Craft Project - Amber Rose Bracelet

By Kathy Meier

Materials

AMACO® Craft Porcelain
AMACO® Needle Tool
AMACO® Professional Bead Baking Rack
AMACO® Tri-Bead Roller
Ruler
USA ArtQuest, Inc. Gum Arabic Pearl Ex Pigments — 661 Antique Copper, 654 Super Russet, 658 Aztec Gold
Water
Small Disposable Palettes (clean discarded jar or bottle lids work well)
Craft Sticks or other Device for Mixing
Applicators Such as Cotton-Tipped Applicators or
Tsukineko Sponge Daubers
4 Focal Beads (FB) in Complimentary Colors (shown are approximately 12 mm Vintage Beads, ‘Puff Coin’ Shape)
18 — 4 mm Silver Heishi Spacer Beads
12″ — 49 Strand Bead Stringing Wire From Beadalon®
2 Crimp Beads
Bead Crimping Tool
Wire Flush Cutters
13 mm Lobster-Style Clasp

Step 1
Follow instructions provided with AMACO® Tri-Bead Roller to measure clay size needed for each bead shape.

Step 2
Roll measured clay sections in Tri-Bead Roller to form seven round beads and 6 bicone beads. Pierce each bead with AMACO® Needle Tool to create hole for stringing and string onto Bead Baking Rack pins for painting.

Step 3
Working in small quantities as it dries fast, mix a small amount of gum arabic (approx. 1 teaspoon) and a little water in disposable palette. Stir in approximately 1 teaspoon Antique Copper pigment. Using applicator, sponge or dab on to each individual bead, spinning them around the wire/pin as you work to reach all sides. Don’t attempt to color it solid, you just want scattered patches of color here and there. Measurements are imprecise, experiment!

Step 4
Repeat step 3 with the other two colors. If your color is too uniform you can go back and sponge on more of the other colors. By the third color, you want the entire bead covered with color. Pay attention to the areas by the holes too. Set aside to dry.

Step 5
String a crimp bead 1/2″ from end of a 12″ length of beading wire; place wire end through loop on round bracelet clasp and back through crimp bead. Use crimping pliers to flatten crimp bead approximately 1/16″ from loop, securing the bracelet clasp to wire.

Step 6
String beads onto beading wire for this section of necklace in the following order separating each bead with a heishi spacer: 1 Heishi spacer, 2 rounds, 1 FB, 3 bicones, 1 FB, 3 rounds, 1 FB, 2 bicones, 1 FB, and 2 rounds. End with a heishi spacer and a crimp bead.

Step 7
Insert wire end back through crimp bead leaving a large enough loop to accept lobster claw, approximately 4 mm. Pull excess wire until crimp bead is desired length from end and flatten crimp bead with crimping tool. Trim excess wire with wire cutters.