Make your own Clay Jewellery

The art of crafting and wearing jewellery goes all the way back to ancient civilisations. The earliest jewellery was made using natural materials, like clay, wood, and bone. Terracotta is a type of clay used to create jewellery as far back as the bronze age, it means “baked earth”. People would mould their designs with their hands, before cooking them over a fire pit. In this activity, you will gain an insight into this historic process and make your own clay necklaces and rings.

In the past, jewellery designs were often inspired by nature, like animals, leaves and flowers. Jewellery was worn to enhance beauty, but also because people thought it would protect them against bad luck and illness. Over time, jewellery makers began to use more durable and long-lasting materials to create their designs, such as metals. Jewellery also started to symbolise commitment, for example to another person or a religion. The ancient tradition of burying the dead with their most treasured belongings, means Archaeologists are able to uncover the long and diverse history of jewellery.

Adult supervision is required.

Type of Activity : Crafting

How many people required (minimum) : 1

Safety Measures : Get an adult to help you use the oven!

Ages : 8+

Time Required: 1 hour

Step 1

To make a simple pendant for a necklace, start by choosing two colours of clay and breaking off a small strip of each.

Step 2

Knead these two strips with your fingers until they are warm and soft.

Step 3

Then, using the palms of your hands roll them into two balls. On top of a hard surface (like a table), roll each ball into a sausage shape about the length of your hand.

Step 4

Plait these two ‘sausages’ of clay together, by winding one colour around the other. Then mould this into another ball. If you want your colours to be even more mixed up, make another sausage out of this ball (and then a final ball).

Step 5

Gently squeeze the ball to flatten it into a suitable circle shape. Think about how thick and wide you would like your pendant to be.

Step 6

You can get creative and make as many pendants as you like, trying lots of different designs and colours. Cookie/clay cutters can be used to easily create interesting shapes. To make a ring, roll a short sausage of clay and mould together its two ends.

Step 7

Using an object with a circular end (we used a mental straw), poke a hole in any designs you want to be necklace charms. Make sure the hole is big enough to fit your string through and not too close to the edge.

Step 8

Time to bake your jewels! Place all your creations onto a non-stick baking tray or one with tin foil on top. Bake for around 25 minutes at 120°C (check for specific timings on your clay’s instructions). Caution: Your clay designs will be very hot when they come out of the oven and will not properly harden until you have let them cool.

Step 9

Once they have cooled, cut a piece of string and thread this through your pendants to make the necklaces. Top tip: You can glaze your clay jewellery with clear nail varnish to make it nice and shiny.

Step 10

Now all that is left is for you to rock your unique designs! You could also take a moment to think about the ways jewellery today tends to be produced/sold differently – why do you think this is?