Cheerful Sprouting Clay Necklace

Krista Eggering crafts a cheerful sprouting necklace embellished with Peruvian opals.

All About

Product Ideas

Krista Eggering of Miami Beach, Fla., grew in New York City near an auto body shop. Not the typical playground for most little girls, but she loved making stuff out of junk. Now that she’s all grown up, she’s still creating, but the end product is anything but junk. Her favorite project is a ceramic necklace embellished with Peruvian opals that she calls "Cheerful Sprouting."

Materials and Tools:

white ceramic clay
canvas board*
rolling pin
2, 3/8" x 2' wood spacers
clay tools:
-wood stick
-pin tool
-knife
cup of water
electric kiln
glaze
paintbrush
silver enamel paint
heavy medium cable sterling silver chain
2" wide cable chain
lobster clasp
jump rings
2" head pins
20-gauge sterling silver wire
top drilled Peruvian opal stones
Swarovski crystals
round nose pliers
flat nose pliers
wire cutters
paper pattern
*Staple canvas over a piece of plywood to make a canvas board.

Steps:

1. Draw desired design and make a paper pattern.

2. Roll out a piece of clay between 3/8-inch spacers with a rolling pin on the canvas board. The spacers serve as a guide for thickness.

3. Let slab dry to soft leather hard stage and then place paper pattern on clay and cut out pattern using the pin tool. Smooth out the edges with your fingers.

4. Make three holes at the bottom of the clay piece with the pin tool. This is where the chain and stones will hang. Make a hole through the top of the piece to insert the wire to connect the chain to the pendant.

5. Form impressions into the clay piece with a wood stick.

6. Soften the edges by dipping finger into water and smoothing out the edges. Do not cover up holes made by pin tool.