Hi Friends,
This time, I am posting the Magenta terracotta necklace and earring set that I made for my Silk Cotton Saree.
Materials you will need:
Air dry terracotta clay
Jewellery Twine
Toothpicks or thick needles
Crimp beads
Adjustable Necklace rope
Eye pins – 3 nos
Crimp beads – 2 nos
Earring hooks – 2 nos.
Metallic/Pearl/Acrylic colours
Mini rolling pin
Procedure:
Make circular beads out of the terracotta clay. Using a toothpick, make holes longitudinally from top to bottom of the bead so that the jewellery twine or thread passes through it with ease.
For the pendant:
Make a small ball out of the terracotta clay and flatten it using a rolling pin or simply with your hand. Cut out a circle from it using a bottle lid.
As shown in the picture above, make two slant lines from either side of thew arc and cut it out using a knife or blade. This forms the base of the pendant. Go ahead and draw your own designs to suit your costume. Let it dry completely for at least 24 hours.
For the earrings:
Repeat the above procedure on two smaller circles. Attach an eye-pin on the top portion of the earring and subsequently attach the hooks.
Baking in conventional oven:
After the terracotta clay gets dried completely, I usually bake the terracotta pieces in conventional oven. This time, I baked the pieces at 375F for 2 hours.
Colouring:
Apply colors of your choice. Using metallic and pearl colours give a glossy, rich look to the finished jewellery. Be patient while applying different colors to adjacent layers. Allow each colour to dry considerably before applying the next colour.
Finishing the Jewellery:
I used a jewellery twine for this neckwear. Pass the twine through the beads that form one side. Then pass it through the pendant and add in the rest of the beads.
Take one end of the twine and bend it and pass the end through a crimping bead. When a loop shape is formed, reduce the size of the loop to such a shape that enables the clasp of the adjustable neck rope to fit in. Now tighten the crimping bead using a nose player firmly. Repeat the procedure on the other side too.
Attach the adjustable neck rope and that finishes this trendy terracotta necklace.
Thanks for visiting.
For my other posts on Terracotta jewellery click the following links
Terracotta neckwear and earrings
Basics of Terracotta Jewel making
