Hi! Girls, I really have some very interesting news for everyone. Have any one of you tried of making terracotta jewelry yourself? I have never, nor did I know any such thing is possible. I became familiar with the term last week when I eavesdropped in bus. :thumbsup I was quite amazed to listen to the conversation, but sadly could not make much as I had to get down. Have you all heard any such thing ever? Please let me know so that I can clear up my ideas and try something. Love , Dipti
Yes! You've heard it right. You could indeed create hand-made jewelry! But first you need the things to make them. Terracotta beads, hooks, strings and maybe glue are some of these. But even more important is to have a design idea in your mind…you se, you have to sketch it down in a paper and string the beads according to the pattern. You could make necklaces and ear-tops in this manner... I’m not too sure about bangles…these have to be molded and etched -I don’t know if you’ve the skill to do it at home. But I wish you luck all the same in your new fun venture. Let us know how you progressed. Take care.
Hi! I used to think like you...that making terracotta jewelry must be hard and can't be done at home. But recently I attended a workshop (in Bangalore) and am happy to break the myth The making process itself is quiet easy. All you need is a design (for earring, chain or pendant or anything else) and processed clay. Processed clay is what they call "secondary clay" - mud that is gathered from pond and river beds, dried and then soaked in water for 2-3 days, filtered and sieved and then mixed with water again to the right consistency (something like Chapathi mix) that can be molded and shaped. I guess this is different from the clay that is used to make Ganesha idols -which is primary clay - just the mud that is taken from the river bed. So the first thing that you will need is to source this secondary clay - you got to be careful as different kind of clay have different texture, quality, etc - which might affect your final design outcome. The making process is very easy as I said - you take a little clay from the mix (which is always kept in a air-tight bag so that it does not dry), mould and shape as per your wish (for instance small round balls for beads, square/rectangle for pendants), carve the design, and then make a hole thru it with a sewing needle (so that you can string it once you bake it into a chain), and then you let it dry (again inside the air-tight zip lock bag). Once it dries for 2-3 days, you bake it at high temperatures inside a kiln (an equipment like an oven) for 8-16 hours for hardening the designed clay. Your basic jewely components are now ready - you will need to paint it, dry it and then string it (using black thread or plastic wire) and you are ready to wear it! Making a chain/necklace is easy - but for earrings/pendants, you will need to insert a hook into the clay while you are designing/while it is wet. You will insert a Nicrome wire into the wet piece (which can stand high temperature while baking) - you can get this wire from any electrical shop. Then once baked, you can use the ready-made jewelry/earring hooks that you get to join the clay pieces together to make the finished item. I guess this might sound complicated but is actually easy. The only problems or issues will be sourcing the clay and then finding a kiln or a potter who is ready to rent his kiln to bake the finished good. I am going to try posting detailed instruction in my blog - shall let you all know when I do that. Till then, have fun
Dear Dipti and Vaiju Thanks for your details about the terracotta jewelry will definitely give a try. kantha
hi, can u send me the contact number of the teacher who can teach me how to make terracotta Jewelry ..i would really like to learn this.. Thank you, Mahalekshmy