Manjusha Sathish makes bangles, earrings, anklets, chains, lockets and bracelets in earthy shades. She started ‘Jewels Out of Clay' a couple of years ago, after Manjusha's husband gifted her a terracotta bracelet. Till then she had not seen jewellery made of clay.
“I loved the bracelet and kept wondering how someone can make it with clay. When I realised that terracotta jewellery making was a well-known craft, I was astonished. I decided to learn to make it,” says Manjusha, who is settled in Kochi. She approached a pottery unit nearby that offered to supply her clay. “No one taught me how to make these jewels. I learnt by trial and error,” she says, “The men at the unit helped me get the water proportion right, but I learnt to make the designs myself.” It takes Manjusha about two months to finish 100 sets of pendants, bangles, chains, bracelets, earrings and more. “Whenever an idea strikes me, I try out new designs. Getting the perfect shape involves a lot of work — drying the clay, moulding it into circles, squares and other shapes and then baking it on fire.”
Manjusha has set up a blog recently (http://jewelsoutofclay.blogspot.com), where she regularly posts pictures of her new designs. “The blog has helped me develop a good clientele base in Chennai. A lot of customers place orders online.” “I have approached stores to sell my jewellery but they don't think there is a market for pure terracotta jewellery. They wanted me to paint it in different colours, which I refuse to do. This is a natural product, something I hold dear and wish to nurture it in its earthy shades. Many a time, people find my jewellery different because unpainted terracotta jewellery is rare,” says Manjusha.
