Making large objects from clay takes a lot of patience, sweat and dexterity, but making tiny pieces of jewellery can be another challenge altogether. For those of you who have decided to venture off into this delicate art form, here’s a few tips to get you started and keep you on path to making some fine, wearable pieces you can be proud of. List of Supplies:
Small sponge Wooden rolling pin Hole cutter Cutting wire Pottery knife Fine sable watercolour brushes Metal findings (for earrings and brooches) Face mask (for firing)
Be Prepared
You want to make sure you have everything at your finger tips so that you don’t have to run to store midway and come back to a hardened un-useable lump of clay. You can find supplies at most pottery stores. Greenbarn Pottery Supplies in Surrey, BC is one of my favourites.
The Right Clay for Right Job
Porcelain is best type of clay to use for jewellery because of its refined quality. It is smooth, pure and becomes very hard after being fired at 2200 degrees.
Shaping Techniques
It can be a fun exercise to pound away at your clay and throw great lumps to vent your frustrations, but for jewellery, a more delicate touch is required.
After rolling clay to about 1/8 inches thick, use your pre-shaped cutter to press down and create uniform shapes, just like making cookies. Or for more adventurous types, make your own shapes using dry hands, and a small sponge to smooth out edges. Using a picture for reference always helps but remember to make pieces slightly larger to allow for shrinkage. A word of warning: thin shapes can be broken very easily. For example, thin legs of animals should be avoided. For a look at some effective shapes, take a look at animal pins on my website at www.winnietam.ca.
Making Holes
Now that you have your shapes ready, it’s time to put in holes for earrings, necklace chains or brooches. This can be done by using hole cutters of varying sizes, found at any pottery store. Don’t make holes too close to edges, as they can easily break.
Painting
This requires good eyesight for fine details and a steady hand. Under glazes are only type of colour to use as they can withstand high temperature of firing. The only drawback is that you cannot see exact colour until final firing, so this will take some trial and error.