HOW TO MAKE WEDGWOOD-STYLE JEWELRY
By Mayumi Tanii, GMDM

Step by step

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Beautiful Wedgwood-style jewelry and ornaments are highly sought after and can be rather expensive. Now you can learn to create your own with these simple step-by-step instructions.

Finding tiny accessories for your dolls can also be difficult, but with this technique you can create roses and other decorative pieces to use as earrings, pendants, or even buttons. As you experiment with this technique you will probably come up with many more designs for jewelry and accessories for yourself and your dolls!

Supplies Needed

Cherubs jewelry mold (item # SC237)

May Flowers jewelry mold (item # SC242)

Eye mold for 10-12mm eyes (item # EYE10-12)

Eye mold for 14-16mm eyes (item # EYE14-16)

Porcelain Slip: (quarts or gallons)

 Shell Pink (item # PS-14QT)

 Satin Yellow (item # PS-7QT

 Lady White (item # PS-17QT)

 Wedgewood Blue (item # PS-4QT)

4 Small plastic containers for slip

Teaspoon

Sharp toothpicks (optional)

Featherknife (item # FEAKN)

Lip Brush (item # SBR19)

Comfy Scrub (item # CMFYSCRB)

GreenCleen Brush Kit (item # KTBRGC)

(Item Numbers in parenthases are from Seeley’s)

Step 1:

Pour some Lady White porcelain slip into a small plastic container and stir well. Use the Lip Brush to paint slip into the design depression of the jewelry mold.

Step 2:

When the Lady White slip starts to dry, use a teaspoon to finish filling the mold with Wedgewood Blue porcelain slip. This will form the blue-colored background of the jewelry piece. When using one of the small jewelry designs without a background, like the single cherub in the Cherubs mold, make sure that the slip spills over the edges of the mold depression to form the background. Refer to Diagram A. Let the casting sit in the mold until it is almost dry. Take it out before it is completely dry in order to prevent cracking. While the jewelry casting is drying we can use the eye mold to make some roses.

Step 3:

Pour Shell Pink slip into a container and stir well. Use a teaspoon to fill the eye mold with slip. Remove the eye from the mold when it is leather hard. Do not let it completely dry out or it will crumble in the next step.

Step 4:

Pour Wedgewood Blue slip into a container and stir well. After removing the casting from Step 3, leave the Eye mold open. Use the spoon to pour the Wedgewood Blue slip into bottom half of the eye depression that is one size larger than the eye cast in Shell Pink. Fill the depression completely. Take the Shell Pink casting by the stem and place it into the mold filled with Wedgewood Blue. Make sure it is placed in the center. Refer to Diagram B. Let the mold set up while you go back to work on the jewelry castings, but be careful not to let the eye casting dry out completely.

Step 5:

Remove the jewelry castings from the mold. Trim edges with a Featherknife. If you wish, you can use the tip of the Featherknife to drill small holes in the greenware for attaching jewelry findings later. Soft fire the jewelry castings to cone 018. Now let’s get back to the eye castings.

Step 7:

Remove the eye castings from the mold. Use the Featherknife to remove the stems as if you were cutting stems off mushrooms. Refer to Diagram C. You will now have a double colored eye.
 

Step 8:

While the eye casting is still leather hard, carve slightly curved lines in the top of the eye with a Featherknife or a toothpick. Move the knife up and down in small movements. Refer to Diagram D. Dip the Lip Brush in water and gently push open these curved lines so that they resemble petals. When finished, the eye will actually look like a miniature rose. The pink porcelain will show through in the carved areas. You can also cut out a star shape in the top of the eye. If you wish you can drill small holes with the tip of the Featherknife to attach jewelry findings or to use the pieces as buttons. Soft fire the eye castings to cone 018.

Step 10:

Smooth and clean all the soft-fired pieces in the Dust-free Cleaning Technique using the GreenCleen Brushes and a Comfy Scrub. Use the wet Small GreenCleen Brush to gently clean and shape the flower petals. Bisque fire all pieces to cone 6.

Step 12:

Use the finished ornaments, roses and stars to make unique jewelry and accessories for yourself or your dolls. Have fun!

All molds, porcelain slip, brushes and tools available from Seeley’s, Oneonta, New York.

Mayumi Tanii is a D.A.G. Grand Master of Dollmaking and D.A.G. Instructor who teaches all aspects of porcelain dollmaking. Mayumi teaches classes and seminars at her own studio in Chiba-Ken, Japan. If you have any questions about this project, you may contact Mayumi by email at mfiks@icntv.ne.jp. 

For information about Doll Artisan Guild seminars contact: Doll Artisan Guild
P.O. Box 1113
Oneonta, NY 13820, USA
Phone: (607) 432-4977, Fax: (607) 432-2042
E-mail: info@dollartisanguild.org
Website: www.dollartisanguild.org