Archive for December, 2006

Colored glazes

The simplest and often the most effective way of decorating jewelry is with colored glazes. They provide a richness and depth of color difficult to attain in any other way. Pieces containing an incised or imprinted design and pieces with modeling details should always be decorated with one or more colored glazes to bring out the full effect of the surface design. Such pieces often require only a single colored glaze (fairly soft) which will run off the high points and sink into the recessed areas. Incised pieces may also be attractively decorated with a coat of white opaque glaze over which is applied a soft, colored, transparent glaze. Such an interesting mottled effect results from this double glaze treatment that it need not be restricted to incised pieces but can be used with equal effectiveness on pieces containing no surface decoration.

Jewel glazes can be used on almost any type of piece and are excellent for jewelry because of their brilliance and depth of color. Small chunks of colored glass placed on top of a colored glaze will also produce a jewel effect.

Gold on jewelry

A few touches of gold will enrich most jewelry pieces, but they must be applied sparingly in order not to cheapen the piece. The gold may be used as an entire line design if the lines are few and the design simple. Or it may be used as an accent, or in the form of marbelizing, a decoration that is excellent for jewelry, especially on a background of colored glazes.

For an interesting gold Variation, try “gold jewels.” Simply scoop out one or more circles about Vs of an inch deep in the green ware (a drill bit can be used for this purpose), decorate, glaze and fire the ware as usual. Then fill each incised circle on the fired piece with a glob of gold and fire the piece at the usual gold firing temperature. The small recessed areas of gold catch the light in such a way that they resemble sparkling jewels.

Jewelry findings

The pin backs, earring backs, etc., for jewelry are referred to as findings and may be obtained at craft and ceramic stores. These findings can be cemented to the back of the ceramic piece with liquid cement, and it is a good idea, when glazing your jewelry, to leave the back unglazed so that the finding will adhere more easily to the piece.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Underglaze decoration

Underglaze decoration is most effective on flat, simple pieces of jewelry where color and design are needed to lend interest to a conventional shape. The underglaze designs can be of any type: modern, traditional, geometric, abstract, amusing. The style is not too important, but it is important to keep in mind that on small pieces of jewelry the design should consist of fairly large, simple areas with a minimum of fussy details. Although the design may be composed of many colors, these should be arranged in such a way that there is always a focal point of design interest or a definite color pattern that will carry well on a small piece of jewelry.

Stencils or masks are attractive on small pieces of jewelry but, because of size restrictions, they too should be kept very simple. Fish, leaves, geometric shapes and stylized flowers can be used effectively as stencil motifs, with a few bold accents of color or sgraffito added to vitalize the stenciled appearance.

A sprayed background consisting of a light color with an edging of a darker color

Illustration 140
A sgraffito design on an underglaze background makes an unusual piece.

Illustration 141
Sponging provides the background for a geometric design.

Illustration 142
A freely-executed design has a sponged edging.

Illustration 143
Jewel glazes, because of their brilliance and depth of color, are excellent for jewelry. They may
be applied to almost any type of piece.

can be used as a complete decoration for a more complex shape since the dark edging tends to act as a frame outlining the form. Or it can be used as a background for a line design in underglaze color, sgraffito or gold.

A more intricate type of decorating, striking in effect, is possible with geometric designs rendered in blacks, whites and a few bright colors. Indian designs also lend themselves to this type of decoration and when done in simple color schemes such as black, white, brown and turquoise, they are quite stunning on jewelry. Remember that designs of this type are best suited to simple shapes.

Another underglaze decoration that is particularly well suited to jewelry is a simulated mosaic design. A real mosaic, of course, consists of many small pieces of ceramic tile arranged in a design and cemented permanently in place. However, much the same effect can be obtained with underglaze colors and sgraffito lines. A mosaic-like design (that is, a design broken up into many small irregular areas) is scratched on the piece with a sgraffito tool. On jewelry, do not make the areas too small or too numerous or the design will become so jumbled that it will not carry at all on a small piece. The areas within the scratched lines are then painted with underglaze colors and the entire piece is glazed with a clear glaze. The sgraffito lines may be left white or they may be filled with a dark underglaze color prior to glazing.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Press molds

Small press molds with which to make jewelry pieces can be purchased from your ceramic dealer or mold manufacturer, These

Illustration 138

136. For added interest, incise the beads with a modeling tool.
137. String the beads on a piece of nichrome wire.
138. Fasten the wire ends in clay pyramids and fire.

molds are available in an infinite variety of shapes appropriate for jewelry. You may also make your own press molds (see Chapter III) over such small objects as buttons or coins.

Surface decoration

Simple jewelry pieces, especially those to be decorated with colored glazes, will be greatly enhanced by some type of surface decoration. This may be in the form of an incised design, which can be made with a pointed tool after the piece has been formed, or it may be a textured pattern. Still another type of surface decoration is possible by imprinting designs into the wet clay with coins, costume jewelry, or any object containing a fairly definite raised design. Remember that the clay must be wet for an imprinted decoration.

