office supply giant, Eberhard Faber , bought the rights to Sophie's formula. They simplified the name: "FIMOIK" officially became FIMO .
At the time, the clay was mainly marketed as a children's toy or a material for model makers. But the creative potential of this air-drying clay was already beginning to intrigue artists worldwide.
3. Developments across the Atlantic: The arrival of Sculpey
While Fimo was conquering Europe, another story was unfolding in the United States. In the 1960s , a company sought to create a thermal compound to insulate electrical transformers. The project was an industrial failure... but an artistic success!
The white, malleable compound was discovered by artists who enjoyed sculpting it. This is how the Sculpey brand was born. More flexible than its German counterpart, it paved the way for new sculpting techniques.
4. The 1990s: From "modeling clay" to Art with a capital A
Until the 1980s, polymer clay was often confined to the children's section. The real artistic turning point came in the 1990s .
Artists like Pier Voulkos and Kathleen Dustin began using ancient goldsmithing and glassmaking techniques (such as the Italian Millefiori ) and applying them to polymer clay. This led to the creation of the famous "canes": sticks of clay that reveal a complex pattern when sliced.
Did you know? Today, works in polymer clay are exhibited in prestigious museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston!
Want to wear a little piece of history?
Now that you know the secrets of this fascinating material, come and discover how I use it in my own creations. From ancestral techniques to modern designs, browse my shop to find your next favorite polymer clay jewelry piece!
