Wonderful work! I’ve never seen anything like this before and its great!!!!

I think Cleo & Cat have a great idea here – chunky, bold, daring, over-the-top bejeweled polymer clay. Yes, this. They have a slick presentation with lovely models and beautiful photographs. And they have moxie – I applaud them for all of that. But in my opinion the execution and the price tag just don’t match. This collection should be a work in progress, a prototype perhaps, a great seed of an idea – but it is not a refined product that deserves the hefty price tag it wears.

Dustin, Winters, Dever, Toops, Cormier and many others consistently turn out refined polymer clay jewelry with the artistry and execution that should and does command top prices. Their work elevates the medium. I hope that some day Cleo & Cat’s work will be in the same category because I see the potential, but right now it is not.

The website states that this jewelry is selling out of retail stores across the country – and soon in Europe. Really? What am I missing?

Many of you know me as someone who celebrates excellence – negative isn’t my style, but as we all work hard to help polymer clay art gain the credibility it deserves, I feel compelled to ask the question: Does this kind of work hurt or help to elevate polymer clay as a fine art/fine craft medium?

I have to admit I had the same reaction as Susan. But I had the same reaction to a lot of the jewelry at the FunkyLaLa website. I had to ask myself whether it was a matter of taste or if I was missing something – especially when I read the price tags.

After taking a second look, there are elements that I do find appealing. I like their use of texture and the organic nature of the pieces is interesting. But like Susan, I can’t shake the feeling that something’s missing and incomplete. It’s almost as if the the polymer clay is an afterthought to the display of the gems or vice versa.

I feel like an ass for saying it and maybe this isn’t the best forum for critiquing work. Is it better to question in order to understand or STFU and not risk hurt feelings? What do you think, Cindy?

Sorry. I meant Cynthia, not Cindy.

I am a buyer from Spain and I am impressed by the WORK OF ART and vanguardism in these pieces. I have never seen anything like that in Spain nor in Europe.
As the master Pablo Picasso quoted: “Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs.” Cleo&Cat have certainly gone beyond and as a buyer of their jewelry I understand it is not the polymer clay what makes their art(as is not the canvas nor the paint what makes an artist/painter) it is the new concept of jewelry/art they are introducing, it is the creativity behind, the impact of such revolutionary concept that is making everybody talk (like Tina, Kathy you and I) in a good or a bad way.

I agree with Alex. I am a model from Italy and every day you see clothing and accesories made from not so expensive materials but what gives the high cost to these items is the creativity and time given to each one of the unique creations. Anybody can make a simple ring out of polymer clay or any other material but few people like cleo&cat have the creativity and skill to mold such artistic pieces from a simple piece of clay. I have bought over 15 pieces from Cleo&Cat and each day the people in the fashion industry here in Italy comment how interesting and beautiful it is.