What are Fimo Beads?

Origins

In the 1930s, famed German doll designer Kathe Kruse developed a plastic polymer clay modeling compound for use in her doll factory. When Kruse gave up the idea of using the formula to create dolls, she gave it to her daughter, Sophie Rehbinder, also known as "Fifi." Rehbinder marketed the modeling clay that she called "Fifi's Mosaik" from the 1936 to 1964, when she sold the formula to well-known German craft supplies manufacturer, Eberhard Faber. Faber dubbed the compound "Fimo," an acronym for "Fifi's Mosaik," and marketed it successfully to crafters as a clay for children's crafts, sculpting and beading.

The polymer clay that is used to make Fimo beads in its original, uncured form is a highly malleable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) modeling product. This same clay, after it is baked, becomes a hardened, durable material that is a plumbing industry staple for manufacturing pipes. Originally manufactured in an untinted form, it is now produced in a wide array of colors.

Typically, Fimo beads are made in sizes that range from 4mm to 10mm, and can have either smooth surfaces or be sculpted with textures. The beads are produced in round, square or cylindrical shapes with a hole in the middle that allows them to be strung for necklaces or bracelets. Fimo beads are made from different colored polymer clays and after they are baked, are either varnished or painted. One of the more intricate Fimo beads is called "millefiori" (Italian for "a thousand flowers") beads, which is made using a technique called "cane work," in which different colored Fimo clays are layered and rolled together. When cut into beads, they reveal an intricate internal pattern

Fimo beads can be handmade at home using materials purchased in craft and hobby stores, as well as ordered online from websites that offer decorative beads or purchased through catalogs. The plainer the Fimo bead design, the less expensive the cost of the bead. Fimo beads are typically sold in small lots of four beads to a package.