Turn Clay Into Wearable Art: Inside the 6-Week Ceramic Jewellery Course at 7 Spot Pottery
If you have ever wanted to combine the tactile joy of pottery with fashion, ceramic jewellery is the ultimate creative outlet. While wheel throwing often steals the spotlight, working with small scale ceramics allows you to explore intricate textures, delicate porcelain stains, and specialized studio techniques that turn raw clay into unique, wearable art.
Located in Salford, just minutes from Manchester city centre, 7 Spot Pottery runs a specialized 6 Week Ceramic Jewellery Course designed to teach makers these niche studio skills step by step.
What Makes Ceramic Jewellery Different?
Making pottery on a small scale presents unique visual and technical possibilities:
High detail in small forms: Working at a smaller size lets you experiment with fine surface pattern making without committing to large volumes of clay.
Specialized firing setups: Because glaze melts into glass during firing, glazed beads will fuse to a standard kiln shelf. Learning how to suspend pieces on custom bead racks solves this technical hurdle.
Colour through the clay body: Instead of relying solely on surface glazes, you can stain porcelain directly with stains and oxides to create solid colour patterns running through the piece.
What You Will Learn Over 6 Weeks
The extended 6 week format provides extra time to refine technique, experiment with surface treatments, and assemble finished pieces:
Building Custom Studio Setup: Learn how to construct your own bead racks so glazed pieces can hang freely inside the kiln without sticking.
Porcelain and Pattern Techniques: Explore coloured clay methodologies, including nerikomi (patterned agateware), marbling, and precision inlay using stained porcelain.
Texture and Relief Work: Work with stoneware clays, sprig moulds, and impression tools to carve and stamp intricate cabochons, rings, brooches, and decorative beads.
Glazing and Loading: Master the delicate process of applying glazes to small scale forms and loading bead racks safely for optimal firing results.
Assembly and Jewellery Hardware: Learn how to mount cabochons, attach findings, cord, and metalwork to convert fired ceramic components into finished necklaces, earrings, and brooches.
Course Overview and Key Details
Duration: 6 Weeks
Location :7 Spot Pottery, 16 Worrall St, Salford (near Manchester)
Session times: Sunday evenings (5:00 to 7:30 PM)
Included materials: Porcelain, stoneware clay, stains, oxides, glazes, stainless steel findings, glue and firing costs
Prerequisites: None, suitable for complete beginners and experienced potters alike
Studio Prep Tips
If you are attending or planning to start ceramic jewellery making:
Trim your nails short: Small scale clay work requires fine fingertip control; long fingernails can gouge soft clay or ruin delicate textures.
Bring a design notebook: Sketching out bead shapes, hole placements, and pattern ideas before getting your hands muddy helps keep your designs intentional.
See you there budding ceramic jewellers!