Have you heard of Cernit Sparkling? Since Cernit is a brand of polymer clay, it’s easy to assume that it is a line of glittery or sparkly clay. Nope! Instead, Cernit Sparkling is a line of mica powders that comes in four ranges, each with five colors for a total of 20 variations. If you’re new to mica powders, please have a look at my articles about them here and here. Here is my Review of Cernit Sparkling, explaining the various colors in the four lines.

Cernit Sparkling Colors

There are 20 colors of Cernit Sparkling and if you’re not careful when you look at the bottle, you won’t necessarily realize there are four different lines or ranges. Two bottles stamped with “Rouge” might be from different lines, giving a different effect. Cernit Sparkling comes in Duo, Interference, Diamond, and Metallic colors. Here’s more about each color range.

If you’re new the various types of special effects available in mica powders, this article will help.

Cernit Sparkling Duo

Duo colored mica powder reflects two different colors, depending on the viewing angle. The duo colors in some brands of mica powder have colors, themselves. But in the Cernit Sparkling Duo colors, the powder appears uncolored. When applied to white surfaces, the color appears as white or pearl. But applied to a dark surface, you’ll see two colors reflected. There are five Cernit Sparkling Duo colors in the range.

Cernit Sparkling Interference

Interference colors are white (uncolored) mica powder that appears clear in the jar or on light surfaces. But on dark surfaces, you will see a color reflected. This effect is fun when applied over black and white polymer clay because the same powder will appear uncolored (or pearlescent) on the white clay and colored on the dark clay. There are five Cernit Sparkling Interference colors in the range.

If you look very closely at the Interference and Diamond colors, you will see that the powder itself has a very slight color to it. On white clay, you can see that it shows the optical spectral opposite to the color it displays on dark clay. This means on the photo you see above, the white clay appears ever so slightly orange. So yes, the inverse color of the Interference Violet is yellow, the inverse of the Interference Green is red, and the inverse of the Interference Red is green. (This effect is more visible in person and quite hard to show in a photo.)

Cernit Sparkling Diamond

It’s easy to assume that Cernit Sparkling Diamond refers to one color, but it’s actually the name for an entire range. The Diamond range has colors quite similar to the Interference colors, but the particle size is larger and the effect is much shinier. The larger particles provide more sheer coverage and a glittery, sparkly appearance. Several, but not all, of the Diamond colors match those in the Interference range. The Diamond range is made from synthetic mica, which explains its brilliant reflection.

Not sure what synthetic mica is? Go read this article to learn more. (Synthetic mica powder allows brighter reflective shine and more impressive special effects.)

Cernit Sparkling Metallic

As you might expect, these colors are named for, and resemble, various colors of metal. They are a more “traditional” mica powder where the color looks the same from all angles with no color shift. Four of the colors are fairly opaque and will make a uniform “metal” effect, but the Cernit Sparkling Metallic Silver is actually pearl colored rather than silver colored. It appears uncolored on white surfaces.

Cernit Sparkling vs. Pearl Ex

On the market for at least 20 years, Pearl Ex is a line of mica powders by Jacquard Products. This excellent line of mica powders has 54 colors that include duo, interference, and metallic colors. You can see my color chart and comparison tool of Pearl Ex colors here.

The Cernit Sparkling Interference and Metallic colors do have comparable analogs in the Pearl Ex line. You will find they look quite similar, as you can see in the photos above and below. Generally, Cernit’s colors are a bit more sheer and create a brighter, more mirror-like shine (or less dusky appearance) than the corresponding colors in the Pearl Ex line.

The Pearl Ex colors that match the Cernit Sparkling Metallic colors are: 691 Solar Gold, 655 Super Copper, 660 Antique Bronze, 654 Super Russet, and finally, 651 Pearl White.

But the Cernit Sparkling Duo and Diamond lines do not have similar colors in the Pearl Ex line. One exception is that Pearl Ex Macro Pearl is quite similar to Cernit Sparkling Diamond Silver.

My Thoughts on Cernit Sparkling

If you’re a mica junkie and love having all the possible colors of mica, you will love adding the Cernit Sparkling colors to your collection. But if you already have the Pearl Ex Interference colors and the Pearl Ex metallic colors that match the ones in the Cernit Sparkling Metallic line, then you won’t find anything new in the Cernit Sparkling Interference and Metallic lines (see photos above). If you don’t yet have them, however, these are very nice, bright mica powders that you’ll love.

The other two ranges of Cernit Sparkling, the Duo and Diamond ranges, are unique and worth a look.

Most mica powders on the market are ground quite finely, and it is difficult finding ones with a large-flake effect. So the Cernit Sparkling Diamond colors are fairly unique among branded mica powders.

The Duo colors are lovely, unique, and unlike those I’ve seen elsewhere on the market. They’re not dramatic color-shifting colors like Chameleon nail powders (Affiliate Link – learn more here), but they are lovely and give a nice, sophisticated and subtle color shift.

Cernit Sparkling Colors are Sheer

Be aware that all of the Cernit Sparkling colors (except four of the Metallic colors) are quite sheer and will look nearly identical on light surfaces. Below you can see all of the colors in the Duo, Interference, and Diamond lines applied to white polymer clay. Note how there is a slight difference when viewed at an angle (reflected light). But these colors are not strident and bold. They will add a subtle hint of colored shimmer to your project. Don’t expect Cernit Sparkling to impart strong colors the way that pigments do.

Where to Buy Cernit Sparkling

These colors of Cernit Sparkling were provided by Blueberry Beads (US), Hobbyrian (Sweden), and 2Wards Polymer Clay (Australia) as a courtesy so that I could check them out and report my observations to you. Please support these sellers if you can. I appreciate their generosity!

You can also find Cernit Sparkling at Poly Clay Play in the US, The Clay Hub in the UK, and PolyStudio in the EU.

What to Make With Cernit Sparkling

You can use Cernit Sparkling in the same way that you use Pearl Ex or other mica powders. They are quite subtle, so they work nicely when you don’t want to be too flashy. My Mica Leaf Pendants tutorial uses the unique qualities of mica powder and would be lovely and understated using Cernit Sparkling.