A very unusual surface decoration can be achieved by the use of colored grog in a press mold. You can color with any underglaze color by pouring the liquid underglaze into the grog and allowing it to dry. When

Illustration 139
Underglaze decoration enhances flat, simple jewelry pieces. This Indian design was executed in black, brown and turquoise.

the grog (now colored) is dry, sprinkle it in the press mold and press the clay into the mold. If more than one color is used, the clay piece will have an almost mosaic-like effect.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Jewelry, whether fashioned from precious metals and stones or wrought from clay and
glazes, has been a constant source of inspiration to every craftsman throughout every age in history. In the field of ceramics the opportunities are unlimited. The varied and interesting forms you can create combined with the jewel-like colors you can attain make ceramics a natural and practical medium for jewelry.

The studio ceramist can, at no great expense, apply his ceramic knowledge and talents to the fascinating project of making individual jewelry for his own pleasure or on a small business scale. The purpose of this chapter is largely to offer suggestions on how the various methods and techniques that have been discussed in previous chapters can be adapted to ceramic jewelry in particular.

Forming jewelry shapes by hand

There are so many shapes you can make into jewelry that it would be difficult to imagine one that would not be appropriate. Stars, leaves, butterflies, flowers, fish, free-form shapes all these and many more you can form by hand into flat pieces (to be incised or painted) or fully modeled pieces. Flat pieces may be cut out of plastic clay by rolling out a slab of clay to the desired thickness, sketching in the outline of the shape and then cutting it out with a knife. The edges should be smoothed and rounded and any incised decorations should be done while the clay is in a leather hard condition.

On flat pieces of this type, underglaze decorations are usually very effective and give a great deal of interest and color. Cookie cutters can also be used to form conventional flat shapes, such as circles, diamonds and hearts, but these too require a certain amount of finishing by smoothing and rounding the edges and they definitely will need an interesting decoration, even more so than less conventional shapes. Any scraps of dry greenware that you may have can be used for flat jewelry. The clay will be too dry to cut with a knife without chipping, so use a jeweler’s saw or a spiral hacksaw blade to form the pieces. (See Appendix.)

Ceramic beads are fun to make. You can cut small pieces from a slab of plastic clay and fold them into various shapes. Or you can cut slices from a rolled coil of clay. With simple round or cylindrical beads you may find it necessary, from a decorative point of view, to incise a design in the beads, since the shape is not too interesting in itself. As soon as the beads have been formed, string them on a piece of nichrome wire, the ends of which can be fastened in two mounds of clay, and bisque fire for safer handling. Bisque fire about 400 under the maturing temperature so that the pieces will be porous enough to absorb the glaze afterward. Otherwise, the glaze may tend to run off the high spots. After the beads have been

Illustration 135
To make ceramic beads, first slice a rolled coil of clay with a sharp knife.

Illustration 136

Illustration 137

bisque fired, they may be decorated with underglaze colors and glazed, or decorated with colored glazes actually the simplest and most effective means of decoration for such small pieces. The glazed beads are then strung again on the nichrome wire and glaze fired.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Some very unusual effects can be achieved by means of gold marbelizing. Put a drop or two of gold into a container of water and stir the mixture lightly. Since the gold is not soluble in -water, it will not mix with the water but will float on the surface in streaks. Dip the glazed piece in the marbelizing mixture, removing it when the gold has become as evenly distributed as possible on the piece.

The simplest background for this technique is clear glazed white ware. It is very effective since white and gold are always pleasing together. However, richer and more interesting effects are possible by using colored glazes as a background for the gold marbelizing. There are so many colored glazes that produce exciting results when combined with the marbelizing technique that this provides a good opportunity to experiment. In places where the gold has touched the glazed surface very lightly, the annoying purplish stains may appear when the piece is fired. Although these stains are ordinarily objectionable on gold decorated ware, on mar-belized pieces the faint areas of purple are often extremely attractive. This is particularly true if the background glaze is a turquoise or light blue, in which case the purple stains blend with the blue and gold, producing quite beautiful sea-like effects.

Firing overglaze colors and gold

While overglaze colors and gold are applied somewhat differently, their maturing temperatures are the same and both are fired at 1150 -1250 , The firing should begin slowly, as with all ceramic firing. Start the kiln on Low, leaving the door open to allow the oil in the colors to burn out. In half an hour turn the kiln to Medium, with the door still open. You will notice a peculiar, rather acrid odor coming from the ware, especially gold decorated ware, which is merely the oil burning out of the colors. After the kiln has been on Medium for half an hour, turn it to High, but do not close the door yet. In about another half an hour or when the inside of the kiln is nearly cherry-red in color, close the kiln door. If you have a pyrometer you will know that this “oil smoking” period is over when the temperature reaches about 450 -550 . Then you can close the kiln completely. Leave the kiln on High with the door closed, until the maturing temperature is reached.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